People have been poking fun at Pets at Home for a poster that appears to show a groomer ‘cupping’ a dog’s privates.
Photos of the advert, which is for the brand’s Groom Room grooming services, have been circulating online.
The advert shows a smiling groomer handling a neatly-trimmed poodle – and the groomer’s hand placement has raised a lot of questions.
The original spotter shared photos on the Pets at Home Facebook page, writing: “Good afternoon. Just wondering if you had realised that the staff member/model is cupping the dogs genitals in the promotional poster outside your Eastbourne branch?
“And if you had realised- what’s the reason? Hopefully the “poodles and oodles” additional service isn’t a euphemism.”
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The hand placement in question. Credit: Facebook, Pets at Home
Upon closer inspection, it appears that the groomer is actually hovering a hand beneath the dog’s belly to stop it sitting down, and the phallic-looking shape may well be a thumb.
Pets At Home has now confirmed that the hand placement is ‘is a safe and standard dog handling procedure’.
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Someone suggested: “I don’t think the person is cupping anything and is instead, placing their hand next to the dog’s hind legs in order to get the dog to stand still. I’m sure I’ve seen that whenever I’ve watched Crufts.”
It prompted the response: “Aye, that thumb sure does look like a b*llock though.”
Pets at Home. Credit: Google Maps
Cupping or not, it hasn’t stopped people having a laugh at the Pets at Home ad.
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One person commented about the adorable pooch: “No wonder he’s got that smile on his face.”
Someone else said: “To be fair the Poodle doesn’t look unhappy with the situation.”
Another user compared it to the scene in Friends where Chandler visits a tailor who did ‘definite cupping’ while measuring him up for some trousers.
They wrote, quoting Joey in the scene: “That’s how they do it!! Right, ross?”
One person pointed out: “Somewhere a young, inexperienced graphic designer is getting a stern but well intentioned lecture on the importance of checking stock photos for exactly this reason.”
Pets at Home responded to the poster with: “Thank you for your feedback, this has been passed over to the grooming marketing team.”
A spokesperson for Pets At Home said: “Pet welfare is our number one priority, and we work hard to ensure all our customers enjoy their experience at The Groom Room, and ultimately leave feeling and looking their best.
“Sometimes we need to gently encourage our four-legged friends to stand up throughout their groom, but this is a safe and standard dog handling procedure and not something that could be considered an ‘added extra’!”
Featured image: Facebook
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Get Baked is giving out FREE slices of its viral multi-layer chocolate cake in Manchester next week
Thomas Melia
The viral bakery known for its impressive multi-layer chocolate cake is offering slices of its huge sweet treat for free when it opens in Manchester next week.
If you’re fed up of your friends in Leeds banging on about how good Get Baked is, then don’t worry because, the headline-grabbing independent bakery is landing in Manchester next week, and if that news wasn’t sweet enough to tempt you to the new opening as it is, they’re also offering out free slices of their ‘Bertha’ cake to the first 1,000 people in the queue.
Get Baked’s first ever Manchester location will be in the Northern Quarter in the heart of Stevenson Square meaning you can pair your Aperol spritz with a serving of chocolate cake this summer… can life get any better?
The massive chocolate cake is inspired by the dessert featured in Roald Dahl’s book ‘Matilda’, later turned into a film adaptation in 2002, and its name ‘Bertha’ is a spin off the original ‘Bruce’ cake.
Rich Myers, who is the founder and creator of Get Baked, recently put out a statement on Instagram to explain why the company recently took the decision to increase a slice of ‘Bertha’ cake from £17 to £20, saying they’ve received nothing but love from people understanding the rising costs of owning a business.
Get Baked’s Manchester is soft-launching on Friday 14 March, but it’s the following day (Saturday 15 March) when the 1,000 slices of ‘Bertha’ will be up for grabs.
“Expect it to be a bit all over the place, because the first day of a new site is never easy. But that’s okay, because on the second day, we’re giving away 1,000 free slices of Bertha,” Get Baked announced on Instagram.
So if you fancy your luck at securing a slice of free cake, head down to Get Baked at 1 Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter, from 12pm on Saturday… but let’s be honest, you’ll probably need to get there much sooner.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Real hawks hired to scare off pigeons ‘causing problems’ at northern train stations
Emily Sergeant
Northern has hired real hawks to help scare off pigeons who are ‘causing problems’ at train stations across the region.
You may remember that at the back end of 2023, the rail operator declared that it wanted to ‘force pigeons to take flight’ by trialing a whole host of new deterrents at stations across its network, and did so by positioning plastic owls around some platforms to scare them off, along with a host of other special measures.
As well as the fake owl statues, Northern also started using a special gel on ledges and roof trusses that’s designed to trick pigeons into thinking the surface is too hot for them to land on, and to really hammer it home, noises that simulate predatory hawks were broadcast out of massive speakers too.
But now, they’re ready to take things up a notch.
Introducing Maverick and Zulu, our skilled Northern hawks addressing pigeon concerns at stations. ⁰⁰For years, birds have posed challenges for both customers and staff, as well as stations due to their corrosive droppings. ⁰⁰After various attempts to resolve the issue, we're… pic.twitter.com/kC856Cnxg3
Because Northern claimed the ‘pests’ continued to keep ‘flocking to stations and nesting’, two real hawks called Maverick and Zulu have now been deployed at a couple of stations in Yorkshire as part of a 12-week trial.
If they prove to be effective, the rail operator says the real hawks could be introduced at other Northern stations which have been ‘plagued’ by pigeons in recent years.
Northern is keen to assure customers that the hawks are ‘not being used for hunting’.
Real hawks have been hired to scare off pigeons ‘causing problems’ at northern train stations / Credit: Libreshot
“We have tried plastic owls and recorded hawk noises, but they weren’t an effective deterrent,” explained Alex Hornby, who is Northern’s commercial and customer director. “So now we’ve brought in real birds of prey to help us with our pigeon problem.
“The pigeons are a real nuisance for our customers and cause headaches for the station staff who have to clear up after them.
Daisy Jackson -
5th May 2022 
