…per special request.
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen
Do you mean shops where you buy kitty food and doggie toys and little plastic castles for fishies to swim around in? They’re swell!
But if you mean shops that sell pets—hmmm. Adopt 'em from an animal shelter.
They always smell like ceder shavings I like that.
But I’m with The Lady Eve, buying actual pets from pet shops is bad.
But The Pet Shop Boys are fun.
http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/007643.html
Sorry, I should have included a link. I’ve got a houseful of kids home on Easter break eating taco chips right behind me. Back to school tomorrow!
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen
A pet store (that does not sell kitties and puppies) was very helpful in helping me diagnose my dog’s wheat allergy. He no longer makes that weird breathing noise and his skin is extremely healthy. He acts like a puppy some days even though he’s 10 1/2 years old. Yeah, pet stores!
BTW, the vet (that was definitely more interested in farm animals than small animals) laughed at me when I told him about all of this. He diagnosed his skin ailment as “too many baths”.
OH! and another pet store (that only has kitties and puppies that are for adoption through the local Humane Society) was very helpful in finding a mouser when the Humane Society was fresh out of any that were good with kids. He’s sitting on my feet right now. 
We’ve been mouse-free for going on 6 years now.
GOD BLESS YOU PET SHOPS!
That felt great. See you Monday.
I’ve told ya once and I’ll tell ya again, I prefer the heavy petting shops.
Our favorite pet store has a permanent area of cages which are always (and exclusively) occupied by cats who have been rescued by a local animal shelter and who are looking for homes. (They do not sell any animals except fish.) Last time I was there I actually saw a couple adopting one and taking it out of the cage to take it to its new home, which made me misty with happiness, since I always wish I could adopt them all.
They also have low-cost clinics every two weeks for vaccinations and heartworm tests, which is a big help for pet owners whose budget is always stretched a little too thin.
I find it very heartening to see a relatively big business willing to do good things for animals even though there is no profit, and in fact some expense (in the form of lost selling space and administration costs) involved.
MST3K: Best lil’ puppet show on the planet.