In the anime Pet Shop of Horrors, Alice's father is Mr. Hayward, whose full name is Hayward Shi. He is introduced in the third chapter, where he and his wife purchase a pet from Count D's shop to cope with the loss of their biological daughter, also named Alice. This new pet is a rare, intelligent rabbit that takes the form of a young girl.

Mr. Hayward, along with his wife, is portrayed as a grieving parent unable to move past the death of his child. His primary motivation is to fill the emotional void left by his daughter, leading him to treat the rabbit as a direct replacement, encouraging it to call him "Daddy". This desire to recreate his lost family ultimately overrides his judgment. The story reveals that the couple's inability to set boundaries for their real daughter contributed to her tragic fate; she was a spoiled child who grew into a drug addict, and her mother, unable to refuse her, secretly provided the drugs that led to her fatal overdose.

In his role within the story, Mr. Hayward is part of a cautionary tale about grief and enabling behavior. His key relationship is with his wife and the substitute "Alice." Together, they break the specific rules of the contract with Count D, which strictly forbids feeding the animal anything other than vegetables and water. Wanting to give the rabbit what they perceive as a more nutritional and enjoyable diet, they feed her junk food. This violation leads directly to the pet's gruesome death, as the forbidden food causes it to become aggressive before its chest tears open, killing it. Mr. Hayward exhibits no notable supernatural abilities of his own; his significance is entirely in his actions and motivations as a flawed, heartbroken human. The character does not undergo any significant development or redemption within the narrative, serving instead as an example of the tragic consequences that befall customers who break their contract with Count D.