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  • accused of keeping rabbits in hamster cages

    This one has been a long time in coming, the bad news is that there's a lot to read the good news is that you don't have to wait forever to find out what happens next

    Jan. 10

    Our first sspca (Scottish society for the prevention of cruelty of animals) visit of the year.

    The inspector came out first thing in the morning, telling us he had received a couple of complaints about our rabbits being in hamster cages.
    As it happened, the woman had also commented to S that same day( the 9th) and had called the sspca twice, once to make her complaint, and again to find out what had been
    done as a result.

    Realising that the woman is going to keep calling, he thought he should give us a spot check, and on finding everything was fine (hamsters in hamster cages, rabbits in
    rabbit cages) he commented that he didn't understand why anyone would have a problem.
    He said it could look bad for out buisiness if he came out too often, and he would phone us if there was anything else, as he knew we were doing a good job, and
    are a reputable company. All was fine with the world .


    Until

    A week later the phone rings, I am on my lunch break, so S answers.
    A woman asks to speak to the manager, so S says sure, and asks who is calling.
    The woman snaps 'just a customer' and relucanltly S hands the phone over. I start with a pleasant 'hello'
    and she demands to know who she is talking to. Thinking- you just asked to speak to the manager, so who the frik d'you think you might be talking to? ( I am very sarcastic)
    out loud I give my first name.
    Her- So have you taken *mumble mumble* hamster cage
    Me- Sorry, could you repeat that please?
    Her- Have you moved your rabbit out of the hamster cage?
    Me- The rabbits are in rabbit cages, they have never been IN hamster cages (I had clicked by now, and S was listening in )
    Her - *smugness oozing down the line* Just so you know, I have reported you to the sspca
    Me- Yeah? well the inspector was out last week. *savouring it* He said everything is fine
    Her- well I have rabbits and your cages are too small
    Me- Our cages are specifically built for rabbits, and we have vet checks for our license. The cages are fine
    Her- Well when I phoned the sspca they told me they had told you to move the rabbits
    Me Well they told us everything was fine
    She again told me that she didn't think that our cages were big enough, and she was so disgusted, she would never come back in, and hung up on me.

    Later on that day, the sspca phone up. Guess who has complained to their head office about them not doing their job properly?
    And is going to the papers?

    The officer said in situations like that, their response is 'go ahead', but he wanted to let us know in advance.

    I thank him for the 'heads-up', we laugh at the local loopers, and I phone our head office to let them know (we have had 'fun' with animals rights lately)

    All quiet on the home front, untill Feb. 12 (I had a day off, but S had it all detailed in the shop diary)

    The sspca inspector comes out and is not happy. He was promised 2 weeks ago that the rabbits would be gone by now (eh?) and there have been so many
    complaints now that he has been getting grief from his superiors about it. Also most of the complainers are willing to testify agianst us (er, what for?)
    As he was a nice guy he was giving us 2 days to 'do something ' with the rabbits, or he would be out again first thing on Thursday to prosecute us (I repeat, What For?)
    S phoned our head office, and our area manager came out, picked up the rabbits, and took them to other stores

    On the Tuesday and Wednesday, anyone who asked about the rabbits were just told they had been sold, and of course we wondered if THEY had been
    the complainers. Thursday finally arrived, and R was really upset, me and S were getting ourselves worked up (part nerves, part anger, won't lie about that)
    The inspector comes on, sees the cages are empty and is a happy man (he didn't even ask where they were, we could have just hidden them upstairs for all he knew)
    and he asks if I understood how it had come to this? 'Honestly?' I said 'No. You came out in January, and everything was fine'
    He says that there had been 15 complaints logged, and his superiors had been told that the reason nothing had been done is that he was friendly with us (?)
    and that people were willing to testify against us.
    I of course ask what they were going to testify to (wait for it)
    'Because when the people came into the shop at 2pm, the rabbits were in their cages, and when they came in again at 3.30, the animals were still there'

    Well there was no reply to that, as that is where we tend to keep 'em (don't want visiting dogs eating the stock after all!)

    Any way, both rabbits were sold within a week of being transferred, one to a staff member, and now people are commenting
    on how can we be a pet shop when theres no rabbits.

    an (almost) happy ending

    couple of notes

    1) the rabbits in question were let out of there cages every shift for a run a round, usually 2 hours (once while the inspector was out, no less)
    2) R has been really upset over a lot of animal cruelty in the news lately,as have we all, and it was the thought people thinking we were abusing the animals which upset her.
    "...and you've got people. Billions of people walking about like happy meals with legs...." Spike

  • #2
    How can you be a pet shop when there's no rabbits?

    There are other pets in the world, aren't there?
    I don't go in for ancient wisdom
    I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
    It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

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    • #3
      I really cant stand the PETA, and PETA like people. The most hard core believe that we should not even keep any pets.

      The pet store/groomers down the street keeps getting complaints because they put ribbons and bandannas on pets to make them look nice. They call it animal cruelty.

      My store sells furs, let me tell you. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH every so often, they pop up. Make a big fuss, then need to be escorted out. And the funy thing is. At any given time we carry 10 fur coats most are from before the new store was built. We normaly sell, one in the fall and another one when it gets really cold. The other 300 are fakes. And the new fake fur is easy to wash and looks and feels like the real thing.

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      • #4
        Wow. Your SCs are real beauts. I remember the "leaking" water bottle fiasco. How did that one turn out?
        The best karma is letting a jerk bash himself senseless on the wall of your polite indifference.

        The stupid is strong with this one.

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        • #5
          And for my next trick, I will pull a rabbit out of my hat....
          If watermelons are made up of water, what are kumquats made up of?
          www.myspace.com/rentalracer

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          • #6
            When the native americans killed an animal they used just about every part of it. So why is it so bad that dog fur is used in "fake" mink coats? Dogs are killed in places for everything from food (in certain eastern countries where the "furs" are coming from) to the humane societies putting them to sleep. I don't care, it's not wasteful.

            Sorry I hate PETA (PITA) too, and RIAA (go Janis Ian!!! woohoo). They don't think OUTSIDE their boxes, maybe they're hamster boxes ... hehehha ... ok, sorry
            You have the right to behave badly. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a blog of my choice.

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            • #7
              Let's keep it to idiot SCs, please. Everything else, feel free to scream about it at fratching, m'kay?

              Rapscallion

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              • #8
                The last heard about the leaky bottle lady was in November, when trading standards came through my door. I had nipped out for lunch, and they haven't been back yet.
                keep yours eyes open, there may yet be an end to that one.

                As to there being more animals, we did still have 1 guinea pig, several hamsters, a fair few budgies and 4 full tanks of fish......but without rabbits its just not a real pet shop apparently
                "...and you've got people. Billions of people walking about like happy meals with legs...." Spike

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                • #9
                  Our old town pet shop was family owned, and they had the biggest macaw you had ever seen...he was called Jimmy and he was a 40-year-old Hyacinth Macaw, so I mean fragging big parrot here. His lovely, shiny black curved beak was larger than my ten-year-old hand, and he was the owners' pet with wings clipped (he couldn't fly anyway, he'd had an accident several years before and his wing bones were apparently a little muffed) who had free rein over the small shop. Dear God we all loved him, especially me, who was a parrot fanatic and still am now. I got friendly with the owners as we were fellow aviculturalists, and I think Jimmy liked a hell of a lot because I'd often come in there just to talk with him and give him banana (with owner's permission!!) and we'd have 'conversations' and he'd climb all over me.

                  Can you guess what one cow tried doing? She tried labelling this lovely bird a health hazard...saying he could crush an infant's hand and trying to convince all that he actually had...that he had psittacosis (did she even KNOW what that was?!?) and was trying to have him taken away...and at the time she was screaming at the owner, Jimmy was sitting on my head and preening my hair...She didn't get far at all, 'cause everyone knew Jimmy.
                  "...Muhuh? *blink-blink* >_O *roll over* ZZZzzz......"

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                  • #10
                    Quoth tintaglia View Post

                    He says that there had been 15 complaints logged, and his superiors had been told that the reason nothing had been done is that he was friendly with us (?)
                    and that people were willing to testify against us.
                    I of course ask what they were going to testify to (wait for it)
                    'Because when the people came into the shop at 2pm, the rabbits were in their cages, and when they came in again at 3.30, the animals were still there'
                    Do these idiots think that rabbits sell like hotcakes or something?

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                    • #11
                      Do these idiots think that rabbits sell like hotcakes or something?

                      Sorry, just had to.

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                      • #12
                        So, why didn't you point out the hamster cages, and then the rabbit cages? See the farging difference in the sizes? Are the rabbit cages bigger? Yes? Then shut the hell up!
                        "I call murder on that!"

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                        • #13
                          Btw, the pancake bunny's name is Oolong, a sweet little bunny that passed away some time ago. you can find him if you search wikipedia (warning, Oolong is also a chinese type of tea)
                          I pet animals, I rescue insects, I hug trees.

                          "I picture the lead singer of Gwar screaming 'People of Japan, look at my balls! My swinging pendulous balls!!!'" -- Khyras

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                          • #14
                            So does that mean we're being cruel in the winter when we put a sweater on the chihuahua who has an almost bare tummy and very short hair elsewhere? I rather think he prefers it that way he gets to meander around the yard longer.

                            Ooh, breakfast! pancakes and some Oolong tea..yum...
                            I don't go in for ancient wisdom
                            I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
                            It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth Bliss View Post
                              Btw, the pancake bunny's name is Oolong, a sweet little bunny that passed away some time ago. you can find him if you search wikipedia (warning, Oolong is also a chinese type of tea)
                              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oolong_%28rabbit%29
                              "...Muhuh? *blink-blink* >_O *roll over* ZZZzzz......"

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