Pet Paradise — Local services in Harvard

This may sound like hyperbole, but Jen and the crew at Pet Paradise truly saved my life. To fully grasp the enormity of the situation, please allow me to give you my backstory.

Eighteen years ago my wife Penelope gave birth to conjoined twins. Against all the so-called "experts" advice, we decided to fly to Thailand for experimental surgery. Thank God, the procedure was an astounding success.

Now, fast forward to last Christmas. The family took a trip to Fiji. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, but instead turned into a never ending nightmare. My boys, Stefan & Sergio tragically lost their lives while parasailing. The tethers broke free and they floated off and crashed into a volcano. Their remains were never recovered.

The boys had overcome their early brush with death and had truly blossomed. Sergio, who got 2 legs, became a track star and was a State finalist in the javelin toss. Stefan, who only had 1 leg, was a captain of the cheer squad. It was perfect for him, as he was full of pep, and it was rather easy for him to do splits.

After we returned home, anguish overshadowed Penelope and my daily lives. We finally decided to go to grief counseling. All was hunky dory until Penelope had an affair with Chad the counselor. They have since run off to Alberta and started a mink farm.

As you might imagine, I was truly distraught and decide to off myself. I was going to throw myself into the quarry. I had lost all hope.

My dramatic revival happened accidentally. Before I drove to the quarry, I stopped by my neighbors house, Old Man Jenkins. I wanted to give him my collection of Bee Gees albums, as well as a gallon of milk that hadn't expired yet. Before I left on that final trip to death, Old Man Jenkins asked me as a favor to stop by the pet store and get him a bag of kitty litter.

Little did he know, but that trip saved my life. Once inside Pet Paradise, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of life in all the animals. I decided to buy a couple of fish and take them home. I even named them Sergio and Stefan in honor of my poor, late, disfigured, forlorn sons. It was wonderful. I now have 73 fish, 2 guinea pigs and one tomcat.

Life is great, and I owe it all to Jen and her caring staff. I'm even going to Tasmania this fall to help save the exotic albino muskrats who are being illegally poached for their beautiful pelts.

Thank you...

What great customer service! We had forgotten our elderly dog's Hip & Joint chews and did a search through Mapquest for a pet shop near us. I haven't been to a nice pet shop (noncommercial) in a long time. I spoke with one of the sales clerks at the front register. She helped us and gave us a great topper sample, which Punky LOVED! Luckily, our Pet Supply Plus back home carries the Northwest Naturals Raw Diet Freeze Dried Beef & Trout line. What a nice experience on our getaway to Harvard, IL, and some of their surrounding...

I come here all the time with my dog Princess...I'm so greatful to live close to such a stand out local pet store. The staff here are AMAZING. They are knowledgeable, as well as very friendly. Great product selection- I cant find quality bones and food like they have anywhere else. I use a wheelchair and they have always been more than very accommodating to me, and are always happy to help, therefore making my life a little easier...Expecially when I show up with extreamly excited dog. Thank you Pet...