• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Told off an awful child earlier at a garden centre! (rabbit related!)

Hesperus

Warren Veteran
I was in a garden centre earlier, investigating hamster accessories, when I saw two boys, aged about 9 (no idea why they weren't at school) being stupid around the hamsters. One boy in particular kept deliberately touching the glass although it said not to and then putting his mouth onto the glass and being generally unpleasant. Luckily the hamsters were all inside their houses. He also kept trying to knock the glass but I glared at him until he left.

I then went off into a separate fish tank section, just around the corner from the rabbits and hamsters. The stupid boy came back, alone, sneaked over to the rabbit enclosure, half climbed in and deliberately screamed AAAAARGGGGGGGGHHHHHH into the ear of one of the rabbits that was flopped out. :censored: Well, as you can imagine, I was furious. I shouted EXCUSE ME, which made him jump because I couldn't be seen from the fish tanks :lol::lol: and went over to him and told him off good and proper. I then told him to get back to his parents THAT INSTANT and he ran away. I have no idea where his parents were,they obviously weren't even in the indoors bit of the garden centre.

Anyway, what an unpleasant child. I know children are often silly and make mistakes but he was obviously looking to be deliberately unkind to the animals. I'm sure his behaviour won't change, sadly, but perhaps he might think twice about misbehaving in public the next time.

I really despair for the future sometimes. :( I might contact the garden centre and see if they can put up some sort of mesh over the top of the rabbits to offer more protection, they are generally quite caring of the animals there.
 
God I hope they don't have any pets.:(. Well done for saying something. Bet the kid went to his parent/s with his tail between his legs and sulked. They can dish it out but not take it.
 
It would not surprise me if the parents did not care what their chield did. I want to scream when an adult justifies poor behavior by saying "boys will be boys."
It is sad more children do not have good role models.
I admire you for teaching the child good behavior, and for looking out for the animals.
 
Bravo Hesperus. I imagine you would have felt quite upset and anxious about intervening but in my view, you were absolutely right.
It surprised me that the little erks parents didn't come and find you and give you grief - that seems to be the current way that some parents behave.
I don't believe this was a 'mistake' on the part of the child. It is completely wrong for any child to think it is acceptable or reasonable to scream into a small animals ear.
Sadly this is a reflection on where we are as a society and luckily we have people like you around to advocate and defend rabbits and other small animals.
Bravo to you.
 
:cry: how awful,. My nephew wouldn't dream of behaving like that. Some parents have no respect and don't teach child respect either

Yes id write to garden centre and ask mesh put into of enclosures, and that maybe in animal section there should be a staff member on watch at all times, there is at ours. Still wish they wouldn't sell them though
 
Some children are awful. I have a memory of being a child myself and sitting on a beach in cornwall with my parents. We were admirining some beautiful long silver eels in a large rockpool. I was horrified to see another child of a similar age to me, fishing eels out of the rockpool, laying them on the rocks and bashing them to death with stones. I can rather my father shouting at him, and then the boy's father coming over and shouting back at my dad to mind his own business.

That memory has stuck with me forever. Can you imagine what kind of man that child grew into, and what kind of father he must have had to become that disturbed child?

Well done for speaking up on behalf of that poor rabbit.
 
Well done! Why would that even come into someone's mind to shout in a rabbits ear? Strange child

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk
 
Careful some parents haven't been taught manners either, sadly they seem to reproduce more than those with manners
 
[emoji38][emoji38][emoji38]

Sent from a Rockhopper penguin

VSDgGE9.jpg
told a kid not to hit my dog, not quite as nice as that. Dad wanted "a word"
 
VSDgGE9.jpg
told a kid not to hit my dog, not quite as nice as that. Dad wanted "a word"
Ouch [emoji51]

Yea being female I don't get the physical violence so much I just names shouted at me [emoji38]

I mean tbh you were clearly being unreasonable, his kid is entitled to treat your dog however he wants obviously [emoji849]

Sent from a Rockhopper penguin
 
Ouch [emoji51]

Yea being female I don't get the physical violence so much I just names shouted at me [emoji38]

I mean tbh you were clearly being unreasonable, his kid is entitled to treat your dog however he wants obviously [emoji849]

Sent from a Rockhopper penguin

Oh yeah I was a right c.
Meh he got 1.5 years for attacking me (as well as over 30 stitches from my dog) and 6 months for animal cruelty (kicked dog) the worst part was trying to control the dog in all that otherwise i'd have to have him put down.
Thankfully avoided that as it went for his buttocks and thighs (good boy)
 
Back
Top