From puppies to parrots, pet lovers will find Mrs. Noah`s Pets in Roselle the cat`s meow.
Shoppers are greeted by puppies scampering to be petted and played with. A majestic macaw named Mack perched outside his cage greets arrivals with hellos; Greta, a rare and somewhat vain eclectus parrot, shows off her beauty. Owner Cheryl Moreland takes her role as Mrs. Noah to heart.
Each animal is given a name and addressed by it.
”At Mrs. Noah`s, everyone is one big happy family,” said Moreland, who points to a dog lying in front of its natural adversary, a cat, who teasingly plays with the sleeping dog`s tail.
Moreland, who opened her store in November 1986 and then expanded it in September 1990, works to develop a rapport with customers so that pet and owner personalities can be matched.
”It is my policy to try to match the proper pet with a family because if the people are unhappy with the pet, the pet can`t be happy,” Moreland said. The puppies are all inoculated and come with a 90-day health guarantee. There is a five-day trial period in which pet and owner can get acquainted and test the pet`s compatibility with its new family.
Dogs range in price from $175 to $450, depending on the breed; kittens cost $20 each.
”I try to stay with smaller breeds and what I like. For example, I always have a cocker spaniel,” she said.
”Kittens come and go so quick that they`re in on Saturday morning and out by Saturday afternoon,” Moreland said.
Mrs. Noah`s Pets also sells hamsters, gerbils, mice and tropical fish, but no snakes: Moreland doesn`t like them.
But she loves birds. And her shop is adorned with multi-hued members of the parrot family and smaller birds such as finches and canaries. Prices run from as low as $7.50 to $2,500.
Moreland said her birds are all bred in the United States. She acquires the birds when they are about 6 weeks old and hand-raises them until they are old enough to be on their own.
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Mrs. Noah`s Pets, 211 E. Irving Park Rd., Roselle, is open 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call 708-529-4252.
