your views on pet expo

meanmachine3

hi all
just in from pet expo and i have to say i found i a big disappointment. first i had to queue in then after fighting my way around i found there was nothing about cats except for one stall and that was about persian cats. i have a couple of cats and that was the reason i went to the PET expo. they should've called it the dog show more like it. when shows were on the stands you could'nt get near some of the exhibits.A real let down by major standards.
Anybody else have any views on this or am i the only one that was let down big time?

Tabitharose

I went yesterday & came home with plenty of bits & pieces & lots of free samples for my 4 kitties much more in fact for the kitties than the stuff I got for the 2 doggies

Glowing

Nah, I thought it was crap. Glad I got a free ticket and didn't have to spend 12 quid for stuff I could have picked up in my local pet shop

Would have liked to have seen more stalls run by Shelters and Rescues ......

ashlingm

Have to agree i was a little let down by it - however since it is the 1st year it has run im hoping it can only get better from here...maybe next year in the big hall - more stands from non-dog companies. And i loved the animals on display would be fab if they had some more (maybe more rescue dogs on display for adoption too)
I did like the talks though - esp by the Aib Naturally Wild guy,,-pete wedderburn was pretty good too , very interesting.
But wow totally fell in love with the mini shetlands!

Nala

I didn't like the fact there were so many animals on sale, it's just inviting impulse buyers. Also in the pet farm section there was a mother guinea pig nursing 3 babies that I thought should not have been there.

Some of the stalls were good, got to have a good chat with Ben from Reptile Haven about Mr Nala getting a tortoise, he was full of info. I got to hold a python as well (or a constrictor, I'm not sure which). I am actually less afraid of huge monsters like that than of a small corn snake!!!

dudara

I was really disappointed with this show. Firstly, it was really dedicated to dog owners although there were some concessions to cats and reptiles.

Me, I'm interested in dwarf hamsters and smaller rodents. But there was nothing ( and I mean nothing) in this area on display.

If I had a kid at the show I would have been fairly disappointed. There were really no animals worth talking about on show, bar a few dejected looking ponies and the most pis*ed-off looking pygmy goat. The dog training display was fairly poor ( to be honest, I've never been a fan of training dogs to do things by feeding them treats the whole time - you end up with mindless morons).

It could have been so much more. Better display of animals, broader selection of shops and stands, not so orientated on dogs.

EDIT: There was an eagle on display from an eagle rescue sanctuary who was handsome. A rare sight and a welcome one in a show that was fairly full of tat.

Demonique

I wasn't impressed (and neither were Ben from the Reptile Haven, James from Reptile Village and Thomas from Boardwalk Pets) with the Wexford petshop that had the large Burmese python (they were directly opposite Reptile Village who had their own python in a secure cage) on the floor unsupervised at times.

The python was (or rather all the kids and adults gathered around it were) causing an obstruction by the main door because the shop had it on the floor near Thomas' stand. He said it was unwise because large snakes are potentially very dangerous. I've been bitten by much smaller pythons and boa constrictors and it hurts, a bite from a snake that size would be much worse.

I heard from other people that:

*at one point it was on the floor of the pet shop's display, wrapped around a cage full of rabbits
*at one point it was on the floor BESIDE a rabbit
*someone on another board said that he heard the people in the shop tell someone that the python ate fish.
*the DSPCA were over at their shop TWICE because people were complaining about the way they were managing the python.

I sat with the python on the shop floor for a while and held her front half on my lap where she was content to lie. After a while a load of kids came in and started touching her, she proceeded to go behind a set of pet cushions to try and hide, but could only get her front 1/3 inside. The shop left ALL their animals overnight, Reptile Haven and Reptile Village brought their animals away at the end of every night.

They had a tank full of baby royal pythons, definately wild caught or farmed. Underweight, with poor sheds. They needed a moist hide, but did they have one? Have a guess

Tegu was in a tank that was far too small. In the Reptile Haven's shop in Fishamble Street they have smaller tegus for sale in a tank that is at least twice as large.


At one point I noticed a lovebird flying around another shop that had parrots sitting on perches etc. This was Saturday, they said it had escaped on the Friday.

I was talking to the vet after Reptile Villages talk 'Exotics- Handle with Care'. A finch flew over our heads and landed beside the stand selling that powder to add to your dogs food to prevent tooth decay. The vet managed to catch it.

When we left there were still at least two small birds (including the lovebird)

Tabitharose

Glowing wrote: »

Would have liked to have seen more stalls run by Shelters and Rescues ......

I know a couple of people who run rescues who would have loved to have had a stall, they made inquiries and couldn't due to excessively high charges

SuzyS1972

dudara wrote: »

I was really disappointed with this show. Firstly, it was really dedicated to dog owners although there were some concessions to cats and reptiles.

Me, I'm interested in dwarf hamsters and smaller rodents. But there was nothing ( and I mean nothing) in this area on display.

If I had a kid at the show I would have been fairly disappointed. There were really no animals worth talking about on show, bar a few dejected looking ponies and the most pis*ed-off looking pygmy goat. The dog training display was fairly poor ( to be honest, I've never been a fan of training dogs to do things by feeding them treats the whole time - you end up with mindless morons).

It could have been so much more. Better display of animals, broader selection of shops and stands, not so orientated on dogs.

And how do you reward your dogs for doing agility or for doing a sit etc ?
Personally I use a treat the few times then after that you can stop giving them the treats but for motivation and learning purposes I can't think any dog would just do it without any reward at all.
I think it's very unfair you are saying they end up mindless morons.

Nala

That Wexford pet shop also were feeding their tortoise iceberg lettuce. Ben from Reptile Haven told me that iceberg lettuce is bad for tortoises- it is full of water and dopamine and it is addictive to them.

And anyone could have stood on that python. He could have struck someone. The Reptile Zoo's one was held by their staff at all times.

dudara

SuzyS1972 wrote: »

And how do you reward your dogs for doing agility or for doing a sit etc ?
Personally I use a treat the few times then after that you can stop giving them the treats but for motivation and learning purposes I can't think any dog would just do it without any reward at all.
I think it's very unfair you are saying they end up mindless morons.

By petting them and praising them. Would you reward all your kids achievements with food? Why do the same with a dog?

Nala

dudara wrote: »

Me, I'm interested in dwarf hamsters and smaller rodents. But there was nothing ( and I mean nothing) in this area on display.

If I had a kid at the show I would have been fairly disappointed. There were really no animals worth talking about on show, bar a few dejected looking ponies and the most pis*ed-off looking pygmy goat. The dog training display was fairly poor ( to be honest, I've never been a fan of training dogs to do things by feeding them treats the whole time - you end up with mindless morons).

There were plenty of hamsters and a couple of degus.

One of the ponies had a sign outside his pen saying not to touch him as he bites- there were kids with their arms in the pen, petting him. Why was he on display if he bites? Granted, any animal will bite if pushed to its limit, but putting one on display knowing he bites just from being handled is wrong. Especially because he could bite even more in the stressful, noisy environment of the pet Expo. Everyone should be aware that an animal can bite but if the animal is part of a petting farm many of us would take it for granted that it is safe to pet.

dudara

Nala wrote: »

There were plenty of hamsters and a couple of degus.

I did see a few, but only a few, and I was hoping to find hamster cages, accessories and feeds. Stuff that I mightn't see normally.

SuzyS1972

dudara wrote: »

By petting them and praising them. Would you reward all your kids achievements with food? Why do the same with a dog?

No but then again kids understand English - dogs don't

Fair play to you - I don't stuff them full of food but they do love getting a teeny bit of cheese or ham at the end of a course - can't see the harm - as they are not getting a bit of food for every action - they are able to follow a course and hand directions without getting any food - just a small reward at the end - of you noticed today a lot of people were throwing a ball or a toy at the end - I find this works equally well for toy motivated dogs.

dudara

SuzyS1972 wrote: »

No but then again kids understand English - dogs don't

But dogs do understand attention

Fair play to you - I don't stuff them full of food but they do love getting a teeny bit of cheese or ham at the end of a course

No harm there, but these dogs seemed to be getting food for everything they did.

I've helped my Dad train cattledogs, and I find that dogs will do things for the fun of it and the challenge. They just need the praise.

Glowing

Did anyone see the HUGE owl tied to a perch just to the left of the main door? One kid was walking around with a lab, and he went for the Owl (probably just a sniff) but the bird got freaked out and tried to fly off. Of course he got about one foot away before falling over and smacking his head on the ground and flapping his wings in confusion.

Shameful.

SuzyS1972

Demonique wrote: »

Oh and whilst Joe Public wasn't allowed to bring his/her pet, the same wasn't true for so-called celebrities, I saw Twink with her dog, I wonder if Linda 'Hatchet face' Martin came and brought her dogs.

That was one rule that was not adhered to at all - loads of people had their pets there - why can't Irish people abide by any rules at all ?

I don't think Linda Martin had her dogs with her but Twink did -

Demonique

I didn't see the owl, what did he look like? I saw the Bald Eagle though, magnificent animal.

That owl shouldn't have been left alone, and there should have been a barrier around it. Was it inside or outside?

Glowing

The owl was inside - on a fake log only a foot or two off the ground. Fairly accessable by all other dogs/animals in the room. Not sure why the stall was there but the owl should have been put in a safer place I think. He must have felt very vulnerable just tied there unable to defend himself.

nag

i was a little disappointed i didnt get to go to this but by the sounds of it, i didnt miss much

did they have any other pets there aside from cats, dogs, birds and reptiles? what about fish or was that it? how big was it - did they use all the halls?

warning... rant ahead...

when i hear of people buying more exotic pets from expos like these or even just petshops it just breaks my heart coz you know that the vast majority of them have done absolutely no research into what kind of care goes into those pets apart from having a quick conversation with the schmuck who owns the petshop and who's just trying to make a quick buck. imo, owning and caring for a pet is a big responsibility and not something to be taken lightly but unfortunately, finding a petshop that actually cares for what it's selling and in return promotes good care is a hard thing to find in an industry that thrives on impulse buying or the "OMG COOL! I WANT" factor

piskins72

I wasnt at the show myself, had been thinking of going but never materalised, am glad now going on these comments.

just from reading what people have said, was there any supervision on how it was run and how the stalls were by the likes of the DSPCA or any of those organisations? like spot checks been done etc.

bobbysands81

Was thinking of going to this over the weekend, but I looked at the line-up on their website and saw that all that was on it was stalls with clothes for dogs...

Was there anything to do with parrots or any parrots at it?

Demonique

There was at least two stalls with parrots, the clueless Wexford shop with the large Burmese Python and a stall with a blue and gold macaw who was on a high perch and more interested in playing with its toys. That stall had birds only.

IMO, if you're going to buy a parrot buy from a breeder and not from a petshop

Jip

I don't think this was ever intended to be a pet show as such, from what I read and heard it was always advertised as a consumer show for pets and so when I got there I wasn't disappointed.

Jodie Charlie

I thought it was a fantastic. And am glad there was not lots of rescue dogs on show and other animals on show - I think there was enough - if people are interested they can go off now and do their research having talked to ppl at Paws, ASH, DID, Dogs Trust, Anvil stands, ISPCA and Dublin SPCA. I think there was plenty of choice from rescues to talk to!
I got a lot of information on new foods, homemade treats, interactive toys and treats for my dogs like nylabones, kongs and treatballs, and some bits and bobs for myself off Dogs Trust stand - I was ladden down with things by time i got home and did not buy any clothes for my dogs!!!
The agility was fantastic to watch how Carol teaches she truely is brilliant and it was a workshop after all - TEACHING the dogs how to do it. Maybe its treats that worked for those dogs, maybe its a ball or maybe its attention. Dogs are selfish and always wondering whats in it for them - you get the best out of your dog by understanding how to teach them and you most certainly do not get morans from using treats - that made me laugh

michelleans

I had a fun time. Got to talk to alot of interesting people, got info on pet insurance which I will be purchasing, and car covers which we were looking for anyway. Got lots of free samples from loads of different dog food manufacturers (there were loads of cat food free samples too). Bought some stuff to support charities, talked to rescues, donated money, petted cute puppies Like the demonstration by Irish guide dogs too, I'd love to do some puppywalking for them in the future.

I'm sure it'll be bigger and better next year - this was only the first year.

Our man in Havana

I was asked to attend to give a few talks - but they wanted me to bring my monkeys & exotics (I COULD NOT PUT THEM INTO SMALL CAGES TO BE POKED AT!)

Maybe next year I will have a stall & a few of my animals (once I can afford huge new cages etc.)

nag

monkeys?! what other "exotics" do you have? pics plz

Our man in Havana

If you do a search I have pics of the marmosets on here somewhere - we have skunks, squirrels, reptiles etc etc.

Demonique

Spoke to Allianz Insurance about cover for non canine and feline pets. They said Allianz did not have any plans to go in that direction in the immediate future. I told them Allianz had lost a customer for any kind of insurance. One of them agreed with me and said 'quite right too'

Our man in Havana

meanmachine3

some good pics there bond.
to be honest you were better of what you did. on sunday it was crazy there, so i'd hate to imagine what the other days were like. my bet would be that most of the animals on show would've needed councelling and thats just for sunday.
i'm trying to get in touch with the D.S.P.C.A. to get their view on the show as a whole.

Demonique

There was a pet shop in Athlone a few years back, it was there from about 2000 - 2001. They had a pair of pygmy marmosets for sale for £3000. The shop didn't smell of animals, but that's not necessarily a good thing, because in this case it was because any animal smell was completely over powered by the smell of BO from the owner and his wife. The wife used to smoke beside the marmoset cage and the female marmoset was pregnant.
Surprise, surprise, she later had complications of pregnancy and died.

I bought an iguana off them for £120 and after a week I noticed he was walking on the back of his foot. Turned out he had Metabolic Bone Disease due to being fed an incorrect diet. We brought him to a vet (Peter McMahon in Tallaght) and an X-ray discovered that Ig the Wig had hardly any calcium in his bones. He was given a calcium injection and he seemed to get stronger. Before the vet visit he tried to jump onto the sofa, but he just hung there because he lacked the power in his front limbs to pull himself up. A few weeks after the vet visit he jumped onto the sofa no problem, climbed onto the seat and then onto the back of the sofa where he lay for a while before proceeding to throw himself off, pace around the room and then jump onto the sofa beside me again.
Sadly, we only had him about four months. He suddenly began to deteriorate, stopped going to the bathroom, started having tremors and lost the power in his back legs. We ran Peter McMahon who told us to bring him to our local vet, get him Xrayed, have him given fluids and an anti-spasmodic to stop the tremors. He was brought to the vets the next morning, but never came home, he died before 6pm.
On a bright note, the Xray revealed that the calcium levels in his little iggy legs had vastly improved, but sadly it wasn't enough to save him. I think his kidneys probably failed

comongethappy

Great pics Bond- it must be very rewarding! I have to agree though that it's best you didn't have the monkey's there - it was too small and kids were everwhere.

I was quite upset that people had brought their animals. One woman had brought her 10 week pup - only had it's first shots the day before - so it was still supseptible to illness!

I got a good few samples of cat food from Almo - it seems to be very good as well! Though, I must agree - there was definetely a larger emphasis on dog compared to cats, and smaller mammals, reptiles, birds didn't have much at all

Also, the amount of rudeness from people at the show in regards to buggies and wheelchairs! It seemed that only the young men were curteous enough to help let us thru with the buggy.

SMERSH

It sounds from reading this thread that the organisers didn't give a toss regarding the welfare of the animals on display. They would be more concerned with raking in the cash from the exoribant fees demanded for stands. The story about the python is shocking. Where were the DSPCA and the Gardaí?

I hope there is an inquiry into the organisation and running of the event.

nag

meanmachine3 wrote: »

i'm trying to get in touch with the D.S.P.C.A. to get their view on the show as a whole.

if you ever get in contact with them about it, be sure and post an update here


@Bond-007: nice pics. do you have any pics of your aviary? couldnt find any threads that had pics in them

Our man in Havana

Nag I will take some more photos tomorrow. but nudge me if I forget to post them up. The aviary they are in (they have 2 avairies to play in) are: 12ft x 6ft wide & betwen 8 & 10ft high (pitched roof) around 144 square feet of space to play in.

Nala

It annoyed me that the Pet expo was meant to be about responsible pet ownership but anyone could have attended and bought a totally unsuitable animal on the day completely on impulse. Granted, anyone can walk into a pet shop and do the same but the idea could be a lot more appealing, especially to kids, at a big event like that. There should have been some fish displays too I thought, but maybe it wouldn't have been a good idea, kids banging on the tanks etc.

edit: The amount of animals Bond has never ceases to amaze me, and they always look in such great shape.

rachel

Glowing wrote: »

Did anyone see the HUGE owl tied to a perch just to the left of the main door? One kid was walking around with a lab, and he went for the Owl (probably just a sniff) but the bird got freaked out and tried to fly off. Of course he got about one foot away before falling over and smacking his head on the ground and flapping his wings in confusion.

Shameful.

I was at the expo on Friday evening and I saw the unfortunate owl. It really was awful. People were touching it and rubbing it and I saw one kid pull at its feathers. It really was awful to watch. The owl was left on the log with absolutely no barrier and very little supervision. TBH, I don't even know what the stand was there for/who ran it - there just appeared to be a few kids sitting on the floor around it. The owl seemed frozen in fear, unsurprisingly, when I saw it.

Overall, I did feel a little cheated out of €12 as I am a cat person and I feel that cats were really under-represented. They should have named it Dogxpo! I did get my three some foam cat toys that I haven't been able to get in pet stop for ages though so it wasn't a total waste!

BeauZak

Oh and whilst Joe Public wasn't allowed to bring his/her pet, the same wasn't true for so-called celebrities, I saw Twink with her dog, I wonder if Linda 'Hatchet face' Martin came and brought her dogs.

Of course dogs were not allowed. There was barely enough room for the public. And Linda did not have her dogs with her and popped in to say a quick hello to friends because she happened to be next door promoting another event. Linda takes in many many dogs and does a lot of work with various rescue groups. There really is no need to be horrible about her. Surprised moderators allowed that comment :mad:

doctor evil

Glad I didn`t go, tbh I expected it to be more about consumer spending than passing on knowledge.

I`m not at all surprised about how expensive it was either. For the Horse Show it sounds like they have much better "crowd" control, I wonder if they used the same team to handle people?.

SuzyS1972

I don't agree with half the comments here - I was there for 2 full days . There were obviously people selling products which is the norm at Pet Expo's.

Red Mills had an accredited dog behaviourist there giving out advice to people for free. Julie Holmes is a well known and established dog trainer.

Dog Training Ireland were there and the few times I was at their stand they were giving out advice and advocating responsible ownership. They provided a 2 day agility workshop for people to come along and learn how to train their dogs in agility free of charge.

The DSPCA were there although I didn't talk to any of the staff - there were quite a few of them on hand so if people had problems with any of the exhibitors I'm sure you could have had a word with them.

PAWS and ASH rescue were there advocating rescue dogs and spaying and neutering.

The Pet Detective was there advocating reponsible ownership and giving advice on tagging your dog and making sure they are microchipped.

Dogs Trust were there advocating spaying and neutering and their offer of €14 neutering for people on benefits.

Dogs In Distress were also there to enlighten people on the problems with the stray problems in Ireland

Anvil Ireland were also there with a stand and Miriam Anderson from Anvil gave a fabulous talk on Friday about the problems animals face in Ireland due to lack of adequate laws and proper legislation.

Dunno what more I can add but for a very small show compared to others I've been at in the UK and Sweden I'd say a lot was covered.

meanmachine3

hi foks
i e-mailed the D.S.P.C.A. yesterday asking their views on the pet expo and they did reply to my mail this morning this is what they had to say.
QUOTE
"We were at the PetExpo this weekend and
we
responded to each member of the public who was concerned about any
issue
relating to animal welfare. We did speak with a number of the
exhibitors
about these concerns and these were resolved. We also took time to try
and
visit as many of the stands as possible each day.
That being said, we were not happy with quite a number of issues that
arose
over the course of the event and we will be working directly with the
organisers in detailed feedback to that effect.

If there are plans to hold a Petexpo next year, there will need to be
significant changes made to the facilities and management of all the
exhibits.


Yours Sincerely"

nag

fairplay

bugler

I thought it was a bit of a let-down. The beautiful Leonberger outside the main entrance made it up to me though - I'd love to have one when I have the time and space.

bobbysands81

Demonique wrote: »

There was at least two stalls with parrots, the clueless Wexford shop with the large Burmese Python and a stall with a blue and gold macaw who was on a high perch and more interested in playing with its toys. That stall had birds only.

IMO, if you're going to buy a parrot buy from a breeder and not from a petshop

I have an African Grey mate, wasn't looking to buy one at the expo just to see what they had there.