Docktor pet centers were, for a time, a real money maker. There was, I remember, an article in Forbes or Fortune magazine about them back in the late 1970s or early 1980s, and the article noted that some people were complaining about the way those cute little puppies preyed on "isn't s/he...
They were a franchised operation that had stores in big malls. There was one in Richmond Mall back in Ohio, and when I was a kid mom and dad bought a lutino parakeet there for me for a Christmas present. They also sold fish, lizards, etc. and - infamously - overpriced purebred puppies.
Years...
Di and Bob beat me to it. Miracle Grow 15-30-15 is water soluble and works great, and won't burn if used as directed. Give a good drink of water, wait a day, then give it the Miracle Gro. There's others, too, a whole galaxy of brand names.