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Pet shop facing prosecution because I spoke up! :D

georgie_f

Mama Doe
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...

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!! :D 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:
 
Well done Georgie :) Very proud of you. Not many people would do this, so i think you've done really well :wave:
 
:wave:Oh hey! Good for you!:thumb:

The place sounds an absolute nightmare! I too, hope this guy has the book thrown at him- In HARDBACK!:censored:

Nice one!
 
The 'hutch' is a shocker isn't it?! :shock: I could pick it up like a little cardboard box. I think I was wider than it was! And I'm not exactly huge. I seem to remember the run in front of it being 3X5 (the biggest they do!) so that little box must be a foot and a half at best. :( I hope no one was ever dumb enough to buy one.
 
Its lovely isn't it when you get a result. Nothing in comparison to your hard work but I complained to our local pub about lack of water and green bottles for their buns in the pub garden and every time I've been back they've been full and clean. Makes it worth it.
 
Its lovely isn't it when you get a result. Nothing in comparison to your hard work but I complained to our local pub about lack of water and green bottles for their buns in the pub garden and every time I've been back they've been full and clean. Makes it worth it.

It certainly does! I have to admit, I'd just about gotten to the point where I'd given up hope of anything ever being done. I don't think I'd heard from the council since the end of May... I was absolutely delighted when the email came through! :lol:
 
Well done ... and on an off-topic note :oops: did I spot Cloud sleeping in Bunny Dreams? :love:

Hahaha! Probably! I sent Liz a piccy of her having a snooze (she's laying on blue squarey pattern lino?!). I haven't had any spare money to get a copy myself yet... I might have to put it on my christmas pressie list! :D
 
Hahaha! Probably! I sent Liz a piccy of her having a snooze (she's laying on blue squarey pattern lino?!). I haven't had any spare money to get a copy myself yet... I might have to put it on my christmas pressie list! :D

Yep, she was lying on blue square patter lino. I saw Thistle too, I'm pretty sure - you should definitely put the book on your Christmas list. :wave:
 
Yep, she was lying on blue square patter lino. I saw Thistle too, I'm pretty sure - you should definitely put the book on your Christmas list. :wave:

Yup, Thistle's probably in there too. I think I also sent Liz a picture of Brian flopped out but I don't know if she would of used that one - where he's black, I don't suppose it would have printed very well.
 
Well done to you. I've got a 'hutch' like that my buns use in their run as a hide-away but the front comes down like a ramp - I've put a tunnel in the hole for them to crawl through and I would never, ever shut them in there.

What an awful place. I hope it gets shut down. Do you know what will happen to the pets if it does? Given how full-up rescues are at the moment I guess it could be a problem but anywhere has got to be better than where they are now.

If they had to be found homes and bunny/GP runs are needed I would be happy to help (live just over the water from you).
 
Well done Georgie! Think of all the animals' lives you have changed by your actions - amazing. George and Fifi send their love for doing such a good job :love:
 
Very well done.

It's great that your efforts on behalf of the animals are having a positive outcome.

It's also good to see that the Council are referring to non-compliances with specific clauses of the Pet Shop Licence and conducted inspections (albeit when "pushed" by a complaint).

All UK pet shops are obliged to comply with all of the terms of their pet shop licence.
 
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