Whilst many businesses in Lismore have chosen to relocate or close shop since the floods affected our city so catastrophically, locals Alex and his wife Vicki have done the opposite, and have relocated their Pet Shop into Lismore from Ballina, into the Wyrallah Road Shopping Complex.

Image: Owner Alex holding a dwarf lop small breed

Alex says "we are Lismore locals and we could see a need here, so we decided after having our shop in Ballina for so long, to come home to support our community.

We have everything in store discounted for the foreseeable future as a way to do this and have had overwhelming support from everyone who has called in, it's been a very warm welcome."

Alex told the Lismore App "we like to support local, home breeders as much as we can for pets like our goldfish and mice, and we have supplies and pets for sale, for all small pets from reptiles, to aquatic pets, to guinea pigs, rats, mice and rabbits, to birds. We don't carry puppies or kittens, however, as we believe there are so many dogs and cats requiring rescue, that we encourage people to support that, so we stay out of that area and leave it to the many Animal Rescue Groups who do it so well."

"We do have supplies for dogs and cats of course, such as food and beds, training aides, to veterinary standard treatments and collars and leads."

With flea and tick season once again upon us, and as Alex says "we seem to be the epicentre of tick territory in Australia" he says "customers can come in and get the full gamut of veterinary level products to protect their dogs and cats, especially as these issues can cause death or serious illness, and this should be done every month to 3 months."

"We believe here that the animal comes first, so we spend just as much time dissuading potential pet owners as we do encouraging them, it's really important to us that the animals we hand-raise and have here, are cared for optimally, so we are always available for advice and care support, so long as people stay in touch with us. A lot of issues can be dealt with if we know early, and we have a large range of all items needed to keep pets happy and healthy."

Image: Hand-raised budgies and other birds feature on the list of pets available at The Animal House

Alex also said "because we care about the health and wellbeing of our customers pets so much, we do stock a range of foods which are the healthiest we can get access to, including seed, which means they can be a little more expensive than large retailers at times, but the condition and health of the animals who move onto these diets is clear to see and the reason we do this.

After the recent flood warning Alex also said "we also stock pet carriers, and I urge the people of Lismore and surrounds to plan for their pets when they are emergency planning, if they need to be rescued, then having a proper pet carrier is imperative, as well as supplies for those first few days."

Pet ownership has been proven to reduce stress and increase the quality of life, particularly for those who may have lived through a traumatic event or have been isolated. Alex says “we recently had a customer who bought a bunny for her child, who has had a very challenging time, she told us that since the bunny came into her daughter's life, she has been smiling, which is the first time in years she has seen her do so, which brings us a lot of joy to know.”

If you are interested in making the commitment to own a pet, some for a few years, others like their Parrots, for 30, then Alex and Vicki are equipped and full of knowledge to help you to get set up and ensure you can give your new family member a high-quality of life, to contact them head to the Wyrallah Road Shopping Complex in Lismore or call Animal House on 02 6686 5560