Never purchase a pet or supplies from a pet store that sells animals. They get them 100% of the time from puppy mills and buying from a pet store supports the abuse in puppy mills. Puppy mills are licensed but not inspected regularly and when they do rarely get inspected, they are always fined for deplorable conditions. You are not saving a puppy by purchasing it from a pet store, you are creating demand for puppy mills to keep producing more puppies. Walk right past those seemingly cute puppies at the pet store and find a reputable breeder or shelter, rescue. Don't buy online, you must go and visit these places to buy your puppy, they aren't Amazon stock, this isn't something you order online. read more

Animart Pet Store - Do your homework and help end the problem of puppy mills by not purchasing from stores or online breeders - Pet Stores Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

See all

I'm so grateful to Animart. Staff is knowledgeable, friendly and patient. My puppy is a Godsend delivered via Animart read more

Animart Pet Store - Pet Stores Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I Have gone to the Animart on Eastside of Madison and purchased fish from them, multiple of the fish purchased died the next day or got damaged during the employees putting the fish in the bags (Guppy had a giant scar on the side of guppy) Maybe go to PetWorld to get fish, I know I will read more

Animart Pet Store - Pet Stores Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Most people on here complain about the adoption prices of dogs and cats. Others complain about the stench, or the pee from the puppy cages on the floor. While these are true, let's talk about the fish. My girlfriend and I were trying to get a fish. Noone was there to help us, so I went and waited in line at the checkout counter. I got up and told the gal I needed help in the fish department and when I got there, some guy walks right out of the glass back room when he could see us there the whole time. Anyways, he helped us for about 2 minutes before going to talk to other people when we asked for the help. It was so hard to try and get him to help us as we would ask a question, look into the fish tank, turn around, and he had vanished. He would also try and talk us out of purchasing a fish because it would die right away in a new tank. We bought a fish and a tank from petsmart about a month and a half ago and he's still happy as can be. Maybe they should take care of their own dead fish in the tanks before they give advice to other people on how to take care of a fish. We decided to not give them our business and went to petsmart instead which was way better. The place was way more clean and way more nice than Animart. Now I'm no expert in fish, but you could tell their fish were way more happy and swimming around a lot more. There was way less fish per tank. Going there made it seem like Animart was trying to stuff as many fish in as possible. Some fish at Animart were dead and lifeless too. Just sitting there for their fellow fish to feed on the dead carcass. Other fish at Animart were way too big for their tank like the ones on the back wall. You feel bad for the poor things because they just sit there and stare, because they have nowhere to move and it's just a dark room. I suggest going to Animart first just so you can see the atmosphere and then to Petsmart to actually purchase something. You will feel a lot better about your purchase. My girlfriend and I are now proud owners of a beta fish named buddy, thanks to our bad experience at Animart and our great experience at Petsmart. read more

UPDATE: after getting test results back from below. in 2/2022 just before a year THe dog acutally had leg cath perthes disease. ANIMART is a liar is their response. THEY NEVER REACHED OUT TO ME, after several emails within the first year trying to resolve this issue. It took a long time to get the test results back for the genetic disease. My dog is forever LAME. She also has the patella issue i sated below in THE OTHER LEG. DO NOT ADOPT FROM THIS PLACE!! THEY ARE LIARS. Please consider my story before adopting/purchasing a dog from Animart. I paid $2000 for my Chihuahua Coco just short of 1 year ago 6/7/2021. Before my purchase, Animart had a dog returned to them named Tank from the same breeder ( same parents) with severely luxating patellas. The breeder's name is Bontrager living somewhere in Wisconsin. They said nothing to me about this. They had me sign some document with a one-year health guarantee; in that document, it states things that "might happen," such as luxating patellas. It's one thing to say something could happen, its another thing to know that a dog with the same parents has severe issues; yet proceed with the sale of other dogs with the same parents to unsuspecting new owners. ( Purporting to new owners, years of vets bills, not to mention the animal's suffering. This is why Tanks owners chose to return him to Animart, as discussed above.) Animart refused to speak with me by email or otherwise. Please do not buy a dog from this place. If they are capable of this unethical, unscrupulous negligence, one must consider other acts of consumer mistrust and abuse that could be taking place. Please reach out to me if you have any questions. I am not making this up to bash anyone or any company. I tried to resolve this issue with Animar directly before leaving this review. I purchased the puppy at the Waunakee Animart; however, the vets are all at this east side location, as is Shanna L, the manager over both madison locations. She would not return my requests for discussion about this. read more

Prices! Holy cow. $1500 for puppies now? A lot of their pet accessories can be found at Target or Amazon a lot cheaper.

They purchase puppies from puppy mills and re-sell them!! They only ask the weight and date of birth of the parents (which puppy mills lie about) and then re-sell these dogs. DONT BUY FROM THEM AND SUPPORT PUPPY MILLS!!!!!!! read more

Oh, the stench. I hold my breath from the second I walk in the door until I'm in the fish department. Animart absolutely reeks of urine and feces. I understand it's hard to keep puppy enclosures clean - they're obviously not housetrained yet - but there has got to be a better way. Last time I was in there, it smelled like diarrhea. Maybe Animart's management doesn't understand that some customers want to shop in a store that doesn't smell like diarrhea. I always just make a beeline to the fish department - they have a really good selection of fish and plants that you can't get at large chain stores. Their prices are a little higher, but it's worth it because they have such a great selection and you can count on them to have a knowledgeable employee in the fish room. Due to the overwhelming smell at Animart, I always go to Petsmart first to see if they have what I need. I only go to Animart for things I can't get at Petsmart or online. read more

Went in to buy a fish tank and now have to return it as the employee who helped us didn't know what he was talking about. If an employee isn't sure what they're talking about I expect them to find a more knowledgeable employee, thankfully we can return it but we had it all set up for nothing. This place has deteriorated and it makes me sad to see :( read more

I am not a fan of pet stores, but I listened to my heart instead of my head.. First, I was told it was a girl. When they put me in the closed area to interact with him, I picked him up and his waterworks were definitely those of a male. I said to the attendant that it was a boy and he said 'it is?" WOW. Time for a biology class. Then he went over all the paperwork. He told me that he had a kennel cough vaccination. I asked why and he said all dogs get them. I asked if he had kennel cough and he said no. When we got to the register, he rang it up and said "Okay, that will be $2,020." That is totally my fault as I should have asked, but I was thinking $500 at the most. I could feel my stomach churn and my face burn. I was basically in shock. I paid for him. Then I got in my car and ran over a curb. I called Russ, crying, and told him how much he cost. I knew we could bring him back within 48 hours, but would still have to pay $150. I told Russ that he would have to take him back. I was emotionally drained. All I wanted to do was go home and go to bed. When I got home, which I don't even remember driving, I left the carrier in the car. Russ stood by the driver's door and when I got out he gave me a hug and kiss and asked if I wanted to keep him. I told him no, because that was a huge amount of money. I went and laid down on the bed with Jack. A few minutes later, Russ came in and said we should keep him. Before had a chance to say anything, he told me to bring out Jack to make introductions. Russ had brought the carrier in the house. His original name was Jermaine, but we changed it to Jazz. Jazz was so tired that he slept all Saturday and Saturday night. Sunday, he was coughing where ever he went. I have never heard kennel cough, but I didn't know what else it could be. Sunday night was horrible. We were awake all night comforting him and worrying that he was going to die. I got him into the vet early Monday morning. He had kennel cough. He also had coccodia. They sent me home with antibiotics, nauseous medicine, probiotics, and prescription food. After paying over $2000 for Jazz, I had to shell out over $200 for a sick puppy. I called Animart when I got home and asked who I had to talk to so that I could get reimbursed. Dr (and I use that term loosely) Trichet was very short with me. She said that I should have brought him to the Animart vet. I told her that was like an employee going to HR and then having HR side with the employee. I told her that I was told he had the kennel cough vaccination, and I wanted him to be checked out by our vet. Long story, even longer, I am out the $200. If you want to see the video of a little 11 week old puppy hacking so bad, go to my Facebook page. It is public read more

Animart Pet Store - Pet Stores Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Stopped in yesterday to get cat nip and did not know it sold only bred or mill animals. There were puppies in a pen on floor with urine and feces everywhere. Animals crowded in cages with no stimulation . It is shameful and unacceptable. Disgusting practice as people should know better then to buy animals bred for sale. Please "adopt don't shop". The only way to stop these places is to stop buying these types of pets. Adopt from Mounds, Petsmart, humane society, and the dozens of rescue places. read more

So Dena their GM asked to come in, reviewed her notes which aligned with what I shared, agreed with me and apologized. Overall I am pleased with her response, though not with the initial response of their staff. Ultimately we all agree that making sure that animals end up in loving and safe homes is a priority. read more

Animart is definitely one of the most aesthetically pleasing pet stores I've been in, and it is a local shop. Prices seemed to be similar to the big-box pet store we usually end up stopping at for my boyfriend's small animal bedding needs. I had three main issues with our visit, though: 1) The store smells, or at least it did on our visit. They do have a large number of live animals on site, but I haven't noticed a smell at other pet stores in town. I don't know if having dogs on site makes the difference, but my first thought was that all the bedding could use a change. 2) All the language they use is "adopt," but really what you're doing is buying from breeders. The labs they had in the puppy area were $1200. Their website FAQ does have me convinced they're not part of the puppy mill industry, but I think the word "adopt" conjures helping shelter animals. 3) There were two people working the checkout desk when we visited and they were more interested in continuing their conversation (one making her voice quieter to drop the F-bomb mid-sentence) than paying attention to the checkout process. I'm not actually offended by swearing but it's just poor form for customer service, especially when you're treating the customer like a background task. Maybe this was just an off day and I'm sure we'll be back if it makes more sense to stop there, but on this occasion I just wasn't bowled over. read more

Animart Pet Store - Baby bunnies. - Pet Stores Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We were introduced to Animart when we were looking for a new pet. We ended up getting our dog Kobi from there and the only complaint I have is they are neutered or spayed way too young. The staff is knowledgeable and willing to help however they can. We continue to go there for our supplies and really enjoy the place. We've had no issues with their products or services and my kids love going there. We've gone to Mounds and PetSmart and by far, this is the better place. Yes, the prices are a little higher than the big box stores, but it's the service that keeps us going back. I would say this to Animart: keep up the good work.....I do think you should consider a different program for the spay or neuters. Have as part of the price, but allow a person to come back when the pup is a little older. It way healthier for them. read more

If you are looking for a pet, start with the shelter or any of the rescues around Madison. Their prices for toys, bones and supplies are fairly expensive. The prices for pets is through the roof!!! Again, check the shelter first. The same toys are less expensive nearly everywhere else. If looking for bones, bully sticks and food, skip this place and go to Mounds. BUT if you're looking for unique collars and leashes, this is the place. read more

I have a problem with a pet store that declaws all their cats. I think it is more important to educate people on animal behavior and let them decide about declawing, rather than take the choice away, and jack up the price of what amounts to a barncat. Go to the Humane Society instead. read more

I'm just commenting on the fish-- I have no idea whether the puppies are from puppy mills or not. If you have 40 or 50 tanks then it's ok for there to be 1 or 2 dead fish. Four or five is unacceptable. A conscientious employee would remove the dead ones on a regular basis (and there shouldn't be so many dead fish that this would present any difficulties). I also liked the following interaction: Me: Do you sell hikari massivore [a type of pellet for carnivorous fish]? Employee: I don't know. [Walks away.] Gee, thanks for checking. Overall, it's one step up from a big chain pet store, but it's a pretty small step. Go to living art for live fish. You won't regret it. read more

I never give ratings this low, but it is well deserved here. I went to Animart for the second time to today and felt so strongly about it that I am leaving this review. When you first walk into Animart, you will definitely get a sense of the store being dirty. It is dingy and smelly, which is like, ok, it is a pet store. If this was all that was wrong though, I wouldn't give it one star. The issue begins to appear as you make your way through the store. It is clearly not cleaned and cared for. Items on the shelf are dusty and covered in cobwebs. When it comes to the animals, it's not much better. I visited the fish department to look for fish, and I was pretty much horrified. Almost every tank had at least one dead fish in it. Why doesn't someone go around to clean up and care for the fish? Other animals don't look much better. The hermit crab habitat is horrifying. The first time I didn't see a single living crab. This is probably because they are living in a tank with wood shavings. If anyone had bothered to research the proper care for these animals, they would realize that they need a soft digging substrate for molting purposes. They are all also in painted shells, which often causes deaths in these crabs. It was horrible to see the way the different pets were living here at Animart. It is so sad when a pet store doesn't take the time to research their animals. While I was debating buying fish, I waited for about 40 minutes for someone to come around. Eventually, I just left. I understand it's a busy time of year but it got excessive. If they had a person dedicated to fish care, this wouldn't have happened and I probably wouldn't have seen dead fish in every tank. Overall, avoid this store. Clearly, Animart (at least this location) doesn't care about their animals or their customers. read more

While the reviewer below is indeed correct about puppy mills they are mistaken about Animart. The dogs they "sell" there are either adoptions from unplanned and unwanted local litters and I believe they sell a few dogs from actual local breeders. Now on to the actual store. It is pleasant enough there and an improvement over petco & petsmart but the selection is pretty poor there. read more

We bought our Pomeranian puppy from Animart. While I think the price seemed higher than it could have been, the puppy came with all his shots, dewormed, and "fixed". The staff was very friendly, and helpful. We even got $50 worth of supplies. I can't speak for the cat adoptions, but I had a pleasant experience there. On a side note, I do recommend that you ALWAYS, check the humane society first before purchasing from a breeder or petstore. read more

How to start this...well, $1000 for a puppy? $250 for a cat? Wow! Once you check out the cost of the toys and food, those prices start to make more sense, but holy cow, those are high prices. I really enjoyed the store they had when they were located by American tv. It just seemed more comfortable. Now it seems more like a big box warehouse store for animals. Not comfortable at all. I love the puppies when they bring them out to the pen at the front of the store, but regardless of where they put them, they still cost $1000!! Adopt from a shelter and buy your food at Mounds (not the toys)...you'll save a life and get more for your money. read more

I adopted my kitten from here. He was 6 months old approximately, and adorable. The staff was incredibly helpful. I see another review says all cats are declawed, but they do not declaw all cats, mine has all of his. They mentioned something about if they get the kittens under a certain age they will declaw because unfortunately most people want/need a front declawed cat because of personal preference or their landlord requires it. Anyway, they said they do it really young or not at all. But I really liked animart. read more

Animart Pet Store - Pet Stores Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I enjoyed this pet store until I saw the Yellow Tang I the aquarium area. There is a significant issue with Yellow Tang poaching, and the survival of these fish after being poached is incredibly low. Encourage this store to cease carrying this species. read more

We brought our puppy here because we had a coupon for a free self-service dog wash in the bucky book. It is usually $15.The inside reminded me of a Margaritaville. It was fun to wash our own dog and not have to deal with the mess, but I don't think it's worth $15. The shampoo and conditioner weren't labeled so I wasn't sure what we were putting on our puppy. It is also pretty far away from us (we live on the near west side). In the future if we want a cheap wash I think we will get a $20 wash/nail trim at Petsmart or splurge and take him to tabby & jacks (they do the best job but it is pricy). I also got a weird vibe when I asked where the standard poodle puppy came from. The lady working there was very short with me when I asked if they get them from breeders. She said that two local standard poodles that weren't fixed had the puppies so they donated them to Animart. It seemed a bit fishy. read more

We had a birthday party here today. Our " host" Hank, was friendly, funny, and knew quite a bit about the animals he showed off to the 20 plus kids we had. He was very interactive and eve taught the kids a fun game to play.The place is always clean when I've been there and the animals seem in good health. My dog actually came from there 5 years ago. Back to the party: it was directed nicely without being too strict for the kids and still respecting the animals needs. The best was the puppy time we got! Even the parents were happy to snuggle the puppies. It was great to have a private room and feel free to take our time with the animals and ask our questions about them. Well priced for a fun experience and a unique birthday experience for our girls. read more

See all

They made me reschedule my vet appointment twice, first because they had me at the wrong time, the second because the vet had personal issues and wasn't in. My appointment was at 4:15, I called twice at 4:05 and again at 4:10, when they finally answered I was told my cat could not be seen, 5 minutes before my appointment. They stated they had tried to call me "all day" and I have not received a single call all day. read more

AWFUL. Staff is not helpful and ignored us as we were looking at the animals. They acted like the customers were burdening their social time...god forbid they have to work at work!!! Not to mention the animals are overpriced and not properly cared for...not coming back and do NOT recommend. read more

Only giving 2 stars because they have a large selection of products to choose from. The animals are always in poor condition when I stop in and there's a nasty lingering smell. I've tried to buy fish for them to just end up dead before we even get home. The newer guy doesn't seam to have much knowledge about fish (not his fault) and I have yet to meet the department manager, but the fish in store always look terrible. I've had an associate tell me, after I didn't ask, to put hot sauce on my leash to stop my 12 week old puppy from mouthing it (you know instead of recommending training tools or techniques). All around it seams like there is a lack of training and knowledge, which is sad since animart does carry a good selection of products. Will probably only come back to get the chemicals for my fish tanks, and that's only if other stores won't price match because animart does have cheaper tank supplies. read more

They sell puppy mill puppies. "Local breeder" doesnt mean humane and says nothing about the animal's previous conditions or where it came from. Ask for pictures of where the puppies were raised and names of breeders and do research. The employees just tell you what they are told to say. read more

Absolutely LOVED this place, and your employee, Nicole. She immediately met us at the door, clipped our puppies nails, and offered to watch both of our 6 weeks old puppies while we shopped! That right there is AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE. This was my very first time there, and we came all the way from Beloit, an hour away. I will definitely, absolutely, 100% be back. I wish I could give her 100 stars. She deserves it. read more

Holistic approach to treating our cats and dogs. Recently I shopped at Animart and purchased three different types of wet cat food for my cats. I was no sure if they would even like the food but the sales associate I worked with explained the company has a holistic approach to the foods they supply for my animals. I was impressed and decided to try a few. When I returned home my cat devoured the food so fast I was surprised because they usually turn their noses up to new cat food. But to my surprise they loved the food and I will return to purchase more of that yummy food they loved. I am truly grateful Animart has so many types of foods that are healthy and made from real stuff rather than animal byproducts. Thanks Animart, Brenda read more

A little over a month ago I adopted a kitten from the east side Animart. Included in her adoption fee she was spayed and received a health certificate saying everything was perfect. On Friday of last week after coming home I had to run her into the emergency room because she was breathing funny. Hours later I had to make a terrible decision of having her put to sleep as she was suffering from heart failure. The vet staff at the emergency clinic noted that it would be next to impossible to miss a heart murmur as severe as hers if checked by a veterinarian Since then I have also contacted a 3rd party veterinarian clinic who agreed that heart murmurs do not develop overnight and typically are either born with or take years to develop. Considering she passed away at 14 weeks old I believe it is safe to say she had this issue in the beginning and either the vet at Animart did not check her properly or opted to not disclose these health conditions. read more

I'm going to keep this as short and sweet as possible. I would give the staff 1/5 stars and the Veterinarian 5/5 stars. Overall my experience was very poor due to the uncaring staff thus, 2/5 stars overall. I went to this location due to a Bucky Book coupon i had. It was for one free cat wellness exam, i also scheduled a nail trim for this visit. Staff: did not acknowledge customers as they entered or when they needed to be checked out. Very disorganized and no one seem's to be on the same page as far as operations or even for how much something is priced at. Connie (training manager, i think) was very brash, borderline rude and very flustered due to having a new P.O.S. system to learn. They also like to keep people waiting by chatting with friends and texting on their cell phones at the registers. Vet: My cat had pee'd in his crate and she did not think twice about giving him full attention and all the care he needed. She apologized that i had to wait, due to two people telling me very different things about how to check in for my appointment. The vet was very polite and my cat very grumpy + very smelly. She still trimmed his nails, very quickly and did all four paws even though he was soaked in pee. Lesson learned: Yes, the Vet did her job and did it well. I am sorry she has to work in cramped conditions with those people. However i will not be spending my money at Animart again. read more

I cannot believe this place is still operating. I worked at the old Animart, when it was next to American, across the street from all the car dealerships. Not only did they buy their puppies out of the paper, from mills and breeders, they made us medicate and even vaccinate them! I was not a vet, vet tech, etc. Hell, I was probably 20 years old at the time! I did ask one of the managers once, "Where do we get the puppies from?" She said to tell customers that all the puppies had been "rescued," clearly trying to avoid the real answers. Her demeanor completely changed as she was telling me this, so of course I never trusted anything the management told me. From reading other reviews, I understand that Animart declaws all of their cats? I cannot remember if that was going on when I worked there. However, I would advise anyone adopting a cat to look elsewhere, if that is the case. Keeping a cat's nails trimmed is not that difficult. Removing their claws not only causes joint problems later in their life, it also provides them with no defense, should they accidentally escape outside one day. Listen, it's possible this place has changed from what it was 10(ish) years ago, but I have a suspicion it is still run by the same people, and therefore is still the same place. I know I'd never shop there again. read more

Okay, so I got a fish tank for Christmas and went to stock it with some ghost shrimp. I already had a snail, and a betta, and this obviously clueless employee, with the worst kept hair I have ever seen, and some of the worst B.O, told me I could have 6 shrimp in my tank. I was new, so I figured it was fine. But he takes me over to the fish tank with the shrimp, and it is AWFUL. There were 10 or so live ones, and the other 100 were dead. Pink and rotting shrimp. I have visited that tank to keep an eye on it, and every time I go there, it's FULL of dead shrimp. And the mystery snail tank makes me so sad. There are maybe 20 snails in 15 gallons, with cracked, broken shells, and are barely moving from poor care. I have 2 snails that are CONSTANTLY up and around, with no cracks in their shells after maybe a week of cuttlebone and some space. Both snails I purchased from animart and their shells were in awful condition. Even now, one has a hole from a small crack that could not heal due to last of calcium. Those snails are doing terribly, and it makes me angry and sad that they're treated so poorly. Also, some more silk aquarium plants would be nice, since the cheap plastic ones they have are gross. And fish tank dividers. The second Animart starts selling fish tank dividers, I will go no where else, because nobody sells good ones. read more

TODAY, I received another email from Yelp stating my review was once again being removed because it was based on "hear say." Again, I will reiterate that my review is based on my own in person interactions with the staff and my own visits to the store. I have been in the store on a few occassions and have been a customer when purchasing food and other supplies in the past. A bad review should not be suppressed simply because the business owners and puppy mill apologists don't like it. My review: On January 18, 2013, Animart posted on their facebook asking people to write reviews for them on Yelp because apparently they are always so interested in finding out what their customers think. I had previously posted a review of them and it was up for about 2 years, possibly longer. On January 31, 2013, I received an email from Yelp telling me that my review was being taken down because it violated their rules because it was based on "hearsay." I wonder who reported my review, but I will leave the reader to draw their own conclusions since anything else might be interpreted as "hearsay." My suspicions and accusations regarding Animart are based on much more than "hearsay" so I will clarify why I believe that Animart is dishonest about the origins of the puppies that they sell, based on personal experience when I went into the store. Animart always has popular, purebred and hybrid, mostly toy breed puppies that they sell for hundreds of dollars each. They say right on their website that you are "adopting" a puppy from them, as opposed to purchasing a puppy. When considering why you should "adopt" from them, they say: "all our puppies come from reputable breeders, rescue groups and from unplanned, unwanted litters." I'm not sure which breeders have unwanted litters of purebred puppies that they want to hand over to a pet store to sell for several hundreds of dollars per puppy, so naturally, I'm curious. Also, if rescues are giving Animart purebred puppies, I'd like to know which ones they are working with. You would think that they would be happy to promote area rescues that give them purebred puppies to sell for hundreds of dollars each (because the rescue probably doesn't need the money and can't adopt out the purebred puppy?? I guess??) However, that information is not posted on their website, nor, in my experience, are staff forthcoming with information about where the puppies are from. Animart, according to its website, is proud that they get puppies from "reputable breeders" (who, by the way, never sell in pet stores, reputable breeders handle their own sales). So, naturally, I wanted to know about the breeders. Yet, when I personally asked them, while I was in the store, where the puppies came from, I was given a very vague, incomplete answer. It started when I asked the check out person. He looked distinctly uncomfortable and said something to the effect of "we're not supposed to talk about that" and also that he was a "reptile guy" and didn't care for the puppies, and someone else would have to answer my question. He quickly called over the "puppy person" who told me that a nice older couple living in Beaver Dam breeds the dogs, and they always give the dogs exercise, give them breaks in between litters, etc. etc. She had a very nice, probably pre-planned and rehearsed public relations speech to share with me. When asked if I could have the name of this nice, older couple in Beaver Dam so I could research the breeding facility, I was told no. If a pet store is proud of the breeders that supply their puppies, why not share that information with a curious customer (I was there to purchase some food for my dogs). With regard to the other products in the store, the selection is average, and the prices are better at Mounds and Petsmart, in my experience of going to all three places. How Animart has managed to continue to sell puppies in Madison, a place that proclaims to be politically correct and has progressive and compassionate values, is beyond me. Willful ignorance? Clever marketing? Who knows. Adopt, don't shop. 4/17/14 Response to Owner Reply to my Review: Thanks for the note. If Animart is interested in providing complete transparency to the general public about where its puppies and kittens come from, including anyone who is interested and not just those buying a puppy, then breeder information should be posted on each kennel. I believe there is a law of this nature on the books in Illinois, that states that each pet store has to post the breeder or origin for the puppy. If the breeder really is USDA or DATCP licensed, then inspection reports of the breeders are public information anyway, available on the APHIS website or from DATCP. If a rescue is providing the purebred/hybrid puppies for you to sell, then provide all the information about the rescue, posted on the kennel where you keep the puppies. That would clear up any confusion about where the dogs are coming from really quick. read more

I find this stores ethics questionable. I'm highly suspicious of them buying puppies from puppy mills. I'm also concerned about cleanliness. I have stopped here on multiple occasions for toys & treats for my doxie and there bone bins & bones are filthy dirty with dead bugs, cobb webs, dirt, etc. Its disgusting. They could potentially pose a health risk. Beware.... read more

They don't sell shelter animals, only those from puppy mills/breeders. I went to try and find a something with a UW or Packer logo for my dog. As soon as I walked in, I saw dogs and cats that were up for adoption. I looked for a sign that said which shelter they were from, but saw none. When I approached a staff person to ask about this, I was told that they ONLY carry purebreds, and that you can't get a purebred from a shelter. This is 100% FALSE. I walked out without getting more than 10' in the store. I cannot support a business that gets its dogs and cats from breeders or puppy mills. I'm disgusted that this practice is still allowed in Madison, and I'm glad that I live in a city where it is not. read more

My husband and I recently adopted a 6 month old kitten from Animart. Let me begin by saying that my daughter and grand daughter attended a birthday party here the day prior. I had asked them to look at the cats and let me know if I should come in the following day. My daughter took photos and there were some pretty adorable kittens so we made the trip from the west side to see some of them. From start to finish the experience was above and beyond my expectations. We sat with 6 or 7 different cats and went back and forth a couple of times until we found the perfect kitten for us. We sat with an adoption counselor and reviewed the paperwork, heath, etc of our new addition. She was even nice enough to walk us through the store to help us purchase all of the items that we would need. The adoption price was $199 for him and included the neuter fee, shots that he had while living there and the final round of shots that we needed to bring him back in for. I'm pretty sure that they didn't make any money on him, that he cost them more than $199 to care for prior to us adopting him. My sister recently took in a stray and her vet wants to charge her $150 just to have her fixed, no room and board included! So to me $199 is a great value. read more

I don't know much about birds, and I think that dogs and cats ought to be acquired through animal shelters, so I'll just talk about the reptile and fish departments. The fish room is OK, I guess. More than half of the coral tanks are inadequately lit, some so poorly lit that the photosynthetic livestock in it will likely bleach upon being introduced to a proper tank. In other words, corals purchased out of those tanks will likely die. Prices on aquatic livestock in general is high. Livestock in the reptile department is mediocre. Enclosures weren't really dirty, but not really clean either. "New arrivals - not for sale" are housed next to animals that are for sale, which means that diseases carried by the unquarantined animals will pass to others in the store (mites travel pretty quickly). Though there is a sign claiming that they buy from local breeders to ensure quality, some of the animals (water dragons, russian tortoises, collared lizards) are certainly wild-caught without being labeled as such. The rainbow boas there today were really being mistreated -- kept in screen top tanks on aspen bedding with undersized moist hides containing bone dry sphagnum. They won't make it long under those conditions. read more