When she started her first Saturday job at Pet Fare almost 30 years ago, Claire Hull couldn’t have imagined that she’d eventually end up owning the business and becoming a pillar of the community into the bargain.
Claire started work as a teenager in the pet shop on Nile Street, North Shields, when it was owned by Jack Wilson. The shop must have been there over 70 years, and most people I know remember it as the place to go for supplies for family pets during their childhood. After leaving to work in a ‘proper job’ for a while, Claire did not like this at all and returned to the shop, eventually taking over the whole business around 20 years ago.
A friend suggested I talk to Claire about the kind donations she and her husband, Kevin, make each year to support Collingwood Primary School in the form of toys at Christmas and supplies for their food bank. At first, Claire was embarrassed to have been put forward for the interview, but as time went on she saw it as an opportunity to highlight certain issues in the community that she never realised she would become embroiled in simply by working in a pet shop.
As an established business, Pet Fare has many loyal customers who have been returning for years. As well as serving people who come into the shop, Claire has always provided a delivery service to those who need it. This is hardly worth it with the cost of fuel nowadays, but Claire does not like to let anyone down. Personally delivering supplies to a wide range of customers, she has built many long-lasting relationships through regular visits to their homes. Being of kind and generous spirit, Claire has often gone above and beyond for certain people and animals who have found themselves in need through various circumstances.
A number of Pet Fare’s customers are elderly and live alone, with only their animals for company. Claire recognises how important their pets are and she has been known to drive them to other pet care suppliers if she doesn’t have what they need: “One man lived for his pigeons, they were all he had. I had to keep taking him to get his pigeon feed.” There is no advantage to Claire’s business in doing this, but she seems compelled to help. We got talking about how society has changed since we were both growing up, when tight-knit families often lived within close proximity and supported each other through thick and thin. Nowadays many elderly people find themselves isolated with nobody on hand to help with certain tasks.
Claire has often helped people take their pets to the vet, as well as collecting and delivering their own medical prescriptions: “One day I drove around for hours to different chemists to track down someone’s missing prescription”. Managing such things can be an issue for many elderly people who struggle using phones and the Internet, now that everything is so automated. Claire also finds herself doing shopping for people and taking them to medical appointments. Recently she has been accompanying a lady to all of her chemotherapy treatments and she has been asked by her if she would adopt her old bulldog. Of course, Claire has agreed, but as she states: ”Only if she officially puts in it her will. I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was taking advantage.”
It is hard to imagine how Claire could be accused of taking advantage of anyone, but sometimes she feels awkward about the amount of trust people put in her: “Lots of people give me the keys to their homes! I would never use them, only in an emergency.” In one instance, a customer was gravely ill and refused to let anyone into his flat to help as he did not want to leave his beloved reptiles. He eventually said that the only person he would let in was Claire. She had to clamber her way through piles of clutter and rubbish that had obviously been hoarded for years. After she entered and reassured him that his pets would be taken care of, paramedics were able to take him to hospital and his reptiles were rescued. Even though Claire found herself covered with mites all over her body after this experience, I get the feeling she would do the same all over again. She told me of one occasion when a regular customer suddenly disappeared and left the country. After hearing that there may have been some animals abandoned on his property, she scaled a high fence and forced open a shed that was full of all breeds of dog. She had to make sure that all the dogs were rehomed, taking in some of them herself.
Claire has not only rescued and given a loving home to many cats and dogs over the years, but she has also provided a great start to some young people’s lives. One lad arrived on work experience and she ended up taking him under her wing, funding his further education and investing in equipment for him to set up his own business in North Shields. She also helped another young lady furnish her first home during a difficult time. Claire has seen how the cost-of-living crisis has affected her customers, some of whom are struggling to feed themselves, let alone their pets. In certain circumstances she has allowed some people special payment arrangements, as she cannot bear to see them or their animals suffer. The financial climate has also affected Pet Fare as well as many Shields businesses: “I wouldn’t set up a business nowadays if I was just starting out. It’s impossible to compete with the supermarkets and online shopping. But you have to keep ploughing on.”
For Claire, it has obviously never been about the money. She has donated to many good causes including Paws for Thought, Benton Farm and seagull and hedgehog rescue charities. Despite her frustrations about issues affecting the people of North Shields, she remains positive about local initiatives to improve the town, such as Project Nile Street, for which she has bought equipment and paint. It is hard to believe that Claire has managed to keep the business going for so long whilst helping so many people as well as bringing up her own daughter and caring for her late mother, who passed away last year. She explained that her mum had been the same type of person, always going the extra mile to help others. I could have listened to Claire’s stories all day, and she joked that she had many tales I wouldn’t be able to print: “You see all of life. I could write a sitcom!”
Pet Fare is one of the longest standing businesses in North Shields, providing a range of pet food and accessories as well as small animals including tropical and cold-water fish, reptiles, rabbits and rodents. It would be great if people could continue to support this and other independent shops, where, as proven by Claire, that extra personal touch can make all the difference.
Pet Fare, 46 Nile Street, North Shields, NE29 OBB.
Tel: 0191 257231 Email: petfare@yahoo.com
