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HELP! Pets at Home intending to rehome a rabbit onto an allotment!!

parsnipbun

Wise Old Thumper
Just been into Bretton (Peterborough) Pets at Home - they had an adult male large (prob 3.5 kilo?) lop lionhead in for adoption after being 'given up to store'. Name of Alfie. I asked about his history etc and they told me that he had come in after being rather neglected and not handelled - but that he now had the promise of a new home and will be kept 'ON AN ALLOTMENT'!!!
I was amazed they re-homed pet rabbits to be kept on allotments. Allotments are usually visited infrequently by the owner (once or twice a day at very most and not at night) , they are prone to theft and annoyance from other people - as allotments are public places - , they are very very prone to foxes and other predators and there is no-one about at night if they are attacked.
Most allotments do not actually allow anything other than 'livestock' to be kept - so they will not be regarded as pets anyway. To be honest why would you want to keep your beloved pet down on your allotment.
Surely letting people adopt rabbits to then keep down on the allotment as if they were 'livestock' is not national policy for Pets at Home?
Alfie has long floppy hair that will need care and attention - I had him pegged down as an 'ideal house rabbit' when I saw him.
I did tell the staff member of my concerns and she seemed surprised - in the end I just begged her to get more detail of the sort of conditions he would be living in, his security, whether he will be vaccinated and have a friend.. Of course Pets at Home do not do home checks so they never know the truth but handing him over to live on an allotment is outrageous!
Poor Alfie is due to go to his 'allotment' this weekend -

I have put on my facebook and twitter BUT have very few followers as do not use these much - i have tried to contact Pets at Home nationally but its the weekend.

Is there anyone here that has a Pets at Home Connection?????
 
One of my FB friends is an assistant manager if that's any good? I can add you then you can message her if you like? :?
That just sounds ridiculous!!!
 
Twigs, Julia Westwood has contact directly with head office. She is working with them feeding back issues highlighted by the AFR group. Worth messaging her with details, branch etc.
 
Twigs, Julia Westwood has contact directly with head office. She is working with them feeding back issues highlighted by the AFR group. Worth messaging her with details, branch etc.

I am hopeless with relating RU names to real life and vice versa - and she does not come up on my email list -

do you have contact details?
 
Hello! Tis me :)

Parsnip bun can you email me please on info@actionforrabbits.co.uk

I have few issues I need to discuss with them and will email Monday. So if you can send me info I can include it.

I'm not on my computer at the moment and will forget unless I have an email - head like sieve ATM

Thanks x
 
Julia if you want me to speak to the pet team on monday them let me know....it's Sally BTW. I agree an allotment isn't a good place to keep a bunny and I'm pretty sure the pet team will agree and intervene.
 
Julia if you want me to speak to the pet team on monday them let me know....it's Sally BTW. I agree an allotment isn't a good place to keep a bunny and I'm pretty sure the pet team will agree and intervene.

Hi Sally! Small world lol!

I will send an email of the issues I have, a have a few to send. I think it would be good for you to raise it too, but maybe we are doubling up. Perhaps you could help me out with the Pets at Home problem reporting as a whole? Let me know if you are interested and I will see if that's ok with Maeve & Lindsay. Would mean one channel, as we are on the same page with same goals it might be a good idea. I can set you up with an AFR email so you can keep it separate from work if you like, that might be better for you too? I do feel I am a bit slow sometimes so some help would be great and you are ideal for the job lol!

I don't come on here much but will keep checking this thread. Can you email me or message me on FB please?

Thank you x
 
Hi Julia, have messaged you on facebook and parsnipbun will speak to the pet team on monday morning and let you know the outcome x
 
Someone from the pet team spoke to the store today to ask them to contact the people picking up the rabbit to make sure they will not be keeping the rabbit on an allotment and they have confirmed that they take their current rabbit down to the allotment with them while they go down there as they have a shed but don't leave it there unattended. The rabbit they are taking is to be bonded with their current rabbit and will be kept at their house. They picked the bunny up today apparently because they needed to sort some things out ready for bonding them. I expect the store staff may have got their wires crossed and thought it was going to live on the allotment but they have been told by the pet team that this is of course not a suitable place for a rabbit to live due to predators etc.
 
Someone from the pet team spoke to the store today to ask them to contact the people picking up the rabbit to make sure they will not be keeping the rabbit on an allotment and they have confirmed that they take their current rabbit down to the allotment with them while they go down there as they have a shed but don't leave it there unattended. The rabbit they are taking is to be bonded with their current rabbit and will be kept at their house. They picked the bunny up today apparently because they needed to sort some things out ready for bonding them. I expect the store staff may have got their wires crossed and thought it was going to live on the allotment but they have been told by the pet team that this is of course not a suitable place for a rabbit to live due to predators etc.

Good news for Alfie but worrying that until this point they would generally have given out buns to live on allotments. They really should do home checks in adoption cases
 
I think someone got their wires crossed or didn't explain properly the person who agreed the adoption knew the situation from the start. Home visits would be great I agree I would love to see this. I will pass it on to the pet team and see if it's anything they are/have thought about. I work in business systems so don't get involved with things like this generally but can pass things on.
 
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