Harmar Pet Shop

I would not spend a cent here. The smell hits you hard when you walk in the door, and from there, you see cramped animals everywhere you look. Mixed breed kittens for sale for $200, in cages with nothing soft to lay on. They were cuddled on top of the hooded cat litter boxes, while empty, for-sale cages sat near by full of cute little beds. There was a whole wall full of puppies in too-small cages and again, with nothing soft to lay on, ranging form $300-over $1000. Someone elses review mentioned he thought they may be sedated and I would agree that it appeared that way. Next, a wall of floor to ceiling cages of small animals, with more behind that one and a shelf of betta's stacked on top of each other in little cups. Then there was a whole room of floor to ceiling fish tanks. Most of the fish looked fairly healthy although the tanks were not as clean as I would expect from a business trying to sell fish. Baby mixed breed African Cichlids were labeled $14.95 each. I own African Cichlids and they breed at such speeds I would almost pay someone that much to take them from me. As for supplies, I thought they were pretty minimal. It's clear that selling animals is their major profit. If you must have a purebred dog, please look for reputable breeder or purebreed rescues- they exist for almost every breed. As for kittens- they are almost always available at shelters and you will usually pay less than from this store. more

First off, to the comments a few below me: Purchasing a puppy that you know is from a puppy mill makes you guilty of perpetuating them to begin with, if not worse than unknowing people. You're giving them more money which just lets them think that customers are still there and to continue their more than disgusting breeding conditions. I made the mistake of purchasing from this place once; I paid a ridiculous amount for a full-grown adult maliensis uromastyx (or the mali uromastyx). It had parasites, was emaciated, had a rot nose, and was low on calcium due to its living conditions. They're supposed to be in a 30 gallon tank minimum and this one was housed (for God knows how long) in a tank that was smaller than 5 gallons. It barely fit the entire reptile and any knowledgeable reptile owner could tell you that mali uromastyx are not supposed to have water in it's cages due to the high humidity, and this one was housed in a small tank with a little water bown right next to it. They're desert animals that get water from the plants they eat. Everything was overpriced here and they were very unknowledgeable about the majority of the animals kept. It was disgusting. Never returning, unless it's to spit in the owner's face. more

The person below seems to be friends w/ someone there. We were warned by several people NEVER go to HarMar Pets, but we called and they had a polydactyl/hemmingway kitten we wanted. Well, after rude service, a mix up not apologized for costing us gas and an hour+ of our time, after witnessing a large salt water spill all over a counter from a poorly tied fish bag, that was still all over the floor before we even left loooong after it occurred, after seeing what at least seemed like waaay too many puppies in each cage, and thats with puppies still being held out of cage (so it must reallly seem bad when all in cages), the horrid smell and what seemed to be a lack of knowledge hidden behind what seemed to be confidence the buyer will believe them, me and my wife left neverto return. Being disbled, it had tiny little aisles too, didnt have a chair with me, but would never wheel one in there. I spoke to owner on phone and toldof thisand that i willbe posting this, and he didnt say a wordand just simply ""hung up the phone on me""...my experience? Lies, deceipt (there is adifference), horrid smells, over crowding,,,it seems most said this so i wonder if the one or 2 decent comments they have here came from the friend or family of someone with more then just ""interest"" in the store...my advice? Stay away. I am a happy pet owner of 2 dogs and 1 cat and I know pets, I know love, and this place seeemed worse then a puppy mill to both me and my wife. Try Petland in Sunray (privately owned and well kept, knowledgeable) for puppies and kittens and fish (nice coral selection too). PS> I am disabled and do not work for petland or any one, just looking after others since i didnt listen to their warnings, i hope you listen to mine. more

har mar pet shop does sell puppies, unlike many pet stores these days. however, before going and bashing their reputation i would look at the facts. they have been open since 1980 and been very successful as an small family run independent business. all the kennels and breeders that the store gets the dogs from are inspected and approved to make sure that they meet USDA standards. in addition the store is USDA certified. puppies can get sick, and im sure that the store admits that and treats them with some sort of guarantee. this store is one of the very few USDA certified pet shops in the twin cities area! the dogs there are happy, well socialized and taken care of very well. all of their purebred pups are even akc registered! i dont think you get that with a puppy mill... more

YES! puppy mills are bad i am not saying they are good in anyway and yes 5 out of 10 times you buy a puppy from a pet store and they are sick you buy them sick. I just got my puppy Sakura from Har Mar pet shop and she was sick....She has a bloody stool. Took her to the vet and YES har mar paid for her medacine. I am very protective of her, She is my baby and i watch her like a hawk. Never lettin her out of my sight. And so far everything has been going good. But anyway, Back to the point, Puppy mills, humane society, pet shelter. What really is the difference. Weather the dog came from a puppy mill or from a previous home. It still needs a home now. Your telling me that you wouldnt buy a dog due to the fact that you would buy it sick....If i had a choice of buying a dog i knew was sick and needed a home and needed to be takin care of OR a dog who was healthy and playful with a great personality. I would take the sick dog and i would help bring it back to health. So honestly you people and your stop puppy mills yes i agree but dont tell people they shouldnt buy their dogs from a pet shop because its from a puppy mill yes the shop supports a puppy mill but what mattered to me is that i saved a life, im continuing to save a life. i feel that people should adopt an animal despite the fact of where the dog is from....where is was bred....you wouldnt refuse to adopt a child because of where its from you would adopt the child knowing it needs a home knowing it would most likely die if not....why not do the same for and animal....just my opinion.....the animal needs a home and needs help....why not help? i helped...and now my puppy is doing amazing...i couldnt be happier... more

Please do your homework. normally I would never buy from a petstore but my dog chose me even though I was fairly convinced he was a puppy mill dog. I did some homework when I got home and saw that yes indeed he did come from a known puppy mill. Go through a breeder and not a petstore. My dog is in good health and they are seen by a vet before you buy them but just beware. Pros: my dog was in good health Cons: way overpriced for a puppy mill dog. not pure breed more

The ball pythons I saw there looked dangerously skinny, and didn't have any water offered to them in their enclosures. Also, I was looking at the tarantulas being sold, and a Rosehair Tarantula was marked as a ($35.00 no less) King Baboon Tarantula. I informed an employee that the cage it was being kept in was marked incorrectly, and she rudely stated it was a King Baboon Tarantula and that she wasn't taking it out. I understand that they specialize in small dogs and other small mammals, but seriously, if you're going to be caring for and selling an animal, you should know what the f*** it is. Also, there was a correctly labeled Rosehair right next to it, that looked exactly the same given a more red hue, and she still refused to be talked with. Why don't you go read a book, seeing as rosehairs are one of if not the MOST COMMON tarantula sold for pets along with Pink Toes, and if you aren't able to identify those, maybe you shouldn't be working there. Twat. Pros: nothing Cons: rude unknowledgable staff member, skinny pythons more

Much better than the big box pet stores. more

This business supports and perpetuates puppy mills--factory-breeding of dogs under deplorable, inhumane conditions. These animals are of poor physical and emotional health. Please consider adopting an animal in need of a home from a shelter or a rescue group. Puppy mills and pet stores like Har Mar Pet Shop are a disgrace and a shame to Minnesota. Cons: Supports, Sells Puppy Mill Dogs more