Monthly Archives: June 2011

Hi there – Janine here (yes, I’m often wearing bunny or cat ears!)

Wow! It’s been a busy couple of weeks and quite a few changes happening at NotJustPets, especially at our Bath and Larkhall stores. Apart from all the day to day things involved in running the stores, here are some of the other things we have been involved in over the past few weeks:

– rescuing two turtles (one found on a pathway, nowhere near water!)

and I am pleased to say both went to a good home 

-we rescued a piranha and found that a good home too

– we ran our Rabbit Awareness Week competition and sent out a lovely Jellycat bunny to the winner, Jeni Arnold (@Seren9 on Twitter) – well done, Jeni! 

– we sourced raisins for one of our lovely customers (unusual request)

– we met two lovely ex-Apprentices in our Bath store, @KateWalsh5 and @ApprenticePhil who loved our shop!

– we have been setting things up ready for the Garston Veterinary Open Day this Saturday – we are taking bunnies and guinea pigs and rats to the day and will be giving out lots of advice, flyers – and a 10% off voucher for your next purchase instore! Check out other details about the Open Day on Twitter at @GarstonVets or here at https://www.garstonvets.co.uk/content/

.. and lots more.

Sadly we have said goodbye to one member of staff, Lisa, who had been with us for 6 years and is relocating to Gloucester – Lisa won Employee of the Year last year with the PPRA awards and strangely enough, another winner of the PPRA employee of the year award (in 2009) our fabulous manager at Larkhall, Shirley, is leaving at the end of the month also after 6 years to go back to Scotland to be with her family again. We will miss them both but wish them well in their new adventures. Thanks for all your fabulous service, ladies.

Good news for Larkhall customers though as Lee from our Bath shop is learning the ropes from Shirley right now and will be taking the reins there really soon.  Lee will also be introducing a new tag machine at Larkhall – so you can have your dog tags engraved on the spot, like we do at our Frome store.

We have recruited new staff Helen, Ryan and Max at our Bath store and will be putting pics up soon.  Helen is also on Twitter at @WiltshireWalker – which is where she heard about our vacancy 🙂

On 4th July it is Independent’s Day where we would love to encourage everyone to buy at least one item from their independent store – and to celebrate the day we are hoping to have some things going on instore. Now – we need YOUR help:

Shirley suggested dressing up as Will Smith from the film (Independence Day!) or dressing in traditional costume. We hope to have some nutrition experts in at the Bath shop. But.. what would you like to see on that day? Ideas for what we should wear? Maybe traditional costume from 1776? We would love your suggestions..

We would love for all our followers to “like” us on Facebook – so why not pop over there and make it so! If you do – quote this code “Blog166” and message us your email address and we will send you a 10% off voucher for your next purchase with us!

Lots of fab products in store making headlines at the moment – Sureflap, the new ‘chipped catflap is selling like hot cakes, and no wonder – it is a great product – “SureFlap cat flaps recognize the ID chip already implanted in your cat, allowing access to your pet and making unwanted visitors a thing of the past. Your home becomes a secure environment for your pet, leading to a happier, more relaxed animal” – follow these guys on Twitter at @SureFlapNews too.

Other great products which are selling well are the award-winning Canny Collar “a simple dog training collar designed to stop pulling on the lead and make walking your dog a pleasure”;  

Becobowls, scoops and littertrays – learn all about them on our New Products blog page (and buy them online or instore with us)   https://blog.notjustpets.co.uk/category/new-products/ and Fizzion, the new (also award-winning and eco-friendly) pet stain and odour treatment: “Fizzion’s award-winning formula is the most powerful cleaning solution on the market to spot-treat pet mess on carpets and most hard surfaces in your home or store. Fizzion’s non-toxic, environmentally friendly solution, instantly goes to the root of the stain and the odour, breaks down the bacteria on contact so that it can be solubilized by our unique cleaning solution. Unlike enzymatic cleaners that require long waiting periods to activate, Fizzion works instantly on contact. There is no waiting time – just spray, wipe and watch your stain disappear permanently”

And finally, what topics would you like us to discuss on here/on our Facebook page/on Twitter? Would you like to hear Luna’s perspective on things (Luna is our mad German Shepherd girlie dog!)? Let us know in the comments box below, or email us at bathpets@aol.com or via the website at www.notjustpets.co.uk. THANKYOU!

and Grrrfff! from Luna 🙂 

 

It looks like many of us will be holidaying at home in the UK this year – or maybe taking a quick hop across the Channel – possibly with our pets! So, here are some hints and tips of what to think about for travel and the holidays with your pet. At our Bath store we have just created a travel display to give you some ideas and we are now building a whole new travel section on our website.

If you are taking your dog with you in the car, there are a few ways you can make sure your precious pet is safe in case of sudden braking or an accident. We stock a range of in-car safety harnesses and restraints including the RAC approved harnesses and the wonderful Company of Animals CLIX harness. This X-cross design provides a comfortable and ergonomic fit and has soft neoprene padding on all points of contact to give maximum protection and comfort.  It is easy to use – just clip into the seatbelt socket or slide the belt through the harness. Our MyPet seatbelt restraint is also a clever item which clips into the seatbelt buckle and extends, so your doggie can be let out of the car for a drink without running away. And if you want to give your pet a drink – you will need a travel bowl or bottle and we have a range of those too!

To protect your dog whilst travelling we also sell car guards for hatchbacks, dog crates and carriers in different styles and sizes. To protect your car we have a great range of car seat covers and boot and bumper covers to protect them from hair, wet and muddy paws and scratches.

Does your dog get nervous whilst travelling? Have you tried Dorwest’s Scullcap and Valerian? It is a wonderful licensed herbal medicine for the symptomatic relief of anxiety,  nervousness, excitability and travel sickness for dogs and cats.

Another fabulous product is DAP for dogs and Feliway for cats

DAP® is a synthetic copy of the natural canine appeasing pheromone  proven to help support dogs in a range of stressful situations and similarly Feliway is a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone, used by cats to mark their territory as safe and secure.

Or try Serene-Um –  another natural remedy to calm and pacify hyperactivity, aggressiveness and nervousness which is recommended for travel sickness, fireworks and thunderstorms with NO side effects. We sell all of these in all our stores and online.

When travelling and once you get to your destination you will want plenty of things to do to stimulate your pet. How about a floating dog toy? Or a classic flying disc? Or a ball launcher? Or a dental treat toy for the journey? We have a fabulous range of stimulating toys for your dog.  

 

 

 

For your cat we have the Wubba range of teasers with rattle and ‘crinkle’ tails, infused with natural catnip and specially developed to appeal to a cat’s instinctive desire to stalk and capture prey.

Plus many more pecifically designed cat toys to keep them amused from furry, plush, wind-up, velvet, mechanical and glamour mice to cat ticklers, ping pong balls and crinkle cat tunnels.

If your animal does have an accident on the way, the brand new product Fizzion is fantastic for removing stains and odours by breaking down bacteria on contact. It won the Best Product of the Year 2011 at the annual Pet trade show PATS and can lift a red wine stain from a cream carpet in 20 seconds!

We stock so many more products to help make your travelling a more enjoyable, calm and fun experience for your pet. Don’t forget the small animals – we have lots of products for them in stock too! So come and see us if you need any advice – or take a look online!