Our furry friends quickly become a part of our lives and our families, so it’s no surprise that people want quality care for their pets. Here in the Upper Valley, there are quite a few locally owned spots for all of your pet needs, including pet supplies, grooming, daycare and sitting, veterinary assistance, and shelters.

We compiled a short list of each of those types of places here in the Upper Valley.

Pet Supplies

 

West Lebanon Feed & Supply

A staple in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont since 1926, West Lebanon Feed & Supply offers quality animal products, home and garden needs, wildlife feeding, and so much more. The new retail and animal well-care facility opened in 2007, which helped the local shop expand beyond its once tiny space to provide an enhanced, one-of-a-kind experience.

The new building, still located on the same property in the heart of Lebanon's historic Westboro Rail Yard, exhibits the blending of two themes, according to its website, “that describe both ‘who’ and ‘where’ we are: a traditional feed store ‘hub’ of the community that was once conveniently serviced by grain-toting rail cars … This close tie to our rich New England heritage has made us a trusted home for our local patrons, as well as a destination location for visitors from far and wide.”

 

Pet & Aquarium Center

Inclusive of the Lebanon and Claremont locations, as well as Steve’s Pet Shoppe in West Lebanon, these are locally owned pet stores serving Upper Valley pet owners for more than 26 years. 

“We pride ourselves on providing the Upper Valley with an alternative to the larger pet chains by offering top quality pets and pet supplies at competitive prices that are guaranteed to please the most discerning of customers (four-legged and two),” the website says. “Our knowledgeable staff loves and cares for our pets as much as you do for yours and we stock the best in pet supplies and accessories. We have all of the hard-to-find specialty items you need for your pet and are always happy to accommodate special requests.”

 

Pet Grooming

 

Fresh & Furry Pet Grooming, Inc. (Traveling)

This service comes directly to your home as a certified dog and cat grooming option, including senior pets. Every pet client gets 100 percent attention during the visit, so one pet is groomed at a time. Aside from grooming and bathing, the service will come to your house or apartment to give your pet a nail clip (popular with cat owners) and a nice, thorough brushing/de-shedding session. 

Dirk Ussler takes pride in his work, but it’s more about the animals than anything else. According to his Facebook page: “Some call me an animal magnet. After owning my own web design business, I decided to make my real passion my career and started a college vet tech program, while at the same working for a few years in a local animal clinic. However, my real skills are animal handling, so I enrolled in a grooming school to get certified. Grooming is not just a job for me, it fulfills my desire to work with animals; so far my furry clients seem genuinely happy with what I do for them.”

 

Clean Paws Grooming

Known as a premier, full-service pet groomer in the Upper Valley, Clean Paws Grooming has been in business since late 2010. The facility is adjacent to West Lebanon Feed & Supply and offers a number of services, including standard bath (wash, quick dry, ears), full grooming (cut, wash, fluff-dry, ears, nails), nails, Dremel, ear clean, ear plucking, eye trim, anal expression, face trim, pad shave, full foot trim, sanitary trim, and blueberry facial.

“Clean Paws provides a wealth of experience and a commitment to quality in our low-stress grooming environment,” according to its website. “We handle and groom every dog in our care as if it were our own. Our team of groomers and support staff are here to make your experience at Clean Paws excellent each and every time. Our success is based upon our stellar reputation and our quality personnel, so you can be sure that our trained staff will provide the utmost inexperienced professionalism and total grooming care.”

 

Veterinary

River Road Veterinary Clinic

Norwich Animal Hospital

This is a full-service veterinary hospital, offering comprehensive medical exams, surgical and dental care, and other veterinary clinic services. The site is residence to diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities that include digital radiology, digital dental radiology, oral surgery, general surgery, and blood chemistry analysis. They can also perform wellness exams and critical care.

“At Norwich Regional Animal Hospital we strive to offer not only sound advice but also optimal veterinary care, thus allowing you the enjoyment of your companion for a maximum number of years,” the website says. “Our job is not only to treat your pet when he or she isn't feeling well but also to help you learn how to keep your best friend happy and healthy.”

 

Stonecliff Animal Clinic

Founded in 1990 in Bradford, Vermont, Stonecliff has been reborn as the Stonecliff Animal Clinic  of New Hampshire. The daytime veterinary hospital provides top-notch wellness care as well as routine and complicated surgery services, dental, behavioral, ultrasound, and so much more.

Stonecliff Animal Clinic also offers the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont pet cremation services. Locally owned, Forever Friends is operated by trusted Stonecliff staff standing behind a strict code of ethics governing how your pet is handled during the whole aftercare process. It doesn’t matter if your pet is being cremated communally or as a private service, all pets are treated with pride and dignity.

 

Animal Shelters

Upper Valley Humane Society

The nonprofit has operated in the Upper Valley for more than 50 years offering sheltering, education, community engagement, and support. Upper Valley Humane Society accepts homeless, abused and unwanted cats, dogs, kittens, puppies, bunnies and small animals (even an occasional iguana!) regardless of medical or behavioral condition, and contracts with and provides stray services to 26 municipalities but also accept animals from outside of those areas.

“To help ensure success with new adoptive families, we behaviorally evaluate every animal to determine the best home setting and tailor their shelter experience with an individualized behavior and training program designed to build specific skills and overcome particular challenges,” its website says.

 

White River Animal Rescue

The mission is simple: transport dogs from troubled environments, place them with, either, a committed foster or adopter who possess the skills necessary to meet these animals’ special needs.

The rescue launched in 2009 and rescues more than 350 dogs from euthanasia every year. The team is comprised of founder Amy Knight, founder, who has been rescuing dogs for nearly 15 years, a dedicated volunteer (who was also an adopter), a plethora of foster parents, a fundraising and event planner, and a financial advisor.

The team at White River Animal Rescue has a methodical process of deciding if they can help a dog based on its medical, nutritional, and psychological needs, removing the dog from impending danger, fostering, and eventually placing them in forever homes.

 

Miscellaneous

 

Tranquil Dogs Consulting (Traveling)

Specializing in non-medical behavioral issues, Tranquil Dogs Consulting will come to your home to turn chaos into calm, frustration into cooperation, with simple, kind, and respectful service. This style of training, the website says, works with every breed of dog of every age because the dogs themselves recognize and understand it. Best of all, you don't need to buy more equipment, learn more commands or have an advanced degree to understand and implement it.

The business also offers online coaching and group classes and even animal reiki. “Reiki is a complementary healing modality which can be done in either distant sessions, or in the client's home,” according to the website. “It is gentle yet very powerful energy healing which promotes stress relief, well-being and balance on all levels, supporting the body's own ability to heal. As we know, stress can have a range of deleterious effects on the body. Relieving stress allows the body's own innate wisdom and healing processes to work more efficiently to promote wellness and health.”

 

Tiger Tail Lodge

This is an exceptional new boarding alternative exclusively for cats. Located in the quiet Etna hills with lots of bright, sunny spaces, your cats can relax on a vacation of their own. Tiger Tail offers spacious, custom-built accommodations and personal attention to your unique cat. They also offer homecare in Etna and Hanover.

The team at Tigertail Lodge has served the Upper Valley since 1995. “Your hostess, Meg Carleton, flexibly adjusts the experience to meet your cat’s unique requirements,” the website says. “From medications and treatments to special diets, she is accustomed to administering your vet’s recommendations for care in a peaceful setting as comfortable as home.”