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| PET GAZETTE | TRADE TALK
BARKING MAD CLOSES GLOSSOP BRANCH
AFTER CRUFTS-QUALIFYING DOG KILLED
The dog-sitting platform was forced to apologise after a dog was killed in the care of one of its
host families
PET SHOP OWNER
THREATENED WITH
LEGAL ACTION
AFTER FEEDING
WILD BIRDS
Newtownabbey council have warned the
owners of an independent pet shop that they
could face a fine or even end up in court if
they continue to feed the birds
Antrim pet shop owners Stephen and Jeannie
Hanna have been warned that they will face a
£60 fine and possible court action should they
continue to feed the local birds.
The action from the council came as a
shock to the retailers.Stephen said: “We’ve fed
the birds for years, we’ve always done it.”
He also added that it was not during the
birds’ breeding season and that they are
not causing a problem in the town saying
“everyone wants to feed the birds”.
Since the Community Protection Notices
(CPNs) were introduced in 2014, local councils
have had the power to prohibit activity that
could be considered to have a detrimental on
people’s quality of life.
The introduction of these laws has led to
councils issuing fines to people feeding wild
birds, even on their own property.
Dog boarding company Barking Mad has
announced it has stopped trading in Glossop
following an incident where a dog was hit by
a car and subsequently killed whilst being
looked after by a host family.
The Glossop branch was supposedly not
following the guidelines set out by Barking
Mad, with Richard Dancy telling Pet Gazette:
“they weren’t following procedures and that’s
why we could no longer let them continue”.
Dancy went on to say of the Glossop branch
“we closed that as a direct result of the
incident”.
The company claims it has put measures
in place to ensure that this never happens
again, and say they are “dedicated to
providing the very best service”.
In a statement Barking Mad said: “We
take full responsibility for the accident and
our heartfelt condolences go out to all those
affected”.
Following the incident in Glossop, the
company has contacted all of its other
franchises in order to reinforce the company
standards which are ISO9001 accredited.
Yesterday’s incident saw Reacher a Crufts-
qualifying dog killed in a traffic accident after
its owner Jennifer Smith told the company
that the dog should not be walked or
surrounded by children and cigarette smoke.
PURINA PETCARE ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN TAILS.COM
Tails.com launched in 2014
Nestlé Purina PetCare has acquired a majority
stake in Tails.com, a direct-to-consumer,
tailor-made dog nutrition business based in
the UK.
Tails.com will continue to operate as a
stand-alone entity, with co-founder and CEO
James Davidson at the helm.
The current management team and
employees will remain shareholders and
continue to run the business from its base in
Richmond, West London.
Bernard Meunier, CEO, Nestlé Purina
PetCare EMENA said: “Personalised pet
nutrition, along with direct-to-consumer
subscription services, are expanding
rapidly and this move underlines our focus
on investing in high- growth categories
and ac