It was a pet shop with a zoo in the back of it. Located near the Rohr Aircraft plant (now Goodrich Aviation) in Riverside, California, you could buy exotic animals there (until the Humane Society deemed that animal to be unfit to live with humans).The truth is I really don't know what happened to this place. I was last there when I was in junior high school. It was a lot of fun. I discovered I don't like unsalted peanuts (that's what was given to the elephants there).
I would love to hear from anyone who remembers Hoagy's Petting Zoo. The picture I selected for this page really doesn't do anyone any justice.
I remember the place very well. They actually had an alligator pond. I lived in the neighborhood and went there many times when I was very young. The whole place burnt to the ground in the mid-80s. I'm not sure if the animals were there when it happened or not. I didnt even know the name of the place until you posted it here.
ReplyDeletejsaunders@ieweekly.com
There was something very wrong there- and that burning does not suprise me-- anyone know about the family that owned it? Do you Bill?
ReplyDeleteI grew up in that area and we used to visit Hoagy's regularly when I was under 8 years old (that would have been the early '70s). I don't remember buying anything, just going and looking at the animals.
ReplyDeleteIf it's what I vaguely remember, it must've been the early 60's..a small elephant and a chimp in the back with a very small pond..lots of various animals..I remember the smell of Pinesol.
ReplyDeleteWhen we went there in the 1980's I remember it being called "Ron's Pet's". I still have an aligator tooth that I found by the gator enclosure. They had a great fish aquarium room in the building.
ReplyDeleteI knew it when it was Ron's pet shop and Children's Zoo. They were one of my customers I used to supply tropical fish to the pet industry. They seem like good people
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