Hug A Pup

I walked in randomly with my friend since it’s around the corner from my house. As soon as I walked in the stench was absolutely appalling!!! It’s dirty and unkept. I felt so bad for all those cute puppies. I walked out with a terrible feeling. Poor pups!

Call yourself dog lovers?
Not at all, horrible and disgusting
Poor puppy babies have to live there till they find a home
This shouldn’t be a pet store at all
Girl didn’t even say Hi when we walked in just keep on about her business
Hope they get closed down those pics you see it’s nothing at all like that in person

BEWARE!!! THESE ARE PUPPY MILL PUPPIES!!!
When you purchase your puppy here, you are making a clear statement that it is OK that the mother of this dog is living outside (winter and summer) in a small cage, being hosed down with water if they bark to much, with toes that are rotting from standing for years on only a wire cage, and having liter after liter until all of their puppies become deformed from being over bred!!!
That is the reality when you buy a puppy from this store and many others like it! Please consider adopting from the many «breed specific» rescues out there! Safe a life and help stop stores like this who are charging you thousands of dollars for a puppy they pay next to nothing for because they are «MASSED PRODUCED.»
don’t think this store is involved??? Read this article:

We have a 11 yr old Boxer who was just diagnosed with an inoperable tumor. We are heartbroken and cannot imagine a home without a dog. We decided to get a puppy before our old girl gets too sick. We enjoy training a puppy and did not want a grown dog. Since we love Boxers, we decided to stay with this breed. I couldn’t find any shelters with Boxer or Boxer mix puppies. But I found Hug-​a-​pup who had three 10 week old Boxer puppies. If possible, we were looking for a brindle female. They had one! We went to see her immediately and fell in love. She was competitively priced from what I’ve seen. She is not AKC registerable, which is a little disappointing but we were looking for a pet, not a show dog or breeding dog. We’ve had her for a month and she’s been for shots and check ups. Our family vet says she checks out healthy with good hips by feel (X-​rays not done yet). She’s such a cuddler, she had to have grown up being held a lot. I was told she was bred by the shop owner who owns both parents. I don’t know if that’s true or if she’s from a puppy mill. I don’t condone mills but shes a very well socialized puppy. We had her house trained, in January, in two weeks. The whole family loves her and we’re so happy to have this beautiful little girl in our family. The store was very, very clean. So we’re the puppies. Most were designer toy breeds, except the Boxers. Two were left when we arrived, a male and our female. The staff was friendly and helpful. We brought our older dog to make sure they got along and she was welcomed in the shop. At least 10 families came in during the hour we were there. It seemed a happy place with nice puppies, despite where they might have come from.

I walked in here 2 years ago just to look at the puppies with no intention of purchasing. We saw this hyper, awesome little Boston/​Rat (Brat) Terrier mix. We fell in love with him. He fell in love with us. Next thing you know, Yoda is part of the family!!! Happily ever after, yada, yada, yada… not so much.
He’s been with us for the 2 years, we got him neutered, microchipped, and all that jazz. We looked forward to having him in our family and our lives for years to come, that is until he began to develop lumps on his neck and a fatty mass in his nose. After taking him to the vet he was diagnosed with lymphoma AND plasmacytoma! The vet said that either one of these types of cancer were rare in dogs under the age of 9. Yoda is 2 years and 6 months old… Unfortunately my family can’t afford the treatment for both of these aggressive cancers, and I’m not sure what quality of life he would have receiving both radiation therapy and chemotherapy. All that we can do now is to spoil him and love him until he is in pain, and then we will have to say goodbye. My children, my husband, and I love him so much and this has devastated us, to say the least. I didn’t plan on buying a dog that day, so I did no research. Now I learn that this is a puppy mill front, and I honestly feel so damn stupid.
I will never regret buying Yoda, because he has been a blessing to have in our home for the last 2 years. Our hearts our breaking though, and there is nothing that we can do at this point. All I can do is make his remaining time with us special…
After doing some research all I can really say is DO NOT buy puppies from specialty puppy stores, especially Hug A Pup. The likelihood that they come from a mill is huge! Adopt, because there are so many dogs out there without homes that need one.

well now my poor border collie is in intensive care because she went into a status epileptic seizure that she couldnt get out of, so now this is the 4t time hospitalized and 5000 $ later she not gonna make it through… all this thanks to susan for getting her puppys from amish puppy mills in indiana to make an easy buck, not knowing the heartache and financial strain it puts on a family. Iv done everything in my power to save my beautiful girl and now there is nothing left i can do for her… the people who breed these dogs should be put in jail, as well as the ones who sell them… i can absolutely say i learned my lesson about pet shops. But unfortunately its too late for my baby girl aimee…

Hopefully this place will be shut down soon with the new puppy mill law in Chgo. These animals are from Indiana puppy mills people!!! The lady «claims» to have shot records… dewormed also. WELL NOT THE CASE & that info is from a former employee, not out of spite either… its fact
SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN

I just met a very young and troubled girl at Pet Supplies Plus on Elston Ave. She was carrying a very young terrier mix in her arms who she was buying supplies for. After a few minutes she «confessed» that she had just bought the puppy from Hug A Pup. I asked her why she didn’t go through a rescue and she said she tried but «couldn’t qualify.». With all due respect to this young lady, anyone could see that she was not in any position to be the caretaker of a dog. She looked like she was in a very rough spot in her life. While she was shopping the puppy vomited on her shirt and she was completely clueless as to how to handle this. She looked completely lost. It was heartbreaking to imagine how this could possibly have a happy ending. The pup will probably end up at Animal Care and Control or on Craig’s List.
How can these puppy stores still be allowed to operate. Anyone with half a functioning brain could easily see in a matter of seconds that this young lady should not have been permitted to buy this puppy. Another life tossed aside for a few dollars.
So sad

Went in because I had a doctor’s appointment down the block and just couldn’t resist going in to see some puppies! I want another dog but am currently in the «just looking» phase.
Man, does this look like a depressing place! It smells, it’s dirty/​dingy, and the dogs do not have any bedding, food bowls, or toys. The puppies are really cute but you can’t help feel bad for them.
The attendant was also not very clear as to where the dogs came from. I explained to her that I live in Cook county, just not Chicago and with the new puppy mill ban, I was curious as to where her puppies came from.
The attendant: «they all come from private homes»
Me: «I’ve never heard of that before. Do you adopt from families in Chicago? Or is it a breeder?»
The attendant: «it’s all private information»
Me: «oh okay. So do they come from puppy mills?»
The attendant: «all of our puppies come from private homes. But we are moving to the suburbs because of the new puppy mill ban»
Shady. So your puppies «do not» come from puppy mills but because of the ban, you’re leaving Chicago? Sure. Sure.
I also tried to ask her what happens to the puppies that do not get adopted. She never answered the question and just kept insisting that they never have that problem.
If you’re looking for a puppy, please consider a shelter or a rescue group. There are COUNTLESS amounts of dogs AND puppies in the shelters and rescue groups in the Chicagoland area. This store seemed to me like a shady front for a puppy mill.

I was in today to check this place out. Terrible conditions and no straight answer about where the puppies come from. I concur with others that this is a puppy mill front. That anyone still shops instead of adopting is beyond me. That anyone would shop here is completely wrong.

DONT GO HERE! I am very disappointed that this place is just a front for puppy mills. This is right by my house and was thinking about donating newspaper and walking the dogs but after seeing all this on Unilocal I will not be going there. Seriously read the reviews on both pages.
Please do not support this business and either adopt a puppy from a shelter, use a service such as
to locate a rescue dog that is for a specific breed, or research to find a reputable breeder (aka one that cares about the welfare of its dogs and does not breed the same dogs repeatedly just to turn a profit). This is a helpful guide here:
…
If you are interested in reading the reviews on this business under its former name, click here…
…

Hug-​A-​Pup — 4950 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago

The store did not comply with the pet shop disclosure law — information was not posted in a
conspicuous place but, rather, documents had to be requested by the HSUS investigator which the
owner at first did not seem able to find. When the investigator arrived at the store, the owner was
photographing puppies in their cages with artificial flowers for website advertisements. State
inspection reports show one complaint received over the past 2 years claiming unsanitary and
malodorous conditions. State inspectors visited and said they found conditions acceptable. Certificates
of Veterinary Inspection show that the store obtains puppies from what appear to be unlicensed
breeders in Indiana, as they could not be found in the USDA breeder database — among them, Earl
Beechy, Harley Yoder, Lonnie Yoder, Martin Miller (video), Merlin Bontrager (still photos), Steve
Petersheim, and Vernon Beechy, all of Topeka, IN., J. Yoder of Shipshewana, IN., Lyle Borkholder of
Nappanee, IN., Mary Miller of Kokomo, IN., and Susan Nawalski of Winamac, IN.
In response to an inquiry asking for the store’s policy about buying puppies from puppy mills, the
store’s representative wrote: «Yorkie puppies, Sire & Dam were both OUR dogs. Shih Tzu puppies.
Breeder, family raised in there [sic] home.» No mention was made of the origin of numerous other
breeds available for sale on the store’s website.
ENOUGH SAID!

I went out on Monday with my girlfriend looking to buy her a puppy as a surprise, place seemed sketchy and not very welcoming. We walked in and started looking at puppies and came across a Border Collie-​Jack Russell mix and my girl fell in love with it. The puppies all have shots up to date and they do offer a complementary vet visit to one of their pets for a check up within 14 days. The place inside is very small, and there is not that big of a selection of puppies but we walked out happy with a new puppy to take home.

This is a great store. They are no nonsense, professional, and very friendly.
Store was clean, well kept. Cages were clean, and very well kept. Dog came with registration and papers.
I purchased a Boxer pup from there. She was clean, well socialized, friendly and outgoing. Her ears (inside and out) were spotless. Her disposition was wonderful.
The staff were not only friendly, and helpful… they were also very very considerate.
They have a great guarantee, and offer a free vet visit with a purchase. All in all, I would definitely patronize this establishment again.
Now, there are a lot of animal rights folks who would rabidly declare just about any pet store in Chicago that sells dogs fronts for puppy mills. I would argue that Hug a Pup is a clean, safe and proper purveyor of good puppies. But, as a person who understands that the truth is a three edged sword (your side, their side and the truth) and also realizes how many animals PETA and the ASPCA kill each year while professing to «love» animals… let me just say, if you’re looking for a good, clean pet store in Chicago… and want to avoid the corporate Petsmart… give this place a look and remember: judge for yourself. =)
I’d give this place 10 stars if I could.

A friend of mine purchased a puppy from this location. A shorkie male, he was about 3 months old at the time of purchase. Turns out she became pregnant and could not handle training the puppy, so I bought him off of her because he was just the CUTEST thing EVER. I still have all of his paperwork from this place.
I have had such a hard time getting my dog to a normal, happy state. He has SEVERE anxiety issues, amongst a few other behavioral problems. He seemed happy and all at first, but he had many underlying issues. He seemed borderline traumatized to be honest. I don’t want to get too specific being that it seems unnecessary. Just read the reviews from others as well. But I did call the store a little bit after I took him to ask some questions about his behavior while he was in the store, where he came from, who cared for him while he was there, what he was fed, I asked the whole shebang. They didn’t have any information to give me. It was rather upsetting because I love my dog dearly and wanted to be aware of his past and how he was being treated while in their care so I can discuss with my vet how to go about the situations I was facing. Basically they sell you a dog that they «don’t know» where it comes from and that’s it, it’s yours. It’s sad to think that many of these pups probably don’t have happy endings (or beginnings for that matter).
My dog is fine, happy, and healthy… NOW! He is much, much better. we are still working in some issues, but i would never «dispose» of him. I blame the business for his issues. Their website states that they sell happy healthy pups, yeah right! I’m glad my dog has become happy and healthy. After reading their reviews for the alsip location, I’m just very thankful that he didn’t come with any life threatening illnesses! This place is full of BS and lies. Buyer beware.

DO NOT GO HERE. I went to this store because I was looking for a Bishon Fries puppy back in February. It seemed like a good place at first after searching for a long time for a girl bishon she had one and the puppies mostly looked healthy. She said that her «brother» does all the pet check ups because he is a «vet» down the street she promised that the puppy would be in great condition she just had a slight ear infection, and she gave me some over the counter medicine she swears works every time. I took pebble (my new puppy) into the vet right away and the vet said if we didn’t take her in as soon as we did her ears would of closed shut and she would of been def! My vet threw the over the counter medication the owner of Hug a Pup gave to me away and said it down right pisses her off that places like Hug a Pup are not closed down.
She does not take care of her puppies at all and never answered our calls from her «promise» of a healthy pet and fake vet papers. The only reason I would recommend anyone to buy these puppies is to save them from her terrible shop!

My first impression walking into the shop was this… One of the clerks having an argument on her cell phone, me thinking that is NOT the way to speak in front of puppies, nor children. Puppies have no wee-​wee pads, no blankets (one bed for two or three pups if that), no toys in their cages. The pups have only one guinea pig style water bottle (thee or four pups per bottle) hanging from the sides of the cage which they apparently don’t know how to use. No water bowls. No food bowls. I tried to pet one of the puppies near the front of the store and it only wanted to lick and suck at my fingers, obviously thirsty. I went to the cage at the rear of the store to pet the other puppies and then the puppy I greeted at the front of the store started barking in my direction, wanting attention. The clerk who was on the speakerphone with a man (with whom she was obviously discussing contract guidelines) The man was saying something to the effect of «‘it is not your responsibility’ has to be the contract verbiage’». Then she yelled at the puppy ‘SHUT UP’ not once, twice, then continued her speakerphone conversation. I inquired if they were bottle feeding the puppies. She asked me ‘what do you mean’? I said, you know, like a baby bottle. The other clerk shook her head and shrugged her shoulders ‘no’ like I was crazy. I said ‘the puppies don’t know how to F^&*king use the water bottles’ ! OK so I should not have sworn, but, she told me to leave the store and chased me out the door telling me to get on some medication. I told her I was reporting them and she continued shouting after me. PUPPIES SHOULD BE PURCHASED FROM SHELTERS NOT RETAILERS.
UPDATE…
I have reported this incident to Chicago 311 as well as the Illinois Animal Cruelty Society. Ii would take every one of those dogs home with me if I could.

Great store, love the dogs here! My family has been purchasing dogs from here for the past twenty years and each one has been amazing. My current border/​Aussie is amazing and the owner helped me choose the right dog for my life style… My next pup will def be from Hug A Pup!

This store is just a front for puppy mills. NOT healthy, happy dogs.
They have another location in Alsip, IL that has horrible reviews. You can read them (including mine) here:

They also have a history of creating and posting several positive, FAKE Unilocal reviews and also harassing people who write negative reviews for their business.
As you will notice from their website, they make NO mention of WHAT breeders they purchase their puppies from. This is because they purchase from puppy mills.
Please do not support this business and either adopt a puppy from a shelter, use a service such as
to locate a rescue dog that is for a specific breed, or research to find a reputable breeder (aka one that cares about the welfare of its dogs and does not breed the same dogs repeatedly just to turn a profit). This is a helpful guide here:
I live right next to their OLD store location on N. Ashland and the store was a sad, sad place. This new store continues to be so. Eventually they put up paper on the windows to keep you from seeing into the store when you went by.
If you go into the store now you may be tempted to purchase the puppies and even think that the conditions of the store are not bad, but the real issue is where these puppies are coming from (puppy mills with atrocious living conditions and animal neglect) and the larger industry itself that you are de facto supporting if you do make an overpriced purchase here for your pet.
Please educate yourself before adopting or purchasing a puppy!
We will see if I get a harassing message for my post…

If you are interested in reading the reviews on this business under its former name, click here…
Here is a link to their other location in Alsip, IL