“Monkton Elm Pet Centre – The Pet Centre run by animal lovers” Those are not just marketing words; we really mean it. All our pet centre staff are genuine animal lovers, and to them the most important factor in people keeping pets, is the welfare of the animals themselves. This is why we pride ourselves on sourcing high quality, nutritious foods and where possible natural treats for pets. It is also why we refer to animals’ toys in terms of ‘enrichment’ as animals can get bored and depressed, just like humans!
We take the sale of live animals very seriously. We always ask lots of questions to prospective owners and impart as much knowledge as we can to ensure that new pets will be looked after properly and in a loving environment. We reserve the right to refuse any animal sale if we feel the welfare standard cannot be met.
The Covid-19 pandemic has meant all of us have spent most of our time at home over the last year, and this in turn has meant that lots of people have decided to take on a new pet. This means lots of pets now have wonderful new homes, and in return they give lots of love and fun back to their new parents. Animals are also a great way to teach children responsibility if they are taught the proper way to care for animals.
Sadly, the pandemic has also meant that lots of people have taken on pets to cure boredom, with no real knowledge of the scale of the job of looking after a pet correctly. This in turn head lead to animals being neglected and, in many cases, rescued and rehomed which has been up to 80% bought during lock-down. In Somerset this is particularly true of pet rabbits as stated by Rabbit Welfare Association that the number rabbits being neglected has almost tripled in the last year.
As a result of the above, we have decided the responsible thing to do, is to stop selling rabbits for the foreseeable future. We will continue to sell our wide range of natural food and enrichment products for rabbits, and we will happily continue to give advice on looking after them, but we will not be selling them ourselves. We do not want to contribute to this rising issue, and we stand by the rabbit welfare campaign that ‘A hutch is not enough’ and when rescuing/purchasing a rabbit, please do your research with regards to their needs and space. We can now become an advocate for raising awareness and recommend quality rescues instead. What this does mean is we will be able to expand on the variety of smaller animals that we have in store, whilst demonstrating the correct housing and care.
Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time, we are a family run business and appreciate every single one of you that walk through our doors.
- The Monkton Elm Pet Team