**UPDATE**
I recently went to Pets At Home to get supplies for my fish (the one that I bought from an independent pet store that's actually healthy - unlike the ones I got from Pets At Home) and the renovation work is finished.
There's no denying that the place looks phenomenal now. They've also been able to expand the number of pets they can sell - even going so far as to stock chickens! The animals certainly look happier now that they're not stuck in tiny little cages with nothing to play with. The aquarium section has also been pimped quite considerably. It looks absolutely wonderful but from what I saw, they're still buying very cheaply bred, cheaply cared for stock because there were quite a few weak/sick fish that I could see in the tanks.
This renovation project has included building some kind of playpen for dogs. This presents several problems for me: firstly, I'm absolutely terrified of dogs and now whenever I go to the store to buy fish supplies, the place is crawling with dogs. Secondly, all these dogs means that the place now stinks of dog shit. Lastly, people who treat their dogs as if they're children irritate me beyond belief and I'm at a complete loss as to what the purpose of this doggy playpen is supposed to serve. From what I could see, you're supposed to go in with your dog and mingle with other dog owners about how super awesome fantastic it is to own a dog.....or something like that. It's just weird and I don't like it one bit. read more