Abby’s Let’s Pet Puppies

0 stars needs to be an option. Any decent person would not run a business selling puppies. These people are not good business owners. If they were, they would have reinvented themselves LONG ago when the shelter movement began. ADOPT from one of Chicago’s many excellent animal shelters!

Bruno is now 4.5 years old and is healthy as can be. No matter where you get your dog, you run into the chance of something being wrong with him. We got out other puggle from a breeder in Wisconsin and we went to pick him up from the farm. He’s a great dog, but I have to admit, he’s a little slow and not nearly as near as smart as Bruno. You take a chance no matter where you go, so don’t start blaming the pet stores. If you don’t believe in pet stores… STOP BUYING FROM THEM instead of slamming their pages with terrible reviews. I’m so annoyed with people saying these places are terrible. If it wasn’t for this place under the tracks on Ashland I would have never had my Bruno.

I have never set foot in this store, and I know this is a long shot. But, in Sept. of 2002, my daughter purchased a boxer/​rottweiler mix puppy. I acquired him by default. He was the best dog in the whole world. He was so very loved, and we lost him last year at the age of 9 from bone cancer. I know who purchased one of his brothers, and he is still alive and well in Texas. But, I was wondering, if anyone out there purchased and bred a boxer/​rottweiler from Let’s Pets when it was on Ashland. I have found out that the original parents have, of course, passed. But, there has to be some offspring out there.
I also own two rescue puppies. One, Lucie, was supposed to be a black lab/​border collie. She is a pit. A good, and loving pit, but surely not what we were told. She is 5 now, and had TPO surgery 2 years ago. Then we rescued Daisy. A boxer. If you think a boxer is a itty bitty thing. She is probably boxer/​cocker spaniel, because my other daughter purchased her brother and did the DNA test. no matter where you get your dog, it’s always a lottery. Surgeries, allergies, infections, they all come with owning a dog.
Kris

It s obvious that this place is a puppy mill. Who are they fooling? So, they used to be Let’s Pet Puppies. The dogs are not raised on a farm. They come from mills. Little marks on the pups and the dogs have social problems and they are aggressive. How long will they keep going on? On top of the people that work there… it is like you are walking onto a scene from Good Fellas. Not nice people. Buyer beware. I had a pup from this place with problems and so does a friend. These poor animals. Shut this place down.

Three years ago we bought our Beagle from Let’s Pet when it was on Ashland Avenue in Chicago. Today we had to say goodbye to her. Our kids are crushed. Like other reviewers have experienced, our Stella had major behavioral issues – anxiety and aggressiveness. We took her to an animal behaviorist, suffered many bites until Monday when she flat out attacked our 10 year old. We provided a loving home for her and our children were always very well behaved with her. She suffered these behavioral problems from the very beginning.
We were told by Let’s Pet that Stella was born on a farm. She had a small scar on one hindquarter they said happened when she tried to climb under a fence. We have since heard from some very reliable animal trainers and dog advocates that this is not true – that Let’s Pet’s puppies are from puppy mills. Additionally, when, three years ago we looked up Let’s Pet reviews on Unilocal there must have been a number of fake reviews because at that time the average rating and general sentiment of posters was quite good.
So last night we had to sit our children down and explain why they had to say goodbye to their dog. There were many, many tears. Luckily, she is being adopted by a trainer without children who sees her as a project. You might get a healthy, happy dog here but that certainly wasn’t our experience. Judging from some of the other posters’ experiences, we were not alone.
CAVEAT EMPTOR! BUYER BEWARE!

How is this store still open!!! People that buy puppies from pet stores are complete idiots.
DONT BUY A PUPPY FROM THIS STORE OR ITS OTHER LOCATION HUG-​A-​PUP ON IRVING PARK ROAD.
You are not doing the puppy a favor. You shouldn’t buy a puppy to feel like you are «saving» it from a horrible life at this pet store. All you are doing is supporting the puppy mill industry and the horrid conditions that these pets are kept in. If you don’t want to adopt a dog from a shelter and have a specific breed in mind, purchase from a reputable breeder (hint: a reputable breeder will not sell dogs to a pet store).
This article is useful and a good place to start.

Purchasing a puppy from a reputable breeder will be MUCH more affordable as well.
Why someone would pay 3x as much money to support the puppy mill industry is beyond me.
Please educate yourself before buying a pet.

Sadly, this place has not gone out of business. They changed their name to HUG A PUP and moved to:
11 521 S. Pulaski
Alsip, Il
Please do what you can to get this place shut down. No animal should ever have to live in these conditions.

Anyone who buys an animal from a pet store is an idiot.
I used to live nearly next door to here and I’d walk into look at cute puppies. There are bugs on the floor all the time. Dogs are constantly barking. Ever notice how quickly the dogs change out? They spend a week in the store, max. It makes me think all kinds of horrifying things.

I’ve driven past this place countless times. A while back the SO and I decided to check it out, and this was even before we knew about all the bad reviews.
You have to be a little curious, if you drive by after they are closed they have pink or yellow foam boards covering the windows. But when they are open in the summer they sometimes keep the door open.
So we went in, and it didn’t really smell. No more than any other store piled with crates upon crates of animals. There were people in the store cleaning, but that is not what bothered me.
So, these puppies are kept in metal crates, and have to walk around on crate bars. Ouch? Also, a lot of them looked much smaller than they should have been, and Im not talking the ‘mini’ breeds.
And then there is the back room… it was creepy. I’m not sure what they do back there, but it smelled worse and was just wrong.
Its a store that looks like they took it as is. Messed up floor, dirty walls, nasty lighting. Almost like they knew it would be temporary. (They have since moved. Finally)
I understand that sometimes pets can be an impulse buy, and that is the only reason that places like this are still open. People know that they cant just go into a recsue and walk out with a puppy, so they go to places like this.
If you don’t want to rescue, or want a specific type of dog, or puppy– research a breeder, its not hard, but you might want to work on your patience levels.

The sign outside says «Let’s Pet Puppies!».
You go inside and all the signs say «DON’T TOUCH THE PUPPIES!».
Mixed signals.
My former roommate and I ducked into her when we were looking for a dog. We lived in Andersonville, were only 21 and had no idea what we were doing.
When we walked inside we were overwhelmed with how many dogs were in there. Too many per cage, in my opinion. There was a very cross woman yelling at everyone «Don’t touch the dogs!».
We turned around and walked right out. We eventually got her dog at PAWS… and myself a cat as well.
Before you spend an outrageous amount of money on a puppy mill dog, please visit the Anti-​Cruelty, PAWS or any of the many other shelters in the city.

I have to update my review because I just lost my beloved 2 yo Boxer yesterday to a terrible congenital heart condition. This place is dispicable for breeding these horribly ill dogs. Despite thousands of dollars in the latest medical treatments (his heart was not his only problem) my dog lost his life to congestive heart failure and I can’t imagine how many more of his littermates are suffered or have already passed.
This is a terrible disease to pass along to generation after generation of these wonderful dogs and this review is only the first of my many efforts in getting this hell-​hole shut down.

They use to have paper covering the windows, which I was just like, whoa, shady. You can’t even peek in to see the condition of the place. But now the windows are open with the dogs in cages stacked on top of each other… Holy Unsafe Batman! They could broil in the heat and then their grilled tushies and paws could get stuck in other crates right next to them!
Seriously people?! Are you foolish enough to go to a pet store to get your puppy? (Have you ever heard of puppy mills? Take my word on it, you’re contributing to the euthanasia to other dogs by not rescuing them or supporting businesses around the world where dogs and cats are treated like livestock at best.)
What about the over 19,000 pets that had to be euthanized last year in Chicago alone because of consumers and stores like you?!
Go to
and you can search specifically for the breed you want, and gender, and age if you’re selfish enough that it absolutely has to be a puppy, and I’ll bet you money you can find what you’re looking for at a rescue within a 50 mile range. Seriously, $ 50.
Saving a life, or costing a life, the choice is yours.

I can’t even begin to name all the things that are wrong with this place. First of all, they list themselves as being the «best boxer breeder in Chicago» all over the internet. We went in there looking for a puppy and we got to meet the stud… Oh lord. I’ve never seen such an ill-​behaved brute in my life. I would NEVER buy from a place that can’t even take the time to train their #1 stud. If they won’t take the time for him, what about the hundreds of puppies that are in there!!! This is the perfect example of a puppy mill trying to pass itself off as a reputable place of business.
Another HUGE problem that I have with this place is their complete and utter disregard for the well-​being of the animals. I have a friend who actually purchased a puppy from there (without my knowledge) and when I found out she mentioned that they made no effort to find out if she gave a damn for the animal, but rather they just wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t return it. Really? They’d rather have their puppies that they spend SO much time and care breeding and caring for go to a home that doesn’t want them and can’t take care of them rather than return it!!! That’s entirely irresponsible if I’ve ever heard of it.
The last part has to deal with their customer service. I was in there helping a friend try to figure out what kind of dog she wanted so that she could track down a REPUTABLE breeder and we overheard an entire conversation that they had with an unhappy customer. They had purchased a puppy there a few months earlier and when the antibiotics they pump in them finally wore off, the puppy was constantly at the vet for one ailment after another. Any animal lover would be concerned about what caused the issues, what they could do to help the puppy, and how they could make sure it never happened again. Instead, they just told the people that they didn’t want to see the vet bills, all they cared about was if they were going to 1) want to return the sick puppy, 2) want to get another puppy instead and/​or 3) file a claim with the dept of ag against them. THEY ONLY ASKED THOSE 3 QUESTIONS!
Don’t EVER purchase an animal from here. Any animal lover should be appalled at the fact that this place continues to operate and should be furious that they continue to pass themselves off as a reputable breeder on the internet. Shame, shame, shame.

I vowed I would never do business with this place. I warned people against it. People I love. But they didn’t listen, and now I was left to pick up the pieces.
A family member made the mistake of taking a child in here to look at puppies to determine which breed of dog the child wanted as a pet. Needless to say, you can’t take a child window shopping for puppies. She wanted a black lab so we told the little girl we had to do some homework before we could take the puppy home. Meanwhile we called a few breeders and located some gorgeous black labs for about the same price as the puppy mill puppies here. However, the breeder puppy wouldn’t be ready for a few more weeks. Tell that to a kid and see what happens.
So out of sheer desperation, a puppy, Zora was purchased here against my very cautionary warning and advice. I personally went over the dog’s history and the care taking/​health history of the dog with these people. They lied to my face, on paper and every which way possible. How do I know this? Because three weeks later, the dog became disoriented and incontinent and began walking sideways. Zora had a serious infection and died from kidney and liver failure less then a month after she was rescued from these shills. Have your dog checked by a vet prior to purchasing and I bet you no puppy leaves this store again.
The emergency vet visit when the signs first surfaced was $ 400.00 The euthanasia a few days later, does it matter? Try telling a kid that the dog they insisted on «because she loved» her needs to be put to sleep a few weeks after you bring it home. Its not fun.

DO NOT BUY FROM A DOG FROM A PET SHOP. It’s not like buying a pair of shoes. You will have a dog for 15 years, so do your research!
They win the award for: UGLIEST, MOST INCORRECT, WORST BRED BOXERS I’VE EVER SEEN.
What a nasty, vile place. A «puppy mill» is a commercial breeder who breeds on a LARGE SCALE for $$$, with no regard for quality of dogs, ethics, or healthy conditions, that fits Let’s Pet perfectly. But IDIOTS keep them in business. No matter how genetically screwed up and unhealthy their dogs are, fools still give them money. Genetics= temperament and personality. So when you get a dog that is attacking people and has screws loose in the head, don’t say I didn’t tell ya so. A puppy store doesn’t care if the mother and father dog were horrible, as long as they can make money off pups.
You walk up to home-​made signs, puppy prices scrawled onto sheets of paper in marker. Some breeds are «on sale.» The inside is what it is, it’s a puppy store. They have many puppies for sale, I saw lots of them, in cages throughout the store, more than I thought, they are on grates mostly, and they did have food. All sorts of breeds, including mixed breeds, Chihuahuas, Heelers, Boxers, Westies, and Border Collies, they were all OVERPRICED. The owner did not say much to me and did not appear friendly. When she did talk, her raspy words were just salesmanship. Please don’t buy a puppy from a pet store. You are buying a potential money pit, a genetically inferior dog that may have all types of health issues. Their dogs are not going to be healthy or look right. I checked out he BOXERS there, they really were bad, sure pups are cute but they are not good-​looking Boxers, they have bad conformation, incorrect faces, some had legs that looked crooked, and they do not have necessary health clearances like hip x-​rays on parents or any eye or heart testing. Did you know Boxers are prone to cardiomyopathy? In fact, they have NO health checks, but they do come with a WWKC puppy mill registry «papers», that are worth about as much as a sheet of newspaper, might as well use the «papers» to wipe your ass. I really can’t say enough about it, just don’t buy from a pet shop. Keep in mind a dog is something you will have for 15 years!!! Sometimes dogs live even longer than 15 years. Don’t buy it like it’s a pair of shoes, do some research.
When you buy from a pet shop, you are NOT RESCUING or SAVING the puppy, you are simply making room for a new one to take its place, and giving money to a business that has no ethics. I did not like this place, it can be sad to see all the pups in cages just so they can make a buck, and I don’t see any reason to come here. If you already bought a pup here, love your puppy, but learn a lesson, and don’t support this type of business again.
It really gets my goat that people are posting giving good reviews because you bought a puppy from here. I don’t care if it’s the best puppy in the world, you should be ashamed of yourself for supporting this type of unethical business!
IN OUR CITY, CHICAGO ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL HAS ENOUGH DOGS TO EUTHANIZE EVERY DAY, thousands per year, there is an overpopulation and some of those dogs were probably from pet shops originally. WE DON’T NEED A PLACE LIKE «LET’S PET» IN OUR CITY.

Horrifying! Absolutely the most inhumane place I’ve ever stepped into.
The puppies (so obviously from puppy mills) sit in filth, stacked in wire cages, sometimes 5 to 6 puppies per cage! Most of them are still too young to have been taken from their mother, yet here they sit, waiting to be rescued.
I walked out, absolutely heartbroken by what I saw here.
Please call 311 and report this place!

The only reason I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of one is because of the fantastical $ 50 puppy I got here (about 15 years ago). She did have some freakish attitude problems and it probably had to do with the bad experiences she had here as a puppy.
Otherwise, I give this place 1 star. It is so horrifying to walk in that place and see how these dogs live. I just want to scoop all of them up in my arms and take them home. I wish the best of luck for all the little pups in there.
If you want to get a dog– go to the shelters first.

Hey guys, I bought my dog Olive here. I feel like you could do way worse than this place. I found the people fairly helpful and the dog behaved as described (rottie). I think I’d give 2.5 stars if I could. I’ve had Olive for 7 years and never any real problems with her. I think places like this are open to much criticism. I looked at a bunch of places including breeders and had no problems or worries buying my dog from Let’s Pet.
Oh yeah, those fake five star reviews are pretty obvi.

I am embarassed to say I actually went in here with a friend who needed a playmate for her rambunctious dog.
Yup. Me the proud owner of a rescued rottweiller pup, trained by my dad, who is a cop.
Fortunately, the sullen, grossly obese woman behind the counter was so completely unpleasant «You can’t touch the puppies!» and profoundly unhelpful (wouldn’t directly answer questions regarding shots, ANYTHING except price) that this negative review was well-​earned!
We walked out, so should you!
P.S.
or here:
here too:
and finally:
Go ahead illiterate owner. Try and send me negative messages. Please. I’m Italian. That’s your first and final warning.

While I hear you, I hear you. We spent months searching for a Chihuahua to join our family last summer. We finally happened across Abby’s and found the most adorable 6 month old guy named Harry. He was the happiest nicest Chihuahua I had ever met!
I tried to talk myself out of it but I loved him at first sight. I just knew I would have nightmares about leaving him there. I decided to check out the Mexican restaurant down a few doors and have lunch and a margarita before dropping the $ 600. But one trip back after lunch and Harry’s adorable little face, I was hooked. The woman practically cried when I told her I wanted to buy him. Apparently she had been taken him home over the past 6 months. She even called my cell phone shortly after to check up on him.
He is the best dog! He loves our Sheltie Sammy and the two couldn’t be better friends.
As I feel for those who have had problems, I had to tell my happy story. Dogs to me our part of my family and I couldn’t bare leaving Harry — now Fredo — there. No matter what, the dogs still need a happy healthy home.