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.

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.
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