In My Pet Shop, the player takes the role of a young girl who just moved from Gold City to Green Town with her mother. As in this town, nobody owns a pet, her mother decides to open a pet shop. The player will help at the pet shop by helping the customers with various tasks, such as finding a pet, or taking care of one (walking, bathing, entering contests, etc.). To find a pet, the player will first need to gather information, and go outdoors to find and befriend animals. Animals, and sometimes items, are found by moving the stylus in specific places. Once an animal is found, an exclamation mark appears and it will come out, and the player can now try catching it. To do so, food and various items will be used. Some strategies, such as waiting a few turns for a shy animal to approach by itself may also be needed. When a task is done, the player will get an allowance.