Pet Stores

PET STORES FOR THAT DOG OR CAT

Pet Stores are a very popular place to find a puppy or a kitten.  Some pet stores specialize in all breeds or in just a few of them.  Pet stores are located all over the country and found in strip malls and other separate locations.  There are growing numbers of these stores that specialize in “boutique puppies”.  These animals are adorable crosses between purebreds.  This generally involves crossing toy breeds in mating.  Hence one gets the “morkie” “schnoodle” and the like.

The first order of business that a prospective pet owner has to do is pay attention to detail number ONE!  That is the cleanliness of the facility and even more important the cleanliness and overall hygiene of the area (usually cages or open playpens) where the puppies and kittens are kept.  One major problem of animals housed close together in poor conditions plus poor breeding is the wildfire spread of kennel cough and other respiratory diseases plus parvovirus in dogs.  A sign of cleanliness in pet stores is the absence of odors and healthy looking animals.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about how they handle cleanliness or sick animals.  How long do pet stores wait before a veterinarian sees a sick puppy or kitten.  In Florida, all pet stores are required to provide a signed form filled out by the licensed veterinarian stating that no defects, parasite infection etc….have been found after a physical exam performed by the veterinarian.  The goal of all of this is to protect the consumer and prevent heartbreaks down the road.

There are many fine healthy pets found at pet stores but as a general rule they are usually more expensive than other sources due to the costs needed to procure the pets plus overhead.