Store News – Page 4 – The Not Just Pets Blog!

Not Just Pets is recruiting!

We are looking for a part time Sales Assistant to cover maternity leave from March 2013 to Jan 2014 at our Bath store. This person must have retail and pet care experience please and any qualifications in animal care would be a bonus.

The work includes serving customers and using an EPoS system, animal cleaning and responsibilities mainly in the small animal section, general shop duties and some heavy lifting.

Hours of work will be around 16 per week with some flexibility. Wages: £6.20 per hour.

Please apply by email to bathpets@aol.com with a CV or by letter to
Not Just Pets, 8-9 St James Parade, Bath, BA1 1UL.
The closing date is Friday 15th February.
Please share this notice, everyone. Thank you.

You can follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotJustPets on Twitter @NotJustPets or on our website www.notjustpets.co.uk

Happy New Year to all our Customers from Not Just Pets!

Happy New Year everyone! We hope your Christmas was merry and bright. Ours was busy and we are just settling in to this new year and rearranging our stock to bring some exciting new products into store.

First up is the Leuchtie LED collar – perfect for these long, dark winter nights walking with your dog. They are completely waterproof, extremely easy to put on your dog (just slide over the head) and they come with a TWO YEAR guarantee. They come in a rainbow range of colours and in sizes from mini upwards.

We are also stocking all the new Hungry Hector, Lily’s Kitchen and the new Billy + Margot venison treats and some new treats from Harry’s Gourmet – including “chocolates” which look as good as Thorntons and are completely safe for dogs.

The Billy + Margot venison treats are made using 100% venison and they are air-dried slowly to retain all the nutrients. The range includes: Treats, Chew sticks, Marrow bones and Liver bites. Lily’s Kitchen also have a new range of venison treats and we will be stocking those from our next order.

We have also started making some little YouTube videos for you – some for fun, some as useful hints and tips and some telling you about new products. Check out our YouTube stream here and why not subscribe so you keep up to date with all that is going on at Not Just Pets!

We also now have a bespoke service for hand made hammocks, igloos and cubes for small animals, dog and cat beds, dog and cat collars and figure-of-eight harnesses called Creature Comforts. We have a range of swatches and can have these items made to size – just ask and we will get back to you with a quotation asap. Here is a sample of some of the wonderful items in the range:

Plus don’t forget we now stock the fabulous PAWZ boots, Lupine leads and collars, Tuffy toys and Zogoflex toys.

We are stockists of the new Nature’s Way hypoallergenic, pocket-friendly dog food too – and we deliver FREE to the local area or for an online spend of over £35.

If you are an O2 customer, you can take advantage of the O2 Priority Moments scheme – we have signed up and all O2 customers can get special offers by downloading the vouchers from the O2 Priority website. At the moment, it is £5 off any spend over £35 so more New Year savings for you!

If there is anything you would like to see us stock in this new year, please let us know. You can contact us via the website, by email at bathpets@aol.com, by telephone at our Bath office on 01225 461461 or by Twitter @NotJustPets or on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NotJustPets

.. or call in to any of our stores.. you’ll be welcome! 🙂

Tricks or Treats and Fireworks! Plus, Dog Ice Cream “as seen on TV”

I refuse to use the “C” word just yet, although we have already taken in our orders of “C” products – but we won’t be displaying them until the end of the month. If anyone wants to stock up early, then you only have to ask! We do have some fabulous dog and cat treat gift bags which we have made up ourselves and they look lovely, are great value and can be given as presents at any time, but especially at Christmas. We are happy to make up bespoke bags too.

Meanwhile, Hallowe’en is almost upon us and we have dressed one of our windows with the theme of Trick or Treat – and by this, we mean what items can you buy to help teach your pet new tricks and what treats can you give as a reward for learning? We have clickers and puzzles and lots of ideas for new tricks you can teach your doggie, plus a huge selection of treats, including the fabulous Hungry Hector and Lily’s Kitchen treats – and the fabulous new venison treats from Billy & Margot.

Speaking of Billy & Margot – did you see Marie on Dragons’ Den last Sunday? Marie managed to get the backing of Deborah Meaden for her wonderful dog iced treats. We sell these dog ice creams and the venison treats and they are wonderful – nutritious, healthy and dogs love them! Here’s a link to a video of our Luna eating her Billy & Margot Strawberry and Apple iced treat 🙂 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imy-8Cag50c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

You might have seen that our other window is all about Fireworks Night. Some dogs and cats and other small animals get very stressed at this time of year with fireworks and other loud noises with parties and celebrations. Animals also get stressed at times of change, with loud weather, moving house, introducing new animals or people to the home or a new environment. There are many products on the market to help animals with their stress and we sell a range of them, from Thundercoats to herbal remedies, sprays and room diffusers.

Here is a checklist of top tips for cats and for dogs on fireworks night which we hope you find useful:

So, have a fun Hallowe’en and a safe Fireworks night – and remember you can ask us questions via our website, or via our Facebook and Twitter pages – simply email us at bathpets@aol.com

Not Just Pets – in Bath, Larkhall and Frome

Not Just Pets News! The Summer and more..

Well we have had a busy summer here at Not Just Pets with lots going on – I can’t believe it is four months since we updated this blog.

Sadly, early on in the summer we lost Ron Bond, our dear ‘Fish Man’ at our Frome shop to cancer. Ron was dearly loved by staff and customers and held a dear place in all our hearts. He had a unique ability to make people laugh and to make them feel special. You can find out a bit more about Ron here and read our eulogy to him, which was published in the Pet Business World: http://www.petbusinessworld.co.uk/news/feed/in-memory-of-ron-bond

So, the busy summer included the Olympics and the Jubilee and we had some glorious sunny days and wonderful events throughout. Our staff all got into the spirit of things and dressed the windows and even themselves to celebrate. We even had our own royal visitor!

We have lots of lovely new products and ranges instore, including the fabulous new PAWZ natural rubber dog boots – the world’s only disposable and reusable, waterproof dog boots! We have all sizes in stock to fit any dog so why not give them a go – we would love your feedback.

Another great new product we have added is Nature’s Way dry dog food, which is a new, hypoallergenic, wheat- and gluten-free diet which is rich in meat, Omega 3 & 6 oils, prebiotics and joint aid supplements. We have Puppy, Chicken & Rice, Fish & Potato, Lamb & Rice and Mature/Light. If you care about your dog’s diet AND your pocket – you will love this new range of food, made by people who are passionate about dog nutrition, in the West Country. All the goodness of nature in one crunch!

This week is RABBIT AWARENESS WEEK!

At our Bath store we are holding various educational events, including an instore day on Tuesday. We have a Bunny Hunt for the children, Name the Bunny competition, quizzes, goodie bags, samples and leaflets to give out. All our staff are friendly and knowledgeable and are happy to advise on all things rabbit – so come on in and have a chat about your bunny. We would love to see your pictures too – and we will make up a bunny photo gallery.

Get involved with Rabbit Awareness Week here.

You can follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/NotJustPets or on Twitter at: @NotJustPets or simply email us at bathpets@aol.com or via our website at http://www.notjustpets.co.uk

Not Just Pets does National Pet Month – Three Fabulous Open Days in Bath and Frome ! Your Pets and You – a Winning Team

It came upon us so quickly and it has already gone! National Pet Month – what a great month – we had lots of fun with our Open Days and raised funds and awareness for some of our favourite animal charities. The theme was “Your Pets and You – a Winning Team” and I think we were able to demonstrate this is in so many ways, from learning to grooming to fun!

In Bath we had two open days, one at our Larkhall store and one at our bright new store in St James Parade in Bath. Our nominated charity was Bath Cats and Dogs Home and we managed to raise a grand total of £535.90 from our open days in raffle tickets and facepainting and cakes and Bath Cats and Dogs Home also took donations in their buckets on the day. We shall be handing over the cheque to them soon -watch this space for piccies.

There were lots of “winning teams” on show – from Lee and his ferrets, to all the children who talked about their pets during the handling sessions, to grooming advice, nutrition discussions, training and behaviour ideas and some simple ideas for just having fun with your pet.

Our thanks go to all who donated, worked, dressed up, supported, supplied a prize or simply came along on the day. Special thanks to Hungry Hector, Royal Canin, Amanda from ALF, Alice Ladkin (who donated a very special £75 voucher for our raffle for a pet portrait). Alice’s portraits are beautiful and the winner of that voucher is a delighted customer. Thanks too to those who dressed as Claverton, from Bath Cats and Dogs Home and for the costume – Claverton was a big hit.

In Frome we had a hugely successful day, partnered by Royal Canin and Greyhound Rescue West of England and Frome Cats Protection. Steph brought Boo, her European Eagle Owl and we had bunnies, ferrets, rats and hamsters all meeting the public on the day. The cakes were once again delicious (thank you Doreen, especially) and we had help and advice from Kathverena Groomers and Animal Healing and Donna the Dog Listener. Andrew Rowley from Woodborough Kennels brough Tia and Boston and showed us all what we can do with our doggies with a little work. We raised £133.79 for each charity and the GRWE also took £179 on the day and the Cats Protection ladies took £252 on their table. So all in all, £698.58 raised on the day (amazing work!) and two homes also found for Greyhounds. Fabulous!

We also had our colouring competition, won by 3-year old Olivia – she loved her big fluffy doggie prize – and our photo competition won by Stuart Peard and his gorgeous doggies Nanuq and Lilka.

We cannot thank our suppliers and supporters enough for the donations of prizes and for attending on the day or sending colouring sheets or baking.. We appreciate all the help we are given to make this month a successful one.

Our aim was to show how you and your pets are a winning team and to promote responsible pet ownership and raise awareness and funds for local charities. I think everyone did a pretty good job! Thankyou!

You can follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/NotJustPets or on Twitter at: @NotJustPets or simply email us at bathpets@aol.com or via our website at http://www.notjustpets.co.uk

SNAKES ALIVE! SNAKE AWARENESS DAY at NOTJUSTPETS THURS 5 APRIL 9.30am-5.30pm

We recently lost Colin, our albino Corn snake – he was an old boy and had enjoyed a good life at Not Just Pets as the personal pet of Elisa, the manageress. He had been handled many times and all our snake-friendly customers loved him. Many children learned how to handle snakes by holding Colin as he had such a lovely temperament and was happy being out of his enclosure.

So, this month we decided to pay an homage to Colin by having a Snake Awareness Day and celebrate and educate our customers on all things snake. At least, on the snakes we stock – which include corns, royal pythons and carpet pythons – plus a few visitors who are coming especially for the day.

Please tell your reptile-loving friends as we will be having special reptile-related promotions on the day and you will have the chance to buy a few rare specimens with some lovely colour morph variations.

You can find out more by ringing 01225 461461, emailing at bathpets@aol.com or follow our Twitter page https://twitter.com/#!/NotJustPets or our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Notjustpets-Pet-Shops-in-Bath-Frome/103981576322758

Not Just Pets will be holding three more Fabulous Open Days in National Pet Month 7 April – 7 May

This year’s National Pet Month theme is “Your Pets and You: A Winning Team” and we shall be holding three special Open Days at our Bath and Frome stores to celebrate with National Pet Month and help to promote responsible pet ownership too.

On April 14th, from 10 am to 4pm we have our first Open Day for National Pet Month at our Larkhall store – and our special guest will be Howard Grove, Bath’s very own Dog Whisperer. So – book in early to ask him some behavioural questions and bring your doggie along to meet him. We shall have a raffle on the day with proceeds going to Bath Cats an Dogs Home. The DOCTOR is in – in the afternoon we have Murray from Ashman Jones Veterinary Clinic joining us giving advice on all things pet. We will have homemade cakes, face painting, animal handling (including Lee’s own lovely ferrets and Anny’s rats and hamsters), colouring competitions, nutrition advice from dog and cat experts and more! Come along and join in the fun!

On April 21st we will be holding a similar Open Day at our Frome shop – and this time you can meet Boo, our European Eagle Owl plus lots more lovely animals to see and handle. The Cats Protection ladies will be there with their wonderful stall and we will also have doggies from Greyhound Rescue West of England with us – plus nutrition experts on hand to help with your dog and cat dietary questions. Kathverena Groomers will be doing pet claw clipping – £1 a paw and Donna the Dog Listener will be with us too! There will be face painting, a raffle, competitions, cakes and all the staff will be dressed as animals. There will be offers and freebies on the day – so why not pop along and enjoy the fun?

On Saturday April 28th there will be lots of fun for all the family in our Bath store including: face painting, animal and reptile handling, a HUGE raffle in aid of Bath Cats and Dogs Home with some fabulous prizes AND Claverton the mascot dog attending, a Hungry Hector stall plus Hector himself, homemade cakes for sale, dog ICED TREATS on offer, a special promotion on frozen dog food, nutrition experts on hand from Royal Canin, grooming offers and advice, colouring competitions, ‘guess the neons in the tank’ competition, a dog training display and more. The staff will be dressed as their favourite animals – but you don’t have to (unless you want to!) Come along, enjoy the fun, meet lots of fabulous animals and find out all you need to know to keep your pet happy and healthy so that YOU make a winning team.

If you haven’t been in already this will be a chance to pop in and see our bright new Bath store – pictured above – with new small animals, new food and accessory ranges and a lovely new reptile room.

All the details will be on the National Pet Month site at http://www.nationalpetmonth.org.uk and we will keep you updated via our Facebook and Twitter pages – so why not follow us to find out all our latest news? We will be posting a photo competition during National Pet Month on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Notjustpets-Pet-Shops-in-Bath-Frome/103981576322758

or follow us on Twitter at @NotJustPets https://twitter.com/#!/NotJustPets

You can also email us at bathpets@aol.com or telephone on 01225 461461/461478

NOT JUST PETS OPEN DAY SAT 25 FEB 10AM – 4PM!

We are having our Open Day on Saturday 25 Feb at our Bath shop at 8-9 St James Parade, Bath.

We are teaming up with Bath Cats and Dogs Home (BCDH) and have lots in store for our customers including:

– Claverton, the BCDH mascot and Russel Rabbit (let’s hope they get on!)

– a HUGE raffle (proceeds to BCDH)

– Face Painting

– OFFERS all day including 20% off dog and cat beds; BOGOF on selected toys, 15% off aquatics tanks and beardie set-ups; buy a Muddy Paws mat and get a Dinner Mate mat FREE; Royal Canin money-off vouchers; £2 off 2kg Barking Heads and more!

– Colouring competition for children

– Guess the Weight of the Jar competition

– Animal Handling

– Reptile talks and handling

– Flying Fish!

– Cakes for sale!

Come and get nutrition advice for your doggie or moggie, learn about everything from bunnies to beardies, gerbils to geckos and cats to chameleons!

Or just pop in and see us and pick up a bargain for your pet on the day! You’ll be welcome!

Keep up to date with us on Twitter @NotJustPets,

on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Notjustpets-Pet-Shops-in-Bath-Frome/103981576322758

or call us on 01225 461461 or email to bathpets@aol.com

KEEP UNDESIRABLE ADMIRERS AT BAY THIS VALENTINES DAY

Microchip operated SureFlap can tell a true love from a false friend

Is your flirty feline enticing every Tom, Dick and Harry into your home? Or does next door’s monster moggy like to gorge itself on poor Snowball’s favourite fishy treats? If these scenarios sound familiar, then a microchip operated SureFlap might be just the gift you need this Valentines Day.

SureFlap uses a cat’s own microchip as a personal door key, preventing overly persistent admirers from gaining entry and harassing your pet inside.

Intruder cats can be a source of real stress for our pets and can lead to fighting and spraying, which nobody wants in their home, says Judith Bank, Marketing Manager at SureFlap. SureFlap only opens when it recognises the pet’s microchip, so it keeps out unwanted visitors.

SureFlap was invented by cat lover and Cambridge physicist Dr Nick Hill, after his cat Flipper suffered at the paws of an intruder who entered through his standard, non-selective cat flap. After failing to persuade Flipper that a collar-activated cat flap was the answer to their woes, Nick started working on a system that used the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in Flipper’s microchip.

The company have gone from strength to strength over recent years, expanding beyond Europe to the USA and even reaching the Kiwi kitties of New Zealand. Along with being highly practical, SureFlap’s aesthetically pleasing design has lead to its inclusion in the Design Icons exhibition, which is on display until February 23^rd at Anglia Ruskin University.

Judith says: SureFlap is an essential for cat owners who struggle to keep out prowling pussycats, but theyre also very stylish and make a great gift if youre looking for something a bit original this Valentines Day.

SureFlap is compatible with all common microchips and is available direct from our online shop and in our stores at Bath, Larkhall and Frome.

or on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/NotJustPets

Or email us at bathpets@aol.com

Not Just Pets has moved! Bath Pet Centre changes its name and moves across the road

Well, it has been some journey, but we have done it! We are in and the new shop is looking fab, though we say so ourselves (all our customers are saying it too so it must be true!)

For all our lovely regular Bath Pet Centre customers, fear not, we have not moved far at all – about 100 paces – just across the road to St James Parade (into the old Ambiente bathroom shop). We have two bay windows (some say it looks like an old-fashioned toy shop or sweet shop) and the new name above our shop is Not Just Pets (in line with our website and social media names). The graphics are bright and colourful, thanks to @HeavyGoodsMedia and @N3GraphicsDisplay – giving the shop a contemporary feel.

We still stock all the old favourites but we have added some new products in too. We have new dog toys – Tuffies, Zogoflex and Mighty Juniors to name a few, some new dog and cat collars and leads including Hem & Boo and Lupine. The Lupine range is superb as it is “guaranteed EVEN if chewed”. The Zogoflex Twiz even made an appearance on Gabby Logan’s Channel 5 morning programme!

We have fitted out a brand new reptile room and have settled in some lovely new specimens including Cordy (Cordelia) our Panther Chameleon; Wilton our Carpet Python and also two fabulous new Royal Pythons and a beautiful new corn snake. We also have leopard geckos, friendly bearded dragons, tortoises and skinks – and more!

Our new aquatics tanks are also looking splendid and Ashley is doing a grand job of introducing a few new fish to our range, but to keep it simple, we are stocking the basics for coldwater and tropical fish.

Even our small furries have new enclosures – and by the look on this bunny’s face she is very happy and has started making a nest!

There are lots of lovely new things to see in our new light and bright store and we would love you to visit and give us some feedback. To encourage you to come see us, we have placed an advertisement in Bath Life with 10% off your first purchase (excluding livestock) and we have also joined up to the @NowBath loyalty card scheme. Sign up for free and automatically get 10% off accessories and 5% off food in our store in Bath.

We have a Fun Day planned for February 25th – something for all the family with Russel Rabbit, Bath Cats & Dogs Home Mascot, Face Painting, Competitions and a Big Raffle, Animal Handling and a Reptile demonstration plus lots more. Watch this space or on our Facebook and Twitter pages for more news. We have also teamed up with The Breeze 107 radio and you can hear our adverts and news on there – so tune in on 107.9 FM.

Come in and see us at our new store at 8-9 St James Parade, Bath, BA1 1 UL – you’ll be welcome!

You can follow us on Twitter @NotJustPets, on Facebook – NotJustPets, or email us on bathpets@aol.com or telephone 01225 461461.

And don’t forget to visit our website.. www.notjustpets.co.uk