Comments on: [shop] Local Pet Store Picks

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:50:25 +0000

I also have heard that Gupton’s has a history of selling puppy mill pups. Hopefully they learned their lesson and stopped, or it was just one supplier and they got a bad rep because of it. This WAS over ten years ago. Businesses do change their buying practices if they make mistakes.

We have shopped at Fins and Feathers for fish stuff. The fish are always healthy, and the sales staff knowledgeable and very helpful. The day I caught a parakeet in my back yard, they helped me check him over for injuries, find the right size cage, get food, a cuttle bone, toys, etc. They even gave me a discount since I hadn’t planned on getting a bird, I just rescued one and gave it a home. They don’t have general pet stuff, but for birds and fish and some small animals, they are pretty great.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:02:31 +0000

I heard a diff’t story about Gupton’s from a long time Wichita Vet. Did you learn of where their puppies come from that rules out they don’t sell puppy mill pups? Just curious to know the facts.

I’ve recently put my dog on a grain-free food purchased at All Paws. Since then, my Westie has ceased her 3-5am vomit spells. Hooray! Detecting food allergens is rough going.

By: kelsey

kelsey — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:01:57 +0000

May I put a personal plug in here? Bungalow 26 carries an all natural line of doggie stuff too! All natural paw salve & homemade biscuits–carpet fresh coming soon!

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:32:54 +0000

Now that we’re in our awesome new shelter, the Kansas Humane Society has a great retail store too!!

By: Jan R.

Jan R. — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:06:36 +0000

No judging here…my husband and I have opted for a furry baby in place of the diapered kind. :-)
Mitchell’s was our go-to place when we lived at TwinLakes for Solid Gold. They’re pretty knowledgeable about holistic food/therapies for pets. Now that we’re on the west side, we love All Paws. It’s like Whole Foods for dogs. My Schnitzel likes to shop there frequently and pick up some homemade local wheat-free cookies from the cookie case by the register. The accessories are awesome and I never fail to learn something from the owners when I go. I agree with Shea about the quality of food being soooo important. It took us a good year or so to gain our little guy’s health back after being fed crappy food. Now he’s got energy and never gets sick.

By: Dominic

Dominic — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:41:35 +0000

Guptons has expanded it’s fashion ware for dogs. Lots of clothing and accessories. They have lots of small sized dog puppies, yorkies to the size of beagles. Their puppies are not puppy mill puppies.
Go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ for really good reviews of dog foods and given up to a six star rating. Find a food that handles well with your dog. Any corn product in dog food can give your dog some bad gas. If you want quality food, but you are on a budget. Taste of the Wild is a great brand. Got six star rating. Only downfall is with the fruits in it their waste can smell pretty strong. Another great brand is Solid Gold that you can get at Mitchel Vet Supply on 21st st and Mosley I believe. Both brands priced around $42 for a 30-33lb bag.
All Paws has a very good bathing center for your pets. It has been updated even better a month or two ago. I haven’t been there myself since it’s so far away from where I live.

By: Shea Sylvia

Shea Sylvia — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:44:35 +0000

I really, really recommend All Paws. They are so incredibly knowledgeable and they carry the best quality food on the market. Plus it’s locally owned & operated.

I also like Bed & Biscuit at Central between Oliver and Edgemoor. They also only carry holistic brands of food and offer grooming services.

I wish I could make a giant PSA warning people about the nastiness that is commercial pet food (even Science Diet is bad), but people like buying the cheap stuff… You get what you pay for.

A great site to learn more about pet nutrition: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:05:27 +0000

Thanks for a list of pet store options! I’m actually about to go buy my first bag of dog food – lol – and needed some references. My vet rattled through them so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to write them down!

And no, you’re not the only one who buys their dogs birthday presents! I figured out Tabasco’s the other day just so I could celebrate later! :)