On its Facebook page, Jollyes stated: “Anybody who knows Jollyes would understand that this is absolutely not company policy for what was printed. Jollyes has been in business for over 40 years and in all that time it has promoted responsible pet ownership.

“This was clearly an unauthorised, individual and isolated event which we do not endorse whatsoever.

“Each of our stores have their own printers, which allowed the poster to be produced without authorisation on blank marketing paper.

“We are very embarrassed and would like to apologise profusely to everyone once again.”

In another statement on Facebook, Glen from Jollyes Online Customer Service Team added: “After being notified by a customer via Facebook that a poster was on display in one of our stores that gave an irresponsible message and showed poor judgement we took immediate action in having it removed and have launched an internal investigation as to why this happened.

“The store intended to promote responsible pet ownership by highlighting that animals should be given time to settle into a new home, however the wording chosen to headline the notice certainly sends an incorrect message to our customers.

“Purchasing a new pet is not a decision that should be taken lightly, and throughout our website and our stores we offer advice and guidance to all new and potential pet owners so that our customers are able to make informed decisions regarding owning and purchasing a pet.

“Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention, we would like to reiterate that this was an isolated incident and again would also like to apologise for any upset this may have caused anyone.”