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| PET GAZETTE | TRADE TALK
WORCESTER-BASED INVENTOR
SECURES DRAGONS’ DEN
INVESTMENT
Peter Hill’s Pedaldish is a sealed pet lunchbox which is said to prevent food from spoiling anwd
help pets with indigestion
PET THEFT
REFORM
PETITION
DELIVERED TO
10 DOWNING
STREET
A second hearing for the bill is set to take
place on 26 October
The petition to ‘Reclassify the theft of a pet
to a specific crime in its own right’ which
gained 107,353 signatures and was debated
in Parliament on 2 July 2018 was delivered to
10 Downing Street on Tuesday 10 September.
The creator of the petition, Dr Daniel Allen,
animal geographer of Keele University
went to the prime minister’s residence with
members of the Stolen and Missing Pets
Alliance (SAMPA) and their legal advisor,
John Cooper, QC.
Also in attendance was Ross Thomson,
MP for South Aberdeen, whose bill on pet
theft is due to have its second reading on
26 October. He said wanted to “see the law
tightened up” and make pet theft a “serious,
criminal and punishable offence” which
recognised the status and importance of
pets.
Dr Allen said: “Five dogs are reported
stolen in England and Wales every day, yet
less than five percent of dog theft cases lead
to a custodial sentence. Criminals see pet
theft as a low-risk high-reward crime. Pet
Theft Reform is the only way to change this.
The law is simply not geared up to recognise
the importance of pets in the nation’s life.
“They are treated like property, and
the invaluable contribution they make
to millions of peoples of lives both
practically and emotionally really needs
to be acknowledged through a harsher
sentencing regime.”
www.petgazette.biz
Worcester-based pet product inventor, Peter
Hill, was seen securing an investment on
BBC programme Dragons’ Den on Sunday
16 September for his innovative pet products
‘Pedaldish’ and ‘Katfone.’
Deborah Meaden made a £30,000 offer
to Hill for a 33 percent stake in his company,
which he agreed upon.
Hill designed the Pedaldish, a sealed pet
lunchbox that prevents food from spoiling,
from parts he found in his garage. The
product is already available in Pets at Home
after Hill pitched it to buyers at the national
retailer’s Innovation Day in August 2015.
His invention aims to provide a long-
term, sustainable solution to the problem
of having to throw away spoilt pet food. He
also designed the ‘Katfone’, a whistle that
contains ultrasounds which can be heard
by cats from up to a mile away and can be
adjusted to create a unique tone for each
cat.
Hill said: “I had the idea from my own
experience of coming home and finding
my cats’ food untouched and covered in fly
eggs. With a sense of frustration, I modified
a pedal bin, fitted it with a ramp and taught
my cats to step onto it when they wanted to
eat. From that day I never lost pet food to flies
ever again.
“When I started getting requests to make
them, I knew it was something that could
help other pet owners. I’m absolutely thrilled
to have successfully pitched in the Dragons’
Den and grateful to Pets at Home for
believing in my product from the start.”
UK DOG OWNERS DEMAND
DOG-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS
AFTER WETHERSPOONS BAN
Nearly half of British dog owners said they would dine out more often if they could bring their pet
New research has found that 46 percent of
British dog owners would actually dine out
more often if they could bring their pet
According to the findings from Compare
the Market, the majority of those asked 62
percent said that there are not enough dog
friendly restaurants in the UK.
Over two thirds of Brits are unaware of
any local dog friendly restaurants where
they can dine out with their beloved pet and
over a fifth of dog owners would be willing
to travel up to nine miles to ensure they can
dine alongside their dog. The news comes
as Wetherspoons announced it will close its
doors to dogs.
Julie Daniels, head of meerkat meals at
Compare the Market, said: “Eating out with
friends and family can be a special occasion
so it’s no surprise that bringing our beloved
pets along only adds to the fun.
“According to our research, there’s a clear
demand for dog owners to dine out with
their pets, so making sure our four-legged
friends get a seat at the dining table could
be a great way for restaurants to encourage
more customers through the doors.”
October 2018