Let the total number of animals at the pet shop be \( x \).
According to the information given, 25% of the animals are rabbits, and there are 12 rabbits. This can be expressed mathematically as:
\[ 0.25x = 12 \]
To find \( x \), we can solve for it by dividing both sides of the equation by 0.25:
\[ x = \frac{12}{0.25} \]
Calculating the right side:
\[ x = 12 \div 0.25 = 12 \times 4 = 48 \]
Therefore, the total number of animals at the pet shop is \( \boxed{48} \).