Please please can you all read.. I need your help to spread the word on what now looks to be a guunea pig theft. You guys are all I have as nobody seems interested that it's the most likely theft of a guinea pig./
I ended up in a situation a year and a half ago where I adopted a female guinea pig from a pet shop as a companion for my 2 indoor females I already had. It turns out the sexing was wrong and she was in fact a he.... long story short I ended up with 12 guinea pigs! Being new in to the GP scene I knew I had to make sure the babies, when ready, went to good homes. I heard some really awful horror stories of people buying baby GP as live food for snakes and then that was me decided... they would just have to stay with me as I could not take the risk.
I had the 5 boys neutered and eventually paired them with a sister or two as companions. As you can imagine this was a lot of work and I felt that I couldn't give them all the attention they deserved. I knew I had to rehome some but with the fear of the horror stories I had heard I was extremely wary. I then heard about Wood Green. So I called them and they explained their rehoming process and it put me at total ease. With a heavy heart I took two pairs of bonded piggies in and they were rehomed.... the guilt you have when you rehome is awful but I knew I'd made the right choice for them!
This then brings me to now....
I brought a pair of bonded guinea pigs in to the centre for rehoming on the 28/5/17 as some of the sisters had started to not get on so this meant a reshuffle was needed. It was with an unbelievably heavy heart that I made the choice to bring Chip and Baby in but I felt safe in the knowledge that they were going to an amazing place where care is their number one priority.
On 02/06/17 I was told that Chip had gone missing and he had either escaped or had been stolen and the staff were unsure of which. I was informed that there was cctv in the area of where he was and when I asked what was shown I was told that they weren't allowed to view footage due to privacy laws. I don't understand the point of having cctv security and then in the event of a possible theft say that due to privacy, cctv footage cannot be viewed! I offered to go to there and search for him but I was told that they have been looking and to no avail.
On 03/06/17 I received a call from the department manager who told me that she managed to get permission to view the cctv but unfortunately where the pigs were kept outside the camera didn't actually cover that area!
I know the staff are looking for him and little shelters are being put out every evening in the hope that he visits one of them for food and eventually he is found but this is only in the hope that he escaped and wasn't actually stolen from the site!
I'm going out of my mind with worry. To some people Chip is just a guinea pig and so what, worse things are happening in the world right now. But I handed Chip and his companion over to Wood Green as I thought they would be in the very best of care and the right home would be found for him as their checks on new owner homes are so good.
The not knowing is actually devastating me and my daughter.
I feel so much shame for Chip. I have basically handed him over for him to be put in a situation where he could escape or be put in a situation where someone felt they could just pick him up and take him and there were not even the most basic means of security (cctv) in place where the thief could be identified.
My heart is absolutely in pieces right now.
Please help me
Thank you.
I ended up in a situation a year and a half ago where I adopted a female guinea pig from a pet shop as a companion for my 2 indoor females I already had. It turns out the sexing was wrong and she was in fact a he.... long story short I ended up with 12 guinea pigs! Being new in to the GP scene I knew I had to make sure the babies, when ready, went to good homes. I heard some really awful horror stories of people buying baby GP as live food for snakes and then that was me decided... they would just have to stay with me as I could not take the risk.
I had the 5 boys neutered and eventually paired them with a sister or two as companions. As you can imagine this was a lot of work and I felt that I couldn't give them all the attention they deserved. I knew I had to rehome some but with the fear of the horror stories I had heard I was extremely wary. I then heard about Wood Green. So I called them and they explained their rehoming process and it put me at total ease. With a heavy heart I took two pairs of bonded piggies in and they were rehomed.... the guilt you have when you rehome is awful but I knew I'd made the right choice for them!
This then brings me to now....
I brought a pair of bonded guinea pigs in to the centre for rehoming on the 28/5/17 as some of the sisters had started to not get on so this meant a reshuffle was needed. It was with an unbelievably heavy heart that I made the choice to bring Chip and Baby in but I felt safe in the knowledge that they were going to an amazing place where care is their number one priority.
On 02/06/17 I was told that Chip had gone missing and he had either escaped or had been stolen and the staff were unsure of which. I was informed that there was cctv in the area of where he was and when I asked what was shown I was told that they weren't allowed to view footage due to privacy laws. I don't understand the point of having cctv security and then in the event of a possible theft say that due to privacy, cctv footage cannot be viewed! I offered to go to there and search for him but I was told that they have been looking and to no avail.
On 03/06/17 I received a call from the department manager who told me that she managed to get permission to view the cctv but unfortunately where the pigs were kept outside the camera didn't actually cover that area!
I know the staff are looking for him and little shelters are being put out every evening in the hope that he visits one of them for food and eventually he is found but this is only in the hope that he escaped and wasn't actually stolen from the site!
I'm going out of my mind with worry. To some people Chip is just a guinea pig and so what, worse things are happening in the world right now. But I handed Chip and his companion over to Wood Green as I thought they would be in the very best of care and the right home would be found for him as their checks on new owner homes are so good.
The not knowing is actually devastating me and my daughter.
I feel so much shame for Chip. I have basically handed him over for him to be put in a situation where he could escape or be put in a situation where someone felt they could just pick him up and take him and there were not even the most basic means of security (cctv) in place where the thief could be identified.
My heart is absolutely in pieces right now.
Please help me
Thank you.
