November 14, 2013

Dear Sir,

We are encouraged that so many people care about the welfare of animals in Bermuda. Pic a Pet has been helping animal lovers find pets for more than 30 years and we have always placed the well-being of all animals first.

For that reason, we are disappointed that some people have expressed their concerns about our sales of puppies and other pets in our new store on the ground floor of Daisy & Mac at 27 Queen Street in Hamilton. We hope it is because they have not had the opportunity to investigate all of the measures we have taken to ensure the safety and hygiene of the puppies, and it is not simply a knee-jerk reaction.

From the time we started planning our new store, we worked very closely with the Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that everything we did met and exceeded Government standards. This has included selecting the most up to date and animal-friendly playpens, regulating the light from the street and installing proper ventilation. In addition, the puppies are taken out for exercise and feeding on a regular basis. We would suggest that their living conditions are better than those found in animal shelters, including our friends at the SPCA.

The more serious allegations concern the very broad and damaging claim that no reputable dog breeder sells to pet shops who consequently purchase their puppies from puppy mills. This claim, made by an anonymous Devonshire woman, and backed up nowhere in the story with actual facts, is patently untrue and we would appreciate a retraction from The Royal Gazette on this point. Pic a Pet identifies puppies through an agency which sources and purchases puppies from reputable breeders in the UK, where dog breeding is very closely regulated.

We have been to puppy farms in the United States, and would never buy from them. Nor would our customers, whom we vet and screen closely before we agree to a sale, allow us to sell from puppy farms. By next week, we will also have an interaction room where potential buyers will have the chance to spend time with the puppies and make sure they are a good fit.

We are very excited to have the opportunity to expand Pic a Pet and to offer a wider range of pets, from puppies to rabbits to fish, to our customers, as well as the widest range of top of the line supplies and accessories to Bermuda’s animal owners. We are also very proud that we have been able to hire four more Bermudian staff, thereby creating jobs in the midst of the continuing recession and to have added more flavour and variety to the Hamilton retail scene.

Rather than offer anonymous criticism, we would suggest that anyone with concerns come and see the store and the living conditions of the animals — who knows, you might leave with a new friend for the family.

BRYAN AND KYLE PARKIN

Pic a Pet

Hamilton

Editor’s note: The Royal Gazette would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the unattributed quote in Thursday’s story. We acknowledge that Pic a Pet say they source their puppies from a reputable breeder, and are happy to recognise that fact.