The first-ever National Pet Shop Day took place on Saturday (13th July) with more than 200 stores throughout the UK participating.

The event was launched by Johnson’s Veterinary Products as a way of celebrating the huge breadth of support, products, services and advice that high street retailers are able to provide direct to pet owners.

Johnson’s has encouraged pet shops and stores to throw open their doors and invite pet owners to come in and discover more about how they can offer viable, affordable options for dealing with commonly occurring minor ailments such as fleas, ticks, worms, or other general healthcare issues.

Paul Gwynn, Managing Director at Johnson’s Veterinary Products, explained: “Pet shops are the local health and wellbeing hubs of the pet world, but we find that many people are often so rooted to their longstanding routines, that they perhaps don’t even consider that they can also get experienced advice about a whole host of frequent minor pet healthcare issues whilst picking-up their other pet essentials in store.

“Pet shops and stores have a wealth of knowledge within their teams that has been built over many years, in some cases decades. They can often help to spot the signs of and give advice about fleas, ticks, worms and other minor healthcare problems and therefore are well placed to provide practical advice and product solutions for both these, and a range of other, more general, wellbeing concerns directly in store.

“With National Pet Shop Day, we want to mark the ongoing, positive contribution that these pet shops and stores make to society, and in doing so provide animal lovers with the confidence that they can handle their pet’s conditions effectively and efficiently, without always breaking the bank. These retailers are far more than simply a point of purchase – they are the bedrock of the pet owning community and are always ready and willing to help.”

Paul’s son Matt added: “The response to National Pet Shop Day has exceeded my first year's expectations. There are over 200 shops that have registered to take part across the UK now, which shows there is considerable interest in this national day. We've had great interaction with pet shops on social media, especially on Instagram and it's great to see what the shops have planned.”

For more details visit www.nationalpetshopday.com