A Walk On The Northside: We Take A Look Inside Shauna's Pet Shop

“I’m animal crazy and have been my whole life,” Shauna Kilduff, owner of Shauna's Pet Shop, reflects. “If a bird flew into a window in school or anything like that, I would be the one to take it home with me. After college I went into the banking and financial sector and worked there for years. It was nice and safe and I think I just did it because it’s what I studied in college.”

But animals were Shauna’s true calling.

“Once I left the industry, I got a part-time job in a local pet shop. Sure, it was a pay cut, but I knew straight away that it was where I wanted to be. I was 25 when I opened Shauna’s Pet Shop here in Capel Street, and I remember getting a push back at the time. There were a lot of people saying that it would only last six months because I was young and female, but I proved them wrong and I’m really proud of that.”

The welfare of the pets is of the utmost importance to Shauna.

_image2_

“We are one of the only pet stores that won’t sell an animal if we are not happy with a customer, or if they don’t meet our standards for care,” she notes. “I’m hoping that people’s minds will change with regard to pet stores. We do our best to source all our animals locally and ask for background checks, and make sure that they’ve been treated well. I don’t like the idea of animal mills or animals being mass produced – we buy in small amounts and they go really quickly.

“I turned away a lady who wanted to buy a pet rat and put it into a smaller hamster cage that she had already,” she adds, “in fact, every animal that’s sold in the store – be it a fish, reptile, mammal or bird – we won’t sell it unless you buy the enclosure from our store, or show photographic proof that you have an adequate arrangement at home.

“I do my best to enforce these rules and unfortunately there are people out there who think that I’m just trying to sell them a more expensive product. I’m just trying to do the right thing for the animal. My interest is in the animals and not in the till.”

Another step to improve animal welfare has been the banning of goldfish bowls by Shauna’s Pet Shop.

“Putting a goldfish in a bowl is like making them live in their own toilet, as fish are constantly producing ammonia,” says Shauna, “and if there’s no oxygen pumping in, it drastically reduces their lifespan. On average, a goldfish living in a bowl has a lifespan of approximately 21 days, whereas a goldfish put into a proper oxygenated tank is 10-15 years. I got six goldfish for my Holy Communion and I still have two of them today!

“I feel like Ireland is very behind in regards to animal rights and what the government give pet shop owners the power to enforce. Switzerland are really ahead of the game when it comes to animal welfare and give pet stores the power to enforce these rules more stringently. I’m really hoping that we can follow suit.”

Shauna’s Pet Shop
5 Capel St, North City, Dublin, 1
(01) 532 7660