The protest took place on Monday, 6 April, between 11am and 1pm, coinciding with the recent appointment of new chief executive James Bailey at the UK’s largest pet retailer.
Demonstrations have been held across the UK in cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Leeds.
The campaign follows an open letter from animal welfare group Rescue Not Retail urging the company to stop selling animals in stores.
The letter has been backed by high-profile figures including Chris Packham and Joanna Lumley.
Supporters of Southampton Animal Action were among those who attended the protest in Shirley.
Campaigner, Jo Middlewick, said: “We believe that the breeding industry should be stopped and the purchasing of animals in facilities like Pets at Home should cease.
“The animals don’t have any kind of freedom or space to run around and they are kept in small cages during all hours of the day.
“We want to see adoption rather than breeding as there are so many animals out their searching for a new life and home.”
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Fellow campaigner Bardo Carey raised concerns about advice given to pet owners.
She added: “We did a demonstration in Eastleigh last week and one person there had recently brought a hamster from Pets at Home.
“It became clear they did not give him the right advice – selling an animal for profits often sees the animals treated poorly.
“Animals are treated as a product and that means customers can sometimes make quick decisions without understanding the care and attention that animals needs to have.”
Caroline Phipps added: “We are really hoping that the new CEO of Pets at Home will listen to our calls and make some long lasting changes for the business.”
Organisers said the protest aimed to raise awareness and encourage a shift towards adoption rather than buying animals.
A spokesperson for Pets At Home said: “We play an important role in ensuring people who wish to welcome pets into a loving home are able to do so from a trustworthy and reliable source, which has animal welfare at its heart.
“From rigorous welfare routines within our petcare centres, to access to 24/7 veterinary care, colleague training and welfare checks at point of purchase, we have robust systems in place to ensure our pets are loved and cared for.
“We’re also acutely aware of the need to care for pets at every stage of their life, no matter what changes may occur to a family’s circumstance.
“That’s why, together with our independent charitable arm – the Pets Foundation – we are proud to be the largest rehomer of small animals in the UK via our in-store adoption centres, and support hundreds of rehoming and rescue charities across the UK via the Foundation’s grant-giving programme. In 2024, more this saw donations of more than £4.6 million.”
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