Pet shops are a place that is both loved and hated. They provide us with the opportunity to get our animal fix without having to wait for them at home, but they also can be expensive and crowded. Pet shops have been around for centuries, so it’s no surprise that there are some interesting facts about pet shops you might not know! Read on to find out more about these fascinating places!
Pet stores date back as far as ancient Rome when emperors would keep exotic animals in their gardens.
In the 1800s, pet stores were stocked mainly with birds and fish. It wasn’t until 1900 that we began seeing dogs and cats in store windows.
The first actual “pet shop” opened in 1828 by a man named James Spratt, who sought to imitate the natural habitat of dogs and cats by displaying them in a sunny window.
Pet shops were introduced later in America than they were around the world due to strict animal abuse laws and lack of money for such products.
In Japan, pet shops are called “dōbutsu gai.”
The first pet shop in the United States was located in Boston and opened by Samuel Warren.
Pet shops can be found on almost every street corner, as there are an average of 17,000 pet stores in America alone!
In Wisconsin, it is illegal to give a reptile as a holiday gift. In Toronto, Ontario, it is illegal to promote the sale of cats and dogs in pet shops.
The first American alligator was given as a gift to President Jefferson by Captain Zebulon Pike in 1807 who captured the animal during his expedition to explore the Louisiana purchase territory.
In 1987, Susan Binkley donated her poodle, Champion Sparky, to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. Sparky was there for 19 years before being returned to Binkley in 2006.
The largest pet shop in the world is located in China and shares over 6600 square feet of floor space with an additional 2500 square feet dedicated to swimming pools.
We hope you enjoyed this list of random facts about pet shops and feel smarter knowing more about how pet shops came to be and some random laws surrounding pet shops today. If you enjoyed this, do share with a friend.