A pet store or pet shop is a store at which one can purchase supplies for pets and, often, the pets themselves.
In the United States, pet shops commonly carry fish for home aquariums, small birds such as parakeets, small mammals such as fancy rats and hamsters, and small reptiles such as lizards and snakes.
Less common are larger mammals such as dogs and cats. In part, these animals have become less common because pet stores have received considerable bad press for their inappropriate care of puppies and kittens, which need socialization and which are more vulnerable to illnesses, and for their use of animals from puppy mills. As a result, it is usually easier to find puppies and kittens from animal shelters, private breeders, or rescue groups .
