Home Alone. Almost.

Guinea Pig
A photograph of Ginger, one of Keira’s guinea pigs

There’s a small bubble of fear rising over Carshalton. Carole and Keira are off camping for a week and I’m being left to my own devices. I can come home as late as I like, go for bike rides when the mood takes me, play my music loud. What’s not to like?

Over breakfast this morning Keira shattered my illusions of freedom with 8 short words: “You have to look after the guinea pigs”. Stunned silence. Oh crap. I do.

It’s no secret in our family that me and pets just….don’t get on that well. Sure, I feed Ginger and Muffin from time to time but look after them….nope, that doesn’t happen. Until now. Keira went on. “You’ll have to feed them, clean them, play with them, and buy them stuff from the shop”. Buy them stuff!? What’s that all about? And what shop? It’s at times like this that you reach out to friends for advice and help. They rarely disappoint, and today is no exception.

In a very timely fashion, Brad Jennings has recently written a story about his 5 year old son, a fish called Izzie, and a visit to Pets at Home. He writes warmly about the enthusiasm and genuine care delivered by the staff at the store. It’s a lovely tale, made all the lovelier by the excellent experience provided by the people at the store. We like reading about and sharing great customer, employee, and brand experiences. And this one really hit the spot. The fact that it got me out of a hole too is just the icing on the (fish) cake. I know where I’m going to buy the guinea pigs’ stuff from now. At least that’s one task taken care of, Phew!

Author: Doug Shaw

Artist and Consultant. Embracing uncertainty, sketching myself into existence. Helping people do things differently, through an artistic lens.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *