Pet owners call for paid carer's leave to look after their animals

A woman is campaigning for pet owners to receive paid carer's leave to look after their animals - after she was refused time off work to care for her sick rabbit.

Marvey Ghani, from Romford, London, is leading the call after she was asked to take annual leave when she thought her family rabbit ChiChi was going to die.

Having been granted carer's leave to be with her ill mother in hospital the day before, Ms Ghani was dealt a second blow in successive days when her bunny of eight years suddenly became unwell.

But the psychological well-being practitioner, 30, says she was forced to use annual leave to cover the day at the vets - where she was told ChiChi might need to be put down.

As a result, the incident 'sparked a conversation' and Ms Ghani launched the petition, believing that 'pets often fill the void' for those without family members.

She said: 'There's no policy on this - it's not clear.

'It's dismissing the whole experience, for me - my rabbit is a family member.

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'We only have a set number of annual leave days throughout the year - it shouldn't be spent worrying sick that your pet might not make it out alive.

'That's why I'm so passionate about this - a pet can be some people's only family member.'

Thankfully, ChiChi made a full recovery but Ms Ghani says she felt 'dismissed' by the experience.

To make matters worse, just days later the campaigner says a colleague was able to take sick leave for her dog that was unwell.

She claims the scenario of when a pet falls ill is 'stressful and emotionally draining', adding: 'The vet said he may need to be put down. I didn't expect that, it was shocking. I was crying my eyes out. He'd been our family rabbit for eight years.

'All some people have is a pet - women who might be struggling to have kids, pets can really fill that void. So I want pets to be included into carers leave.

'If someone needs to take the day off because their pet is not well then they should be entitled in the same way I was for my mum.

'I spent a good few days in the vets which was costly, so that added financial stress as well - I felt that everything was overlooked by work.'

In 2018, the National Poll on Healthy Aging reported that 88% of pet owners aged 50 to 80 said their pets helped them enjoy life, and 86% said their pets made them feel loved.

Ms Ghani believes these stats 'clearly affirm the cardinal role pets play in our lives.'

She added: 'I just want pets to be included. I think it's the fact they're not humans, that's why it's not treated the same way.

'They breathe the same air as we do and they have the capacity to love as well.

'When pets get ill, these things sometimes can't be controlled, just like ourselves when we can take sick leave.'