Russo’s Pet Experience

The worst pet place! They sell sick dogs and the owner is a jerk! He never follows through and makes promises he doesn’t live by. Thank God the state of California is closing this place down. Don’t buy an animal there, you will get a sick pet with NO follow through from anyone. Go to a pound and save an animal instead.
I purchased an animal and have spent over $ 12k in vet bills because the dog they sold and guaranteed has neurological problems!!! After 12 emails and several calls placed to the owner, ask if he has responded at all?! NO! Instead he’s closing down at the end of the month and he’s obviously holding out! Please do yourself a favor and don’t be fooled!!! There’s a reason why the state is SHUTTING them down.

This is a shop of horror, not a pet store. The cages these poor animals and conditions they stay in are tragic an I am quite abhorred that this place is still in existence. I am all for shutting this disgusting hole in the wall down. Save these little souls while you can because I can only imagine what happens to them when they cannot find a forever home.:(
This establishment, if you can even call it that, needs to be «put down»

I paid $ 200 for a kitten plus another $ 190 of equipment for my 11 year old daughter. That evening we noticed my daughter had an allergic reaction to the kitten, (itchy eyes, chronic sneezing, etc).
I called the store the next day and explained the situation. They told me there is nothing they can do — store policy does not recognize allergies. In other words, this store does not recognize common sense. I will never step foot in that dump again.

I love this pet palace. My sister has 3 dogs from Russo’s and they are amazing, healthy, loving members of the family. Russo’s does not deal with puppy mills but with private individuals and rescue groups. The people who write the negative reviews have most likely never set foot in the place. The people who work there love animals and, given the foot traffic, Russo’s is able to find families for more dogs and cats than any other organization in the state.

This is like the worst pet store I’ve come across. Their variety is very low. We bought a Goldendoodle and they couldn’t even find the medical papers. I was very happy to get him then they said they couldn’t find them. At first they didn’t even look for it and we had to tell them to basically do their job.

Look it up, there are dogs that have DIED from malnutrition here. How are stores like these even still here? Disgusting. These dogs are bred from PUPPY MILLS where they are put in small cages, treated horribly, and bred soley for the stores who keep them in cages until they have to kill them since they cannot sell them all. Treated like shoes, it’s outrageous. IF you want to take care of a the life of a dog or cat then GO TO THE SHELTERS where dogs are saved from the streets, from being euthanized, and from horrible conditions. There are plenty of shelters that have happy, healthy animals looking for a family. Don’t support a franchise like this. I hope this place gets shut down soon.

This place deserves 0 stars. Absolutely worst customer service. The staff is all young and is not properly informed of anything. The puppy I purchased was supposed to have papers about the parents. And I’ve waited two weeks and I’m still playing phone tag with the store. I don’t recommend anyone purchasing a dog from here or supporting this corrupt business.

I got my Dachshund from here 7 years ago and he’s in great health. When we picked him up he was clean and smelled like a puppy. The funny thing is ya… maybe he’s a mill dog I dunno. Someone goto North Dakota and check the breeder for me.
Every time I go in, the puppies seem cute and fine. Got my Corgi at a mall pet store too and he’s the pinnacle of health at 8 years old no health problems his whole life. Tried to rescue a pet and guess what… after an hour of forms, they said my house in a gated community in Irvine wasn’t good enough. So ya aspca can kiss my you know what.
My friends who bought from legit breeders have dogs with cataracts, diabetes, hip displasia, cancer and undersized dogs. So to me… this whole legit breeder game is all hype and facebook activism. Its all random luck whether you get a good specimen or the runt of the litter that wasn’t supposed to survive.
I get it. Some puppy mills are run by complete jerks. We all saw the Oprah documentary. But how can you tell if that «breeder» in Hesperia or Corona has a better stock. It’s not like theres any reliable Unilocal reviews on the vast majority of them.
The thousands of people who got healthy pets from this store aren’t writing bad Unilocal reviews because they are happy playing with their healthy dogs. Will I ever buy a puppy from them again? I dunno… ya Id feel a bit guilty for sure but whatever… gotta do what makes you feel happy and if I see a puppy that melts my heart… o well maybe a jerk puppy mill owner gets to send his kids to college.
TL, DR: i have mall dogs and they are happy and healthy. The majority of ppl i know with AKC dogs have health problems. Ya its a small sample size of like 10 ppl… but thats my experience.

Please don’t support puppy mills and especially this pet store! Unless you want to pay for parvo, Giardia and distemper puppies. I recommend you look in your local shelter. Tons of healthy and loving dogs just waiting for a home. This place sells sick and infected dogs. The owner is greedy and only cares about money. Puppies are constantly treated at a vet office in Irvine for parvo and then sent back to the store so they can be sold. STAY AWAY FROM HERE!!!

I have nothing but POSITIVE things to say about Russo’s. I purchased a Maltese puppy over 14 years ago AND NEVER HAD HEALTH ISSUES WITH HER. She is AKC certified and should’ve been bred. Yes I’ve spent lots of money in 14 years on annual check ups, shots and vet visits which — helloooooo — costs money$$$!! When you originally purchase a puppy from Russo’s they include two free check ups from Irvine Veterinary Clinic. The owner, Danny, hires Dr Cole (from Irvine Vet) to examine all the puppies at the store maybe weekly to ensure they stay healthy while they’re there.
You people giving one star for Russo’s are a bunch of stereotypical OC, instant gratification, cheap, selfish, ignorant, living in the OC bubble people. They are NOT A PUPPY MILL STORE!!! They are from breeders. Animals get worms, fleas, mites, diarrhea. They get sick. They need to go to the vet and you WILL have to spend money on them! Take them to the vet right after purchase! Just like you would take a newborn baby to a pediatrician after they’re born! They are a COMMITMENT just like human babies! If you cannot afford a pet then DO NOT get one! You people are the reason why pet adoption centers stay in business.
Russo’s is one of the original businesses at Fashion Island. The owner has been very generous to our community by donating pets for various local charities which brings thousands of dollars for Meals on Wheels, Families Forward and CHOC.
The puppies SLEEP! They’re not drugged. They sometimes eat each other’s feces yes. I’ve seen adult dogs do it. Oh it’s gross but it’s nature! Keep up vet visits or they get sick — um duh.

I stopped by Newport Center and came into this store thinking I could pick some goodies up for my Shiba as a souvenir since I left her back at home for the weekend.
Right when I walked in I saw cages with puppies… I died.
Not from cuteness but from sympathy, sadness and anger. How dare they support puppy mills!!! The moms and dads left back at the mill are forced into breeding and left in their unkempt cages til it’s heat time again. NO DOG DESERVES THIS.
If you’re looking to give a dog a furever home, try a rescue or at the least a reputable breeder. There are many breeders who will take the time to answer your questions, show you papers (bloodline, medical, etc) of the dogs used to breed and makes sure to follow up with you to make sure you and the puppy are doing well!!! They’d rather make sure you 2 are compatible for one another rather than just exchanging your money for a dog.
What made me even more irked was the fact that they had a rescue stand right at the entrance of the door… but the store is full of puppy mill pups. l

They have the cutest pets! Puppies, bunnies and birds. Plus great supplies. The employees were friendly. Clean cages. I might get a dog next visit.

Zero stars if I could.
I don’t support pet stores that sell puppy mill puppies, nor do I support breeders (despite the «quality») — do you know how many animals get put to sleep every day because you chose to SELL a puppy that is either inbred, raised in disgusting conditions, and will probably come with a slew of breed-​specific genetic issues?
Also, did you know that puppies and kittens are the FIRST to be put down at a high kill shelter?
Yeah. Think about that before selfishly making the decision to buy a purebred or «designer» dog or cat.

I can’t believe this shop is in existence. The dogs are treated so poorly — stuffed into glass encasements, poked and prodded all day, and left in their own filth. Please don’t believe that this store buys from breeders. No good breeder would sell to a pet store!
If you’re hell bent on getting a purebred puppy, I implore you to please do some research on certified breeders.
Better still, stop by your local shelter. Tons of puppies available that will love you just as much, if not more, than your store bought pup.
Also, I’ve actually seen many shelters, particularly in SoCal, adopt out purebred pups from puppy mills. So if you care nothing about ethics, you could pay ¹⁄₁₀^th for the same dog from the same place if you adopt.

My wife LOVES petting the dogs, so we stop in here nearly every time we’re at Fashion Island. This pet store has four open top cages where the public can easily pet the dogs, and then there are many windows lining the walls.
One day in September 2015, I stopped in while I was alone. It was a weekday, and the store wasn’t too busy. I saw a tiny sleeping little dog, and asked if I could hold it. The girl went and got it for me, and told me he was a Morkie, born on July 4^th. The puppy was playful and adorable, as they all are. July 4^th is my anniversary, so I did take that as a positive sign from the universe, but the puppy was very expensive, and not a decision that can be made without my wife, and on the spot. I took pictures of the puppy, and went home for the day.
I told my wife ALL about the puppy, how it was the tiniest puppy I’d ever seen in real life, and how I wanted her to see it. We went back the next evening, and it was still not extremely busy, so my wife got to hold the puppy this time. We liked the puppy very much, but still since it was my wife’s first time to see the puppy, like any good decision, we needed to think and talk it over.
The next evening we went back, and it WAS busy. We asked to hold the puppy and a young employee that wasn’t there the first two times said loudly, «SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY!» and she never got the puppy for us to hold. So we asked a man (that also wasn’t there the first two times) and first he brought the wrong puppy, then he proceeded to tell us that the one that we were pointing out was NOT a Morkie, and whoever told us that previously must’ve been wrong.
Well, tonight was the night. We walked around the store holding the dog for probably 30 minutes to an hour, before we officially decided to get him. Jennifer assisted us through the purchasing process, and SHE was actually friendly through the entire process. Although the dog was more expensive than I would ever want to spend, I don’t regret it for one second. I have NEVER had a connection with a dog like I have with this one. He’s now 7 months old and in training to become a therapy dog.
Also, you get two free vet visits to Irvine Veterinary Services with each purchase of a new puppy. On the first visit, I saw a vet that I didn’t really care for, and decided that after the 2^nd free visit, we would find a different vet. Well, on the 2^nd visit, we got a different vet, we got the actual owner of the vet, Dr. Cole. He is the most amazing vet I’ve ever met! He recognizes us, responds to phone calls immediately, and I feel like he truly loves our puppy.
Overall, I’m very happy with our decision to buy our puppy from here.

It’s disheartening to see all the terrible reviews, really. But I can only speak from my experience.
I bought my Wheaten Terrier from Russo’s over 10 years ago. She has been the best part of my life. She has a stunning soft coat, has never had a single health problem (really!), and still looks/​acts like she’s 3 years old. Because of how great of a dog she is, my parents decided to look too.
My parents bought a wheaten from Russo’s a little over a year ago. Their dog looks completely different! Wirey coat, gold color, and very small. I am not sure if both of our wheatens are from the same breeder, but we were shocked to see the difference in looks between the two. It really seems like my parents wheaten isn’t pure breed, which is obviously worrisome…
All in all, both wheatens bought at Russo’s have been nothing but great additions to our lives.

If I could give no stars I would. Poor animals. Saw one dog eating feces out of another dogs rear end. And it had diarrhea. When I alerted a worker that it was happening and that they had no food. She said,“dogs will be dogs”.
They should be put out of business!

This place needs to be shut down. For a number of reasons.
More often than not the poor animals here as SICK. They are obviously miserable.
Countless times I’ve come to check in and found animals with NO water. Cages filled with poop. Obviously sick and no one is doing a damn thing about it. I’ve had to search out employees to ask them to refill water. I’ve watched a dog vomit and then proceed to try to lick it up. I had to search the store to find an employee to clean it up. Most of them are hiding or busy on their phones. There’s no one making the rounds to check on the animals trapped there in their small cages/​cubicles. It’s sad and depressing. I’m going to write as many people as possible until this place is gone.
I see I am not the only one here that feels like this. I hope we can all ban together and get this place shut down. For the sake of the animals!

One of the only pet stores left and luckily they’re the best. Been getting dogs from Russo’s for over 30 years. Glad they’ve kept the Newport location open.
They have close relationships with the breeders and visit the locations to ensure they are not puppy mills. They also work closely with one of the top veterinarian’s in OC and have been doing so for over 30 years as well.
While it’s always great to get a pet from a rescue or animal shelter, sometimes that option doesn’t make sense and you want to ensure you’re getting the best pet possible.
Russo’s is that pet store you can trust and will always back up their promises.

I am not against pet stores who sells animals, but am skeptical on the treatment of the animals at a pet store.
I’ve had 3 dogs:
— 1 from the OC pound,
— 1 from humane society (which I think treats animals better here than at the pound), and
–1 from a pet store.
I came here on a Saturday night, and was sad to see the «petting» area not being used. Only 1 of the 4 corrals were being used, and you can see the poor animals looking for attention. There were 3 salesgirl on the floor just chatting, and didn’t really interact with the pets or the customers.
I looked into 1 of the displays and found 2 Golden pups panting. I looked and their water bowl was empty. They didn’t even have a water dispenser, but a tiny little bowl that my Cairn Terrier uses. I reported the dry water bowl, a girl refilled it, played with the 2 pups for a few seconds and shut the door on them.
I had a negative experience from the pet store in Orange (where I adopted Lulu), and thought it was an isolated incident. Now, after visiting this store, and reading some bad reviews, I am skeptical about the health worthiness of these animals coming from a pet store.