Shake A Paw

I'd definitely buy here again! I've always stopped in ShakeaPaw over the years to look at the puppies. As an experienced dog owner, I have purchased from both reputable breeders and also a few pet stores in my life. I've had both bad and experiences at either. What people do not understand is that you can get a bad puppy from both a store and a breeder. While I hate the idea of puppy mills and in no way want to promote them,(and Shakeapaw swears they buy from breeder, but lets face it, they are brokered out, so who really knows) I must admit that one of my favorite all-time dogs came from a pet store years ago and he is GREAT. Yes, he had patella luxation and yes, his teeth were not strong, but, he is a great dog and very lovable. My good friend just lost her 8 year old (too young for a ) maltese bc of health issues, and she bought hers from a "reputable breeder" I also have a yorkie whom I bought from a reputable breeder, whose dogs have actually placed in the Westminster dog show in NY, and he is healthy but by far my least favorite dog. Breeders breed for LOOKS, (and hopefully health), but NOT always. I finally broke down recently and bought a puppy from shakeapaw. He is great. I took him to the vet immediately and he was not only healthy, but also did not have the typical minor issues that his breed often has (patella luxation being one). The vet was impressed with him in every way. He is close to 5 months old, does several tricks and is a real pleasure to add to our family. So, he is healthy, smart and well behaved. I think Shake a Paw deserves a MUCH better review than the last. I'm sorry someone got an unhealthy dog, but unfortunately that can happen anywhere. I think they are very clean and a very nice group of people. I went in the back room to use the bathroom and it was clean. I do think their current manager improve...as the day we arrived she showed up 45 minutes late to work and was very slow to respond to my phone calls, but once we finally spoke she was nice. Other than that, the experience there was awesome and they were very accommodating. I recommend this place for sure! The MOST important thing is to and make sure you spend time with a puppy before you buy him/her and take him/her to the vets immediately for a health check. Chemistry and personalities vary greatly and you don't know until you meet them. As a sidenote, I've learned from my mistake years ago that buying a puppy through a reputable breeder without meeting the dog first was big mistake. He was neurotic and difficult, and impossible to train (but looked adorable in his pictures). Wherever you buy from, make sure you get to meet the dog in person to see first hand if they are the dog for you. Don't buy just based on looks. You can end up with a beautiful dog that is a huge hassle if they are not well behaved. That's my two cents, for what it's worth!