The pet trade has been paying its respects to HM Queen Elizabeth II and making arrangements to allow employees and customers to honour her life and legacy on the day of her state funeral, Monday September 19.
Messages of condolence have been posted on the websites and social media feeds of many retailers including Pets at Home, Pets & Friends and Jollyes.
All Jollyes stores will be closed on Monday “as a mark of respect to enable teams to honour the life of Queen Elizabeth II”, according to a company statement. As it is also now designated a bank holiday, all staff will receive an additional day to their holiday entitlement, the company added.
Many events that were scheduled to take place during the funeral and mourning period have been rearranged.
The Pet Industry Federation (PIF) will announce the finalists for the PFI Awards after the national mourning is completed.
Chief executive Nigel Baker explained: “Everyone here at PIF was extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen so it made complete sense to delay the finalists’ announcement by one week out of respect for the national mourning period which we are all currently observing.”
The 2022 PIF Awards take place on Thursday November 17 at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire.
Also rescheduled is the second annual Guinea Pig Awareness Week (GPAW), which will now run from Monday September 26 until Friday September 30, a week later than originally planned.
Charlotte Varley, communications manager for Burgess Pet Care, which organises GPAW, said: “Given this time of national sorrow following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, as a show of respect we felt it appropriate to postpone the launch of GPAW until 26 September.”
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, will look after the late Queen’s corgis Muick and Sandy following her death, it has been announced.
Muick, pronounced ‘Mick’ and named after Loch Muick on the Balmoral estate, was a gift from the Duke of York during the lockdown period, while Sandy is a corgi puppy gifted by Andrew’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie for Her Majesty’s official 95th birthday.
