Back in May, I emailed the local council with a complaint (or several!) about a local pet shop.
Now, we all have our own ideas of good and bad pet shops. This one is below zero on the awefulness scale. To give you a rough idea, they did once tell me that this hutch would be fine for 'any pet' so long as I let it out for an hour to have a 'walk'.
The animals are also kept in awful dirty cages, with food just thrown in on the floor (if they have any at all that is). I've seen visibly sick rabbits and birds along with numerous floaters in the fish tanks. Buns are kept with GP's and hamsters are kept in groups so they're all fighting on the shop floor. They also inbreed - they keep litters in the same cages on the shop floor and if they don't sell quickly enough, they breed on the spot. Baby animals are on the shop floor for all to see, with no bedding to speak of and the owners jack russell scratching at the cage trying to get in all day long. I would hazard a guess that the place is infested with rodents of the non-pet variety too. I could carry complaining for another 12 posts but I'm sure you get the idea! :lol:
I thought the council had actually fobbed me off with a load of excuses when I first complained but I had an email out of the blue yesterday...
I'm really pleased!! Basically, I thought I'd share this as proof to anyone thinking of complaining that it does work... eventually!
I sincerely hope this guy will be taken to court and will have his rights to sell and keep livestock taken away from him.
:wave:
Now, we all have our own ideas of good and bad pet shops. This one is below zero on the awefulness scale. To give you a rough idea, they did once tell me that this hutch would be fine for 'any pet' so long as I let it out for an hour to have a 'walk'.
The animals are also kept in awful dirty cages, with food just thrown in on the floor (if they have any at all that is). I've seen visibly sick rabbits and birds along with numerous floaters in the fish tanks. Buns are kept with GP's and hamsters are kept in groups so they're all fighting on the shop floor. They also inbreed - they keep litters in the same cages on the shop floor and if they don't sell quickly enough, they breed on the spot. Baby animals are on the shop floor for all to see, with no bedding to speak of and the owners jack russell scratching at the cage trying to get in all day long. I would hazard a guess that the place is infested with rodents of the non-pet variety too. I could carry complaining for another 12 posts but I'm sure you get the idea! :lol:
I thought the council had actually fobbed me off with a load of excuses when I first complained but I had an email out of the blue yesterday...
Dear Georgina
Please accept my apologies for the delay in my response – been a very hectic summer this year. Please find attached the original letter I emailed to you on 20th May 2010.
Myself, Trading Standards and a Veterinary Surgeon inspected *pet shop* on four occasions during the past 6 months. All concerns identified during these visits were brought to the attention of the operator of the pet shop at the time of our visit and were followed up with letters outlining any remedial action that was to be taken to ensure compliance.
At our fourth visit in June, there was evidence to suggest that several conditions of the licence were not being complied with, namely:
2.1 - Animals must at all times be kept in accommodation and environment suitable to their species with respect to situation, size, temperature, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness and not exposed to draughts. All accommodation must be kept in good repair.
2.6 - Accommodation must be cleaned as often as necessary to maintain a good standard of hygiene.
2.8 - All accessories provided in the accommodation must be suitable for the species.
7.1 - Animals must be supplied with adequate amounts of food and drink, appropriate to their needs, and at suitable intervals.
7.3 - Food and drink receptacles must be constructed and positioned to minimise faecal contamination and spillage.
The operator of the premises was interviewed under caution in order to clarify the reasons for non-compliance with the licence. I then produced a report which was presented to the Authority Panel (a panel comprising of senior officers within our department and a representative from our legal department) who determined that a simple caution should be offered to the licensee.
As this caution has not been accepted by the operator of the pet shop, we are now looking to take further enforcement action by way of prosecution for breach of licence conditions.
I hope the above information addresses your concerns and is of some reassurance. I will contact you with any further updates as they arise if you wish me to.
Kind regards
Claire
I'm really pleased!! Basically, I thought I'd share this as proof to anyone thinking of complaining that it does work... eventually!
I sincerely hope this guy will be taken to court and will have his rights to sell and keep livestock taken away from him.
:wave: