Pets at home in league with rescue centre

I know there is often lots of discussion about pets at home. Just wanted to make a positive point (IMO).

Our local store in huntingdon has just be done up. All the enclosures are much larger and better and they now have a section in which they have rabbits from Wood green animal shelter which is nearby and offer contact details etc.

To me, this is progress. It gives people who may never have considered a rescued bunny a real option. After all most of us will admit that when we were young if you wanted a pet, you went to a pet shop. You can't really blame people if they still do that?

I think that is GREAT of your local Pets At Home is offering rabbits for re-homing from a rescue centre!

Our Pets At Home here in town recently set up a an 'Adoption Centre' in it's superstore. I thought it looked promising, offering rabbits for adoption for a £10 donation, Gerbils for a £3 donation, Guinea Pigs for a £5 donation, etc. However, I was VERY disallusioned when I started talking about it in depth to some of the staff whom I am very familiar with.....and was told that all of the 'adoption animals' were animals from their own stores that they had had for SO long that they were too old to sell!:roll:

A link with a rescue centre is such a positive thing. I wonder if those that are not near a rescue centre have the same situation happening in the same area as March Hare.

One of our local stores is being re-fitted, at present there are no animal enclosures fitted, so I've yet to see if buns and piggies will be separate, however there is a larger and more prominent selection of good sized rabbit hutches. And they are also pushing their "naturals" range a lot more too..... time will tell.....

It seems very ironic that the people causing some of these problems now have 'rescue' centres where they can make money for the second time selling an animal that has been returned. If they were more responsible about not selling them in the first place......

Yes, I agree it is better than nothing, but I am in no way jumping for joy over this. As I think someone else said, they may be viewed as cheaper options. They still won't know where they are going, and presumably they are still selling undersized hutches to house them in.

Lucyhp said:

It seems very ironic that the people causing some of these problems now have 'rescue' centres where they can make money for the second time selling an animal that has been returned.

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I might be getting a bit confused, but didn't the OP say that the store is helping rehome an independent rescues animals, not just ones that have been returned?
I was also under the impression that the money went to charity, so they aren't making any money from it?

I think it's all good imo. Especially if they're actually helping out local rescues! Hopefully it'll get the general public realising that there *are* rescues out there who deal with small animals, not just cats and dogs. I certainly didn't know much about them until I went on forums, so I suppose it's giving rescues the free publicity they so desperately need.

I agree!!

Just out of interest, if someone decides they would like to take a "rescue" bunny from P@H can they do so there and then, or do they do the adoption through the rescue centre it came from?

My main concern is that they will still send people home without the information a new owner needs on how to care for their new bun properly, and they'll probably still sell them inadequate housing..

I don't know of too many rescues that would be happy to rehome without seeing that the rabbit has an adequate living space and run (homecheck), and that dietary advice etc. has been given.
I recognise that for some rescues that are overrun this can't always be possible, but at least they will have had the chance to discuss rabbit care with the owner before it goes home.

I am planning to go to the store in the next couple of days so can confirm properly but I believe that they simply have some examples of animals that can be adopted in store but the actual process is done through the shelter and anyone interested is directed there so all checks etc will be done. And yes they are definately animals from the shelter and NOT just store rejects.

I spoke to one of the staff in the carlisle branch about if they were doing the rescue thing. She said they were just waiting for the last two rabbits to be homed to get the enclosures done.

Where do you think most of the rabbits in rescues come from originally? I know for a fact the majority of ours originate in pet shops. That was my point. If they are simply displaying information for a rescue then I would agree that is good. But why can't they take a good look at their own practices to stop so many ending up in rescue in the first place?

Actually I bought my mini rex from a breeder and there were several times that I could quite happily have given him to a rescue!!!

Now before I am lynched let me explain....anyone who has a bunny will know that no matter where they come from they all have different personalities. I had had rabbits before and the lady I bought from therefore assumed that I knew what I was doing. I did but I was not neccessarily prepared for the wilful little boy that I ended up with! Even after neutering he continued to be quite difficult to handle and my 14 year old could not pick him up without being scratched and sometimes bitten. I realise that bunnies are independant individuals who will have a cuddle when THEY want one.

The point I am trying to make is that yes I realise it is easy to buy from a pet shop but actually I found it just as easy to buy from the breeder and it didn't guarentee me the perfect pet.

Please don't get me wrong I love Toffee to death and have just got him a girlfriend (from a rescue) which seems to be calming him considerably. I have no doubt I will be slated for this post now but hopefully some people may understand my opinion.

saz1970 said:

I know there is often lots of discussion about pets at home. Just wanted to make a positive point (IMO).

Our local store in huntingdon has just be done up. All the enclosures are much larger and better and they now have a section in which they have rabbits from Wood green animal shelter which is nearby and offer contact details etc.

To me, this is progress. It gives people who may never have considered a rescued bunny a real option. After all most of us will admit that when we were young if you wanted a pet, you went to a pet shop. You can't really blame people if they still do that?

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Just noticed you live very close to me, thats my local p@h as well, I actually adopted a bunny from their not to long ago.
Sallyx

saz1970 said:

The point I am trying to make is that yes I realise it is easy to buy from a pet shop but actually I found it just as easy to buy from the breeder and it didn't guarentee me the perfect pet.

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yes, that may be true, but Petshops are on the high street. You can walk into them & impulse buy on the spot, when you were out buying shoes 5 mins before. Approaching a breeder is a little harder as you have to make an appointment/find them etc.

Lucyhp said:

Where do you think most of the rabbits in rescues come from originally? I know for a fact the majority of ours originate in pet shops. That was my point. If they are simply displaying information for a rescue then I would agree that is good. But why can't they take a good look at their own practices to stop so many ending up in rescue in the first place?

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Do any of you have the stats for numbers of buns sold/rehomed through shops and rescues?
I think it would be interesting to see the proportions of buns ending up in rescues taking in to account the vast numbers of buns sold through pet shops :rabbit2:

Good on pets at home for advertising some local rescues. Helpful to the rescues i hope.

I have concerns about the P@H adoption scheme after speaking to senior manager (not my area) who was unable to answer any of my questions. I was asking for information on a bunny who was called agressive with a sign saying that he must never come into cotact with another rabbit. I asked for more info and couldn't get anyone who knew so I complained to P@H and requested that someone contact me. 2 weeks later, the area manager called to tell me that they just wrote what the person who handed him in said. It appears that he lived with another male and he was certainly unneutered. Poor boy, probably not agressive, just hormonal and NORMAL. When I asked after him I was told that he was now rehomed with a staff member. I know my local store always say that too, especially if I have pointed out a sick bunny and enquire at a later date. I asked if he was previously a P@H rabbit and I think he was. The area manager had no idea what I was talking about when I talked about neutering him and that agression might possibly be 'fixable' by neutering and finding an appropriate pairing. He also tried to justify the buns living with the guineas, only to back down following another ear bashing from me.

I think, I may be wrong, bu it is just as easy to pick up an adoption rabbit and certainly 'cheaper'. I do think it is about time P@H did something about dealing with the thousands of 'unwanted' animals puchased on a whim from them. But I need to be convinced that this is not lip service. The area manager knew nothing of the backbone to the adoption scheme or how it would run.

Fiona x

Do any of you have the stats for numbers of buns sold/rehomed through shops and rescues?
I think it would be interesting to see the proportions of buns ending up in rescues taking in to account the vast numbers of buns sold through pet shops

I don't have the stats to hand, but we ask people to fill in a form with all the rabbits details on, and one part is where did the rabbit come from. Nearly all are pet shops or from a litter of friend/family. I would be willing to bet the rabbits producing those litters came from pet shops. And how many times have we all heard that someone thought they have 2 of the same sex only to find a litter of babies? In my opion pet shops have a lot to answer for. An adoption section displaying information for a rescue is good, but I wouldn't agree with them rehoming the animals from there as they simply so not have any knowledge of the animals.

I realise that other P@H stores may be rehoming their old rabbits buy MY local store is not doing that. They are definately rehoming for a rescue and as far as I know they will not give you the rabbit there and then but put you in direct contact with the Wood Green shelter. That was the point I was originally trying to make.

woodstock said:

Good on pets at home for advertising some local rescues. Helpful to the rescues i hope.

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Also tells people where to take animals when they no longer want them Unfortunately if people see something they will often buy something there and then, bit like that handbag you saw whilst out shopping, you probably won't wait to look elsewhere as you dont know what they have when you go. In the last 2 years ARC took in 377 guinea pigs. I keep figures for why the piggies have been handed in, these I have just compiled for our AGM. It makes interesting reading.

40% originate from either garden centres or large national pet stores, these mainly represent the younger piggies where it appears families have bought their children pets only for them to get bored very quickly or they have bought piggies to discover that they were either pregnant or 2 girls were in fact 2 pigs of the opposite sex.
20% of people claimed that they were moving or returning to work and would no longer be able to keep their piggies.
15% were mainly older piggies originating from families whom had had a long succession of guinea pig ownership and now wanted to break the chain of replacing the last guinea pig that had died.
6% were from unknown sources sucah as strays or dumped.
5% claimed there children were severely allergic to their guinea pigs and could no longer remain guinea pig owners.
2% were being rehomed as the family had bought a puppy which was frightening the guinea pigs.
2% were unwanted stock that a breeder no longer wanted.

jrn1310 said:

40% originate from either garden centres or large national pet stores, these mainly represent the younger piggies where it appears families have bought their children pets only for them to get bored very quickly or they have bought piggies to discover that they were either pregnant or 2 girls were in fact 2 pigs of the opposite sex.
20% of people claimed that they were moving or returning to work and would no longer be able to keep their piggies.
15% were mainly older piggies originating from families whom had had a long succession of guinea pig ownership and now wanted to break the chain of replacing the last guinea pig that had died.
6% were from unknown sources sucah as strays or dumped.
5% claimed there children were severely allergic to their guinea pigs and could no longer remain guinea pig owners.
2% were being rehomed as the family had bought a puppy which was frightening the guinea pigs.
2% were unwanted stock that a breeder no longer wanted.

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40% re impulse petshop buys That is a lot.