Guinea Pigs Don't Bounce Guinea Pig's Don't Bounce relates the memorable first year (2003-04) in the development of pet care company Animals at Home. A nationwide success story today, with nearly 60 area franchises, AAH's beginnings were very much a leap into the unknown by husband and wife team, Denis and Shelley Chirgwin, who had left behind the financial security and certainties of life in the Surrey suburbs to move to the Isle of Wight and launch a business venture – looking after animals in their own home while the owners were away – which was far removed from their previous experience Denis's diary entries during that first year form the basis for this account of the fledgling business. The couple's encounters with the extraordinarily diverse assortment of animals – and owners – were full of interest, incident and eye-opening insights into family life. The stories are candid, laced with humour – animals do the funniest things but so, sometimes, do the people looking after them! – and not without pathos. Time and again, the importance of pets to the lives of those who own them is underlined. The diary extracts are augmented by reflective passages as the author looks back on subsequent related events and developments, while the text is colourfully illustrated throughout by a selection of cartoon images depicting some of the most memorable incidents.
