Owner: Pet Shop Pets and People URL:http://petshoptails.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:46:44 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Pet shop owner tells of the trials and tribulations of running a Pet Shop. Site statistics:Click here
A quiet week 1970-01-01 00:59:59 So here I am attempting to write a blog. I have been running a Pet Shop for some 25 years now and seem to have amassed quite a number of stories/anecdotes/moans/opinions and feelings about my business/my pets/my customers/my life.Would anyone out there like to read about them - I wonder?Life can be very,very strange dealing with people and their pets. Not only their pets, but their emotions as well. Sometimes I feel like a shrink, a marriage guidance councillor, a Doctor/Vet and a Social Service Provider all rolled into one.My love of animals goes back before I was born. They and the Business have been in my family for three generations now. I like to think that I am fairly sensible about animals. I can't abide cruelty and see pets as a help to mankind. They are something that we should look after and respect. They are company and often a crutch but what we should not forget is that they are ANIMALS, with different needs from ourselves.Enough of the lecture. I thought you may
Third Generation Pet Keeping 1970-01-01 00:59:59 As I have said before I grew up among a family of pet lovers. My Grandmother started the business some years before the second world war. She was quite a busy woman having had nine children and all that that entails. The business was really started as a feed merchants for the many people who kept the odd chicken in their back garden. Even now I have old customers coming in telling me they remember their parents visiting the shop for supplies. The shop evolved and gradually started selling food for dogs and cats and now we sell all sorts of foods and accessories for the full range of pets be they furry or finned or scaled. My Grandmother (who died when I was about 9) was certainly an interesting woman, and her tale would be a complete other story, but she as far as I am aware she always had pets in the house. My twin Aunts tell me of a story about a monkey who lived with them all - yes all nine children - this monkey as far as I can tell was just another member of the family. He often e Read more:Generation
So here I am trying to get the hang of this 'blog'... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 So here I am trying to get the hang of this 'blog' thing. Bear with me. -Talking of bears the only thing that resembles a bear in my shop is a hamster. We sell quite a few of these great little creatures. They come in all sorts of colours and have long or short hair. They have adorable faces and tiny plump bodies The most popular type are the good old fashioned Syrian - what we old folk used to call the 'golden hamster'. There is nothing better than seeing a family come in with a couple of children and deciding on which type of cage they want and which specific hamster they will take home with them. These furry bundles make a good starter pet so long as they are treated with care and respect. Poor things only tend to bite when they are frightened or suddenly see a large digit approaching at speed. I keep telling people that they must be slow and gentle as poor old Hammy hamster has bad eyesight.Never mind hamsters having bad eyesight. Many years ago before there were restrictions o
Old times 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Yesterday I went to see a man of 93 who used to work for us in the Shop. He worked for us all his life - before and after the second world war. If anyone knows about pets then he does. He kept pet dogs when he was working but I think that his record must be his pet goldfish. He took it home because it was looking a bit 'under the weather' and managed to keep it alive for the next 25 years. When I was a little girl I can remember that every year or so he had to look out for a bigger tank for it. It is dead now, but I think when it died it must have weighed quite a bit, and was a considerable length.If anyone is reading this and has anything to do with Pet Foods 30, 40, or 50 years ago then I am sure they will remember the old trade names of different products. Some of which are still going today. Spillars - Winalot, Shapes, Bonio - Bob Martin, all still around today. Then there were lots that have disappeared. Spratts, Entwistles, Stirling, Stamina, Pyke, to name but a few. Most of th
Invisible Fish 2007-03-02 15:53:00 Over the years we have sold all kinds of freshwater fish, both tropical and coldwater fish. The customers have varied from the owner of a restaurant who wanted a large tropical fish display to amuse his diners, to the many parents buying just a solitary goldfish to put in a bowl for their children, but only once did we sell invisible fish.Our freshwater fish, which we have in the spring and summer months only, used to be kept in large ponds outside the back of the shop beside our aviary. Our tropical and other coldwater fish on the other hand, were stocked and sold all year round, and are still kept in a large display of tanks.We stock and sell a variety of tropical fish, and from time to time some of the tanks are empty as we await the delivery of a new batch of fish. Once a tropical fish tank has been set up with the correct equipment, it is a fairly easy task, and not too time consuming, to keep the environment stable for the fish. As such, they are ideal pets for busy people, or
Who rules the roost? - 'Tickle' our talking parrot. 2007-03-01 18:56:00 Oh yes- see the picture of Tickle
, our talking African Grey Parrot? He really is a star and can say all sorts of outrageous things. Including 'Do you fancy a curry?' 'What are you doing?' 'Tick, tick, tick, Tickle' 'Give us a kiss', 'Stop it', and of course the usual 'Hello' and 'Bye bye', and lots more. He can also swear - not taught by us (of course!) - his previous owner was known to utter frequent obscenities. But his claim to fame is his whistling. He can whistle a famous football chant and various other tunes including the loudest wolf whistle you have ever heard. An old lady came in the other day and said that he had made her day!But good old Tickle made headline news in our local paper at Christmas because we taught him to whistle 'Jingle Bells'. All over the festive season he would whistle this seasonal tune for anyone that would care to listen. Although when our local TV news team came down to record him he closed his beak and refused to even say
Scorpion Birth 2007-03-01 18:42:00 Well, on arriving at work this morning we were surprised to see that our Imperial Scorpion was giving birth. It was like something from a horror movie. This black twinned clawed creature was removing white miniature scorpions from her underside and gently placing them on her back. We had counted four babies to date, but before closing the shop I noted that there were only three tiny babies on her back and two bodyless claws on the floor of her compartment. Think she must have thought that her babies were also her lunch. Scorpions do tend to eat their young if they feel vulnerable. Because we did not know that she was pregnant we did not give her a quiet tank in a rear room away from everyone. I just hope that by tomorrow she has decided to keep her remaining young. She should - with luck -keep the babies on her back for a couple of weeks, and then we will have to remove them as she almost will certainly eat them. Strange sort of Mother love. Just another working day down at t
A week away 2007-03-15 16:32:00 Back to work today. Have been on holiday in Spain for a week. A lovely relaxing break but I am always taking note of pets or animals around me. Lots of people keep dogs as pets in Spain and from what I can tell many of our four legged friends seem to enjoy life in the sunshine. It must be great to be a dog in the great outdoors. Living a life in warm sunshine, yapping at distant canine pals sitting on various rooftops around you and lazily chasing the odd scowling cat. Although I guess they both can have it tough when the weather gets too hot. Now I know that the Spanish have a bad reputation when it comes to animal keeping, and I guess things can always be improved, but they are getting there. There seems to be lots of Pet shops and Grooming parlours springing up and that can't be a bad thing. Most of the dogs seem well looked after and better behaved than ours although I do think that the Spanish need to learn how to use poop scoops. Cats on the other hand often look rather Read more:week away
Pets and holidays 2007-03-16 10:35:00 Although we look after small animals and birds when their owners go on holiday we do not look after dogs or cats. So like lots of animal owners I have to get the pets that I keep at home cared for. A number of years ago my family and I decided to go on holiday to Egypt. One of the main reasons being was that our young sons were very interested in the country and its history. So having agreed with my parents that they would keep an eye on the shop for me and pop over to my house twice daily to feed, water and generally pamper my 'At Home' pets we set off for an interesting holiday.Just before we left my faithful old moggie decided that he wasn't too well. I took him to the Vet and the Vet said that there wasn't much that he could do as the cat was just suffering from old age. Now my cats always get a bit twitchy when the suitcases come out of the cupboard so I thought that this coupled with the fact the cat was old was the reason for his lethargy. I gave my Mother instructions abou
The shop itself. 2007-03-19 16:08:00 Looking back at my 'blog' I suddenly realised that although I had talked about animals I had omitted to say very much about my shop as it stands today.I certainly wouldn't call my shop large. It is not situated in some big 'out of town' shed, rather a medium sized shop sitting on a main street in a quiet town. The shop itself has just recently been refurbished. I sell lots of pet foods and accessories, everything from poop scoops to vivariums, fish nets to diamante collars, bags of pet foods, birds seeds, cat flaps, dog beds, rabbit hutches, amazing hamster cages with wheels, tunnels, and twiddly bits. You name it, if its got anything to do with pets I stock it, or if not I can try and get it for you.My fish selection is not huge, but there is as good variety of tanks and most things aquatic. And then at the rear of the shop there are some animal units with a selection of small animals and birds and a few reptiles. I deliberately do not stock a large amount of pets because I like
Mac 1, Tale 1 2007-03-22 17:22:00 I wonder how many of our older customers remember 'Mac' the Macaw?We did in fact have 2 macaws - one after the other. Mac 1 arrived when I was about 13 years old. He was taken in part exchange by my Father who was owed some money for some pet food. I still have the memory today of the phone call I received from my Dad saying that I was to 'come down to the shop and see what was waiting for me'. I rushed to my bike and peddled as fast as I could down to the shop.I arrived out of breath from my journey and when I walked into the shop my heart almost stopped as well. There sitting above me on a large parrot stand was 'Mac'. He took one look at me with his black beady eye, raised his large foot in a sort of salute, bent over and in a very loud voice said 'Helllooo!'. Well from that moment on I was in love. Forget boys. That parrot was far better. He was well mannered, well dressed, always attentive, a bit cheeky and even my parents liked him! He was just about the most beautiful bi
Mac 1, Tale 2 2007-03-28 10:38:00 Mac 1 was resident in the shop for many years. He quickly became part of shop life and a real character to boot. He had a large stand to sit on inside the shop which when the weather was good we put outside. He just loved sitting up and talking to passers by. The more attention he got the more he liked it. He could spot a camera from yards away and would shout until the photographer obliged by taking a snap. He just loved having his photo taken. He would pose like a model. Walking this way and that along his perch and then spreading his wings right out so the photographer could get him at just the right angle. He loved to frighten people by creeping up on them from behind, and after a few near misses we decided to elevate his perch to higher up above the shop door. In that way he was safe the poking fingers of inquisitive customers and passers by were safe from a snapping beak. A round hut was designed complete with thatched roof and a perch that protruded out from its front door an
Wow - how time flies. 2007-04-26 10:24:00 I just don't know where the time goes to these days. I guess I have just been busy. - What with Easter and all. Although everyone else seems to have a few days off we still keep plodding on. The shop is open all over the Easter period and the animals have to be cared for so the staff are are all working. Never mind though. We were kept busy.One of our funniest incidents was a man standing beside our bank of fish tanks which were nearly overflowing with hundreds of fish when he turned to one of our assistants and said -'do you sell fish?' Trying to hold back a look of amazement the assistant spread her arms out wide and said 'are these what you are looking for?' His girlfriend then proceeded to tell him in front of the whole shop what a twit he was and how dumb he had looked. Exit a very sheepish man being heavily chastised by his rather loud mouthed girlfriend!Spring is always a nice time in the shop as young animals and birds are arriving. We have just got some lovely L
Roadworks,bra's and bats 2007-05-08 10:43:00 We have been all enjoying the past warm weather. The tortoises have been having a whale of a time. They have been eating really well and looking very happy indeed. That is if a tortoise can 'look' happy. I have yet to see them smile, but they seem to be enjoying life anyway. We have found nice homes for them, and most have been sold in pairs. Their new owners are lovely people in fact one owner is a friend of mine. She has always wanted to keep tortoises and now that she is retired has decided to fulfil her dream and keep not one but two. I think they will be better looked after than the other members of her family. When I last talked to her she was worrying about where to place their vivarium in her house. Her sons bedroom or the playroom?Back on the business front things have been a little strange. Yet again our wonderful Council has allowed some utility company or other to dig up the main road outside the shop. Why do they always choose a Bank holiday? This has caused chaos. We ha
Jemima 2007-05-09 09:48:00 Yes, can't nature be cruel? As I said in my previous Post I have a great view from my window as I work in my office at home. Our rather overgrown garden (I really must try and spend more time tidying it up) tumbles down to a river where there is always something interesting going on. It makes it so much easier to do mundane things like the VAT or paying invoices or checking tax returns when I can glance up and see the wild birds or even just watch people walking or playing with their dogs on the bank opposite.The day before yesterday I was in the garden - unfortunately not tidying up, but just feeding the fish in the pond. I heard a loud sort of quacking noise and there at the edge of the river was 'Jemima
'. Now 'Jemima' is an ordinary white duck who has lived on the river for a number of years, and as we are regular duck feeders we always recognise 'Jemima' because she is white. You can't miss her because as a white duck amongst all the other ordinary Mallard ducks she st
Its all in the name. 2007-05-15 18:46:00 We had a rather large delivery today of an assortment of products. Nothing unusual in that, but it set me thinking. - What strange names some of our pet products have. Kongs, Chubleez, Snuggle Factor, Critter Chopper, Perfection, Rogz for dogs, Paddywack, Muffins, (for small animals), Calypso Cricket Dust, Rug patrol, Gaylets, Flying Calf Frizbee, Chicken on a Rope, Orkas, Twisters, Wee wee Pads. - The list is endless. Some are simply self explanatory, but others are really strange. Do the manufacturers have teams of their employees making up these strange names and do they award prizes for the oddest?But I guess the strangest names are those of the animal housing. Bird cages and hamster cages. We had a number of hamster cages delivered and they had names such as Chealsea, Paddington, Bayswater, Westminster, Kew, Pall Mall and Picadilly. I couldn't help but think that they did not have any cages named after the more run down areas of London. No Old Kent Road, or Peckhams or
'Little Accidents' 2007-05-14 16:38:00 When you own a Pet Shop you become rather used to cleaning up all sorts of mess, but yesterday I must admit was a little different. We are certainly used to cleaning out messy pens, scraping, cleaning and disinfecting is certainly nothing new to us. Nearly everyday someone or or other is up to their elbows in buckets of hot water and cleaning fluids. It is always satisfying to see freshly cleaned out cages or pens with happy occupants waiting to untidy the whole lot for you to clean out again. That's just the way life in a Pet Shop is. Once you have cleaned something up then you go on to the next and clean something else up. Animal pens, shelves, cages, floors etc. etc. - all have to be cleaned, and if you work for me you will soon discover that 'this or that' needs cleaning. In my line of work in my opinion no matter how hard you clean and tidy it can't be enough. Keeping animals is a dirty business and I like to make sure that my business isn't dirty.Now if you bring a puppy int Read more:Accidents
Parrots and Parasols 2007-06-03 13:31:00 Over the last few days the weather has been quite warm. Lots of sunshine and a few fluffy clouds. The temperature is about right for our animals and birds. They all seem to be 'comfortable'. I guess it is the 'Goldilocks syndrome' - not too hot and not too cold.So we thought we would give our two parrots a change of scene and put them outside the shop for a couple of hours to soak up the suns rays.Sitting in their large cages at either side of the front door made them look like a 'guard of honour' for anyone entering the shop. They just loved the attention they got from passers by.Everyone stopped to talk to them and even passing motorists wound down their windows to shout 'hello' or whistle. It really seems to lighten a great many peoples day, especially when Tickle was shouting 'hello' or 'give us a kiss', or wolf whistling.They will be outside again in the next few days - weather permitting as both parrots seemed to have enjoyed themselves immensely. I have even Read more:Parrots
Questions and Internet 2007-06-13 09:13:00 I think that everyone that comes into the shop must have a tale to tell about their pet. We often get the complete life story of a favourite cat, dog, bird or even fish. This can all be very interesting but a little difficult to say the least if their is a queue of customers behind the story teller waiting to pay for their purchases. We really are a nation of animal lovers. Everyone has their own opinions and ideas about animal welfare, husbandry and just about everything else that concerns animals. This is where the Internet
can be a great help, but also a great hindrance. All too often a customer will ask us for information. i.e. about looking after a new pet of what type of food to use. We will in all good faith try and help, and if we have the written documentation we will often give the enquiring customer a relevant leaflet. Then sometime later the customer will return and say that he has looked up his question on the Internet and it says ........... This may vary a grea
Births, deaths and marriages - well almost! 2007-06-14 10:00:00 The holiday seasons come and go and because we look after small animals and birds when their owners go on their holidays we get to see our regular boarders once again.Many come to us year after year often having been purchased from us in the first place. It is always nice to see our old friends back again and sometimes I think that they like to see us again too. We usually know their little likes and dislikes and most of their little foibles. All are known by name so if a member of staff says 'Sugar' or 'Bubble and Squeak' are coming in next week we know exactly who they are. One of my all time favourites must be 'Derek' the Rex rabbit. He came to us for his holidays for many, many years only stopping when he eventually went to that great rabbit warren in the sky. 'Derek' was a lovely cuddly rabbit, he had gingery coloured fur that was quite short but felt like Velvet when you stroked him. His long ginger ears were just made to be tickled and his narrow face made him look like Read more:deaths
, marriages
Diets, Dogs and Dames 2007-06-17 13:07:00 Yesterday a regular customer came into the shop accompanied by her lovely Norfolk terrier. We (staff, owner and dog) all had a bit of a chat and then dog and owner went on their way. After she had gone I remarked to one of our staff members that the little dog had put on a bit of weight. We thought this was because the dog was getting a little older and and maybe not quite as active as she had been. Also she had had a recent hair cut which made her look a little 'plumper'. 'Perhaps she needed a week or two on a diet?' - I said.Little did I know that there were two other female customers in the shop while I was saying this. They had overheard our entire conversation regarding weights and diets, and put two and two together. The Ladies had not heard us referring to the dog, and thought we were talking about them! We hastily explained that we were talking about the previous customers dog, but I am sure they did not believe us. Next time I will keep my mouth firmly shut and my thought Read more:Diets
, Dames
General Monday morning moan 2007-06-25 03:16:00 I have just heard that our local Council is going to charge us for putting things on the pavement outside our shop. This applies to all the shops in the town. £250 per store per year does not seem too much for some big chain store, but in the town where I trade an awful lot of shops are empty so trade is not that good. Only last year the Council was trying to encourage the Cafe Culture. 'Make the town more interesting and welcoming it said'. I guess we will all have to pay this new 'Tax' - where else can I display my larger items like rabbit hutches. In a way I don't object to the new 'tax' that much. Its just the strange thinking behind it. We are a small town with not too many shops. This new 'Tax' will have to be administered. That means probably a Secretary to send out the forms for written permission for a licence. A Licencing Officer to come out and check you are complying with the Licencing instructions and a person to collect the licence money every year. So lets see. Read more:General
, Monday
Colour Co-ordinated Canines 2007-06-24 11:40:00 How come we never stock the correct product? You can guarantee that when we stock a certain type of dog lead that comes in all of the colours under the sun we never have the colour that the customer wants. We may have it in the correct length, the correct width, with the correct handle and the correct clip, but it will not be the correct colour. Time and again we hear 'It's the wrong colour it won't go with my car/ my dogs eyes/my dogs bed/etc.' The best one yet was the gent who came into the shop for a dog bed. It was about the time that the Labour Government had just come back into power. Anyway - the Gent wanted a dog bed. He knew what type he wanted and what size. We showed him the type of dog bed that he had requested and it was the right size and was the right type. But, it was the wrong colour. The Gent said that it was 'CONSERVATIVE BLUE'. We said it was the only colour that we had at the present time, but the Gent stuck his nose in the air saying that he would not have C Read more:Colour
Tickles tricks 2007-06-28 09:31:00 Tickle - our African grey parrot is getting a lot of attention these days. During the Summer months we get quite a few overseas visitors in the Shop. They always seem to be interested in a talking parrot and will say 'Hello' when Tickle says 'Hello' to them. I just wonder if Tickle will pick up their accents and start saying 'Hello' in a sexy French voice or 'Hello' in an Irish accent, or a German one or even a Japanese sounding voice.I think we must have had quite a few customers and been quite busy lately. He has started saying 'Can I help you?' whenever anyone comes through the shop door. This can be very amusing if there are no staff about. Customers cannot understand where this ghostly voice is coming from. If that isn't bad enough he can do a good imitation of a mobile phone too. Which makes many a customer search in their pocket or bag thinking their phone is ringing. He also copies our shop phone making us rush to answer it. When we pick it up Tickle then proceeds to Read more:tricks
Mid Summer - it must be Christmas 2007-07-03 03:37:00 Oh dear - Christmas
is near. I have just received my first Christmas brochure. It is full of pet Christmas presents. Somehow I just can't face ordering 'Cat tinsel', cat or dog advent calendars of 'Raffles' the Christmas reindeer. I have only just got over the Easter rush and selling 'Doggie Easter eggs'. Read more:Summer
Happy Hamsters 2007-07-05 05:26:00 Our new consignment of baby hamsters have just arrived. As usual all are fit and healthy. They come to us from quite a distance, but they are very well cared for. They come from our supplier in their own van and the container that they travel in is well ventilated with lots of food for their journey. Much better than the accommodation provided for us humans when we travel on public transport.All the hamsters are examined by us and then we try and sex them. Usually we get this right, but sometimes, just sometimes we make a mistake. Baby hamsters are so tiny. Russian Dwarf hamsters are even more difficult. On top of all the turning upside down to try and inspect their nether regions they squiggle too. Of course they don't enjoy the process and you have to keep an eye on their tiny teeth. Even though they are small they can still give you a nasty nip.Anyway all are present and correct and are settling into their temporary homes very well. All too soon they will be living in their permane Read more:Happy
, Hamsters
Getting the beauty treatment 2007-07-09 08:53:00 I was just looking at the products that we sell for pets concerning their grooming. Of course we sell brushes, combs, etc. but I didn't realise quite how like a human beauty parlour we are until I took a closer look at the hundreds of products on offer from various manufacturers of pet shampoos and toiletries. Shampoos alone come in flavours like, pina colada, wild berry, green apple, wild cherry and baby powder scented (for puppies), not to mention tea tree, dry foam, coal tar, evening primrose, blacksatin, insecticidal etc.etc. And these wonderful smelling products aren't just for dogs, they are for other small animals such as ferrets, guinea pigs and cats. There are the deodorant sprays to keep your pet smelling sweet, the ear cleaning lotion to keep those little ear holes tidy, the eye wipes, the toothpaste, the sweet breath tablets and more and more....Then you get the actual items that you groom your pet with. There are dematting combs, flea combs, combs for long hair, combs fo
Pets or Owners ideas? 2007-07-15 10:55:00 Someone sent me a comment regarding the love of their cat. She said that she always took her cat with her when she went on holiday. This set me thinking? Do we do things for our Pets or for ourselves? I know that if I took any of my cats on holiday they would not thank me. In fact they would be very upset and would probably try to make a quick exit out of the car every time the door was opened. But on the other hand if you have a dog and you take a trip he may be mortified if you leave him at home. But do we as Pet owners put our own ideals before that of our Pets? I guess that it is up to the individual to decide what is good and helpful to their pet. And so long as the Pet and its owner are happy and content then who are we to argue. So many people have different ideas
and thoughts about how to keep and rear pets that this can become a very sticky issue. We have a customer who regularly runs up and down mountains with his two beautiful dogs. They think nothing of a quick run before b Read more:Owners
Tickle strikes again 2007-07-13 10:51:00 Whoops. Tickle
the Parrot has been at it again. Earlier on today a well dressed woman walked into the shop. She looked round for a few minutes, and then bent down to pick up a packet of dog food from a bottom shelf. At that precise moment Tickle looked up and gave a very loud and long wolf whistle. The Lady stood bolt upright and turned to where one of our male shop assistants was standing. She obviously thought it was him as he was the only other person in the shop at the time. Poor chap, he immediately apologised and said that it was Tickle and pointed to Tickles cage at the back of the shop. Of course our shop is quite large and the Lady only glanced over in Tickles direction. Tickle was sitting at the bottom of his cage enjoying his breakfast -yes he can whistle and eat at the same time -. Anyway the lady did not see Tickle and stormed out of the shop tutting about rude leering men. The poor assistant who is a very polite and charming man was quite mortified.
Tortoise Tales 2007-07-17 10:31:00 Selling tortoises thirty or forty years ago was a very different proposition than what it is today. Then your average Pet shop owner was asked for tortoises by his customers. He would then order them from his wholesaler and then a few days later a consignment of tortoises would appear. When we received them they were in flat boxes, but many years earlier they had come in Ali Baba type baskets. On arrival all the tortoises were first put into large trays of warm water and given a drink, then they were washed and checked for ticks. After a few hours rest they were then fed lots of fresh vegetables and then next day put out on show ready to go to new homes. One of my earliest childhood summer memories was going to check the tortoises with my Father and seeing which were male and female. (turn tortoise upside down, concave shell - male, flattish shell -female.)Way back then not too many people questioned how animals were transported or how they were caught. Now-a-days things are different. Read more:Tortoise
, Tales
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