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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Amsterdam urges young British men to ‘stay away’ in new tourism campaign
Emily Sergeant
Amsterdam has launched a new tourism campaign, and it’s urging young British men who are looking for a “messy night” to reconsider.
In fact, it basically just tells them to “stay away” from the Dutch city.
The capital city of the Netherlands always has, and still continues to be, a popular tourist destination for travelling Brits, and has developed a reputation as being a go-to spot for stag and hen parties thanks to its nightlife scene and… other activities.
But now, it seems the city’s Council are keen to ditch this image with a series of new measures.
It comes amid continuous complaints by residents over the noise, drunkenness, and misbehaviour of tourists revelling in the city’s nightlife, and is part on the Council’s ongoing mission to improve Amsterdam’s reputation.
The new measures most-notably include an online initiative aimed at young men aged 18 to 35, which involves a series of targeted warning videos.
Amsterdam urges young British men to ‘stay away’ in new tourism campaign / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The videos feature footage of men being arrested in Amsterdam streets, having their fingerprints and mugshots taken, and subsequently being locked inside police cells overnight – before warning them that they face hefty fines and “fewer prospects” if they “misbehave and cause nuisance” that leads to a criminal record.
Amsterdam’s Deputy Mayor Sofyan Mbarki said: “Visitors will remain welcome but not if they misbehave and cause nuisance. As a city, we are saying: we’d rather not have this, so stay away.”
The videos will be triggered when people in Britain enter specific terms into search engines.
Some of search terms that could see Brits hit with these Council-developed warning videos include “cheap hotel Amsterdam”, “stag party Amsterdam”, and “pub crawl Amsterdam”.
The campaign – which has already been blasted by some critics for being “discriminatory” – is to initially launch in Britain but will be rolled out to other countries in due course if deemed successful, and joins other proposed measures announced by the Council last month to reduce “nuisance and crime”.
In a bid to make the Red Light District “less menacing” at night following complaints about mass tourism, alcohol and drug abuse, and street dealers, these proposed measures include smoking cannabis in the street, and earlier weekend closing times for bars, clubs, and sex work establishments.
Eurovision 2023 grand final to be screened live in cinemas across the UK
Emily Sergeant
The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across the UK for the first time ever.
With fans from across the globe set to descend on Liverpool in a couple of months time as the UK hosts the 2023 edition of the world’s biggest song competition on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine, those who weren’t lucky enough to secure tickets will instead by able to head to their nearest cinema to experience the action on the big screen.
Distributor CinemaLive has announced it will be broadcasting the Eurovision grand final show live in cinemas nationwide for the first time ever.
It means that Eurovision fans up and down the country who missed out on grabbing tickets to the final – which sold out in under 40 minutes after going on sale earlier this month – will be able to come together to celebrate what is set to be the “biggest, brightest, boldest music party of the year”.
Eurovision 2023 grand final to be screened live in cinemas across the UK / Credit: Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
500 cinemas across the UK, including several here in Greater Manchester, will be screening the grand final on Saturday 13 May.
Vue, Odeon, Cineworld, and Everyman are just some of the cinema chains taking part.
Vue Manchester Printworks, Odeon Great Northern, and Everyman Manchester are the Manchester city centre venues lined-up to screen the event – with cinemas in the The Lowry Outlet Mall, Trafford Centre, Didsbury, Heaton Moor, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, and more also set to welcome Eurovision fans through their doors.
Event organisers say the screenings will encourage singalongs and fancy dress.
“We’re delighted to be working with the BBC to bring Eurovision’s grand final live into cinemas across the UK for the first time ever,” said John Travers from CinemaLive.
“We want audiences to enjoy themselves, so get your fancy dress on, and come together to enjoy this historic occasion on the big screen.”
Daisy Jackson -
5th May 2022 
