Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Feedback
Just a quick not to say that if you like our stuff please don't hesitate to share it and also leave us comments so we know what you like, what you don't like and also what you want to know. In this way we can also start posting articles on the things you want to learn more about. It has been great to see that more people are reading the blog and also checking us out on Facebook and our YouTube page as well. Like us, tweet us back, watch our videos, leave comments and stay in touch. We really do like hearing from you :)
Monday, 25 February 2013
Gold Medal Winners
As I mentioned in our last post, we had a stand at the recent World of Dogs and Cats and Pet Expo in Durban over the weekend. This was an amazing show and very well attended. We are proud to announce that we received a Gold Medal for our stand! This is even more amazing when you consider it was our first expo in more than 5 years and the first time in almost 30 years we have won a medal for our stand. It was a lot of hard work but well worth it at the end of the day when you consider the exposure we got, the people we got to speak to, and the message we could get across.
It was also refreshing to see that in general people are becoming more educated about their pets and want to do the best they can for them. As always we had some very odd questions but we get these every day :) Grateful thanks again to the organisers of the expo for giving us the stand and also to our staff for their hard work...now to start planing for next year.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Dog, Cat and Pet Expo and Pet Birds
We are in the process of final preparations for the Dog, Cat and Pet Expo this weekend at the Durban Exhibition Centre. The organisers have very generously given us a stand free of charge and we are so grateful for this. With around 15 000 people expected to attend over the 3 days of the expo, it is amazing exposure for us. Whilst we do not sell birds as pets, we are always asked for advice on pet birds and also have been asked to re-home birds.
Every year we get more than 100 requests from the public to re-home birds. Most of these birds are no longer wanted by their owners for various reason but others are very reluctantly handed over. Birds can make fantastic pets and we will not dispute that...however many people don't know what it takes to look after them properly or the amount of dedication needed to make them happy and healthy. When you realise that some parrots have the intelligence of a three-year old child and can live for up to 80 years, it really is like having a child in your home for life. Many birds also need specialised medical care and diets and if you do not do your research, your bird can suffer and possibly die.
We are continually stunned by some of the questions we get asked by people wanting to buy a pet bird - or even worse - who have already bought the bird. I have included some below for your amusement and also to shock you.
"I want a bird that will talk. If it doesn't talk can I bring it back and swap it for one that does?"
"I want to buy a brightly coloured bird and don't care what it is."
"It's my daughter's 5th birthday tomorrow and I want to get her a macaw."
"I bought a bird from the pet shop yesterday but con't know what it is...what do I feed it?"
"Can I buy an owl from you as my mom really likes them and I thought it would be nice for her to have one as a pet".
It's not all bad though. We have had some very heartbroken people contact us needing us to give their birds a home and it has not been easy for them. These people touch our hearts and we have wept with them as they hand over their birds to us and also seen the joy on their faces when they come to the park to visit and see their birds on display or with a mate acting like a real bird. They are also the people who regularly stay in touch with us to ask about their birds and where possible, we try to put pictures on our Facebook page for them.
So we are not saying that you must not get a bird as a pet, just to think carefully about your decision and please do as much research as possible about they bird you are looking to get. Do it for your sake and theirs. With all that out the way, come to the Expo this weekend and see us or join our Facebook page, Twitter Feed, You Tube channel and come to the park...we have lots waiting for you.
Every year we get more than 100 requests from the public to re-home birds. Most of these birds are no longer wanted by their owners for various reason but others are very reluctantly handed over. Birds can make fantastic pets and we will not dispute that...however many people don't know what it takes to look after them properly or the amount of dedication needed to make them happy and healthy. When you realise that some parrots have the intelligence of a three-year old child and can live for up to 80 years, it really is like having a child in your home for life. Many birds also need specialised medical care and diets and if you do not do your research, your bird can suffer and possibly die.
We are continually stunned by some of the questions we get asked by people wanting to buy a pet bird - or even worse - who have already bought the bird. I have included some below for your amusement and also to shock you.
"I want a bird that will talk. If it doesn't talk can I bring it back and swap it for one that does?"
"I want to buy a brightly coloured bird and don't care what it is."
"It's my daughter's 5th birthday tomorrow and I want to get her a macaw."
"I bought a bird from the pet shop yesterday but con't know what it is...what do I feed it?"
"Can I buy an owl from you as my mom really likes them and I thought it would be nice for her to have one as a pet".
It's not all bad though. We have had some very heartbroken people contact us needing us to give their birds a home and it has not been easy for them. These people touch our hearts and we have wept with them as they hand over their birds to us and also seen the joy on their faces when they come to the park to visit and see their birds on display or with a mate acting like a real bird. They are also the people who regularly stay in touch with us to ask about their birds and where possible, we try to put pictures on our Facebook page for them.
So we are not saying that you must not get a bird as a pet, just to think carefully about your decision and please do as much research as possible about they bird you are looking to get. Do it for your sake and theirs. With all that out the way, come to the Expo this weekend and see us or join our Facebook page, Twitter Feed, You Tube channel and come to the park...we have lots waiting for you.
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