Children are always asking their parents for a family pet, but one Aigburth father received a pitch like no other.
Neil Fay and his wife Claire were invited into their living room to watch their children’s five-minute PowerPoint presentation on why they should be allowed a hamster.
Impressed by the efforts of Elizabeth, 12, and Charlotte, 9, Neil tried to keep a straight face and not let on that they had already won him over.
Mr Fay told JMU Journalism: “They were being cute and nice, buttering me up for something. I was expecting [them wanting] Lego Friends or some other toy.
“When I saw the laptop hooked up to the TV, I was expecting a show or something – not a presentation on why they should have a hamster.”
YouTube: Petco
The father-of-three admitted that when he was a young child he would simply cosy up to his parents if he wanted something, and not create a seven point slide entitled: “But why we should be allowed?”
Neil added: “I tried not to smile but was impressed with their tactics and at that point they had already won me over with their inventiveness, but I made them wait a while for the decision.”
The Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association (PFMA) estimates that two-fifths of UK households have family pets, and that the UK pet population is around 57 million.
Mr Fay received a tweet from Microsoft Office in response to the children’s inventive and cunning plan.
The tweet read: “What a great use of PowerPoint! The question on everyone’s mind is…did it work?”
The Fays are now the proud owners of four fish, two dogs and a hamster named Toffee. Neil said: “It was pointed out to me on Twitter by some Everton followers that it was an Everton name.
“I’m a Liverpool fan and I don’t like hamsters, so Toffee fits for me.”