Pet Shops

Our man in Havana

Guys I was wondering what types of pet shops do you like?? Do you favour smaller shops that may have a limit range of products or do you like the bigger chain style shops?

What do you like to see & what do you hate? We have had a thread recently about a shop selling caiman's so what do you like to see & what do you hate to see??

Just wondered what people prefer etc. I know some folks hate to see livestock in shops - I love pet shops to be noisy places with a variety of animals & birds etc. & knowledgeable staff that will happily talk to you is a bonus.

Whispered

I would hate to see dogs or cats in petshops as there are so many rescues and breeders around (I have never seen them so it might not happen here but if it does I hate them). It would have to be a specialist type pet shop with staff who know what they are doing for me to buy from them if they have livestock, not one of those - back of the garden centre - type pet shop who sells hamsters and birds etc.

There is a fantastic fish shop on the blessington road behind the pub which is amazing. I walked out thinking that you'd pay to go into an aquarium and would not have people who were as helpful! Great shop well worth a look!

javaboy

I think the little pokey ones are more fun to look around and often have different suppliers from the big chain petshops so you can find some toys/cages/treats that you wouldn't find elsewhere. One particular large petshop is notorious for not putting prices on their products and their staff are generally clueless but the animals are well kept in it so it balances out.

I've seen good and bad petshops in all varieties (large chain/small family run/back of garden centre) so I try not to prejudge them. I usually can't pass a petshop without taking a look inside.

tonym

i dont think it makes alot of diference the size or type of pet shop there are some really important thing they all should have and that is

1. the animals are all in good shape with proper care fed well and not sick thats no 1 if i go ino a pet shop and see sick animals i will walk out if its sick it should not be on display it should be out the back being cared for or at the vets

2. staff that are genuinly interested in the keeping of animals they dont have to know every thing about the animals but the interest has to be there. i know a lot about exotic pets and i often go into a pet shop and ask some questions about the pets and i have to say its alarming the amount of crap that you can get from the staff. i would love to work in a pet shop i would really look forward t going in in the morn to find out what the animals have been up to and thats sadly not the case in some pet shops. so if anyone knows of any jobs going in pet shops around wex let me know lol

some of the best pet shops i have been in are

kinsealy pet shop
kinseally

reptile haven
dublin

board walk pets
dublin

purple and gold
enniscorthy

kathleens perfect pets
erill

petmainia
wexford

all of thease have great staff that dont bull**** and a good selection of pets and as far as i can see all the animals are healthy and well looked after

this is just my expierence

Kess73

Petmania in Limerick is what I call a good pet store. The range of animals is quite large, taking in anything from a hamster to a scorpian, but all the animals look healthy and well cared for. None are crammed in small or dirty areas. The staff there have good levels of knowledge and seem to get a buzz from working with and talking about animals.

hadook

Can someone send the staff from Petmainia Wexford & Limerick to Dublin to have a chat with them about putting guinea pigs into the same size enclosures as the rat or hamster then? :rolleyes:

I like the small ones for the personal touch. I like a petshop with animals in a decent setup. If I ask a question I want an honest answer & if I go to buy a pet I want to be grilled as to my knowledge on caring for said pet

I use the bigger chains as somewhere to peruse the range available and then go back to my local smaller store to ask if they can get that product or something similar. I also order stuff online a lot.

I hate to see birds flying out in case they get hurt/escape out of the shop etc. I dunno why, but I've always been afraid for/of loose birds in shops.
I hate to see animals in too small cages.
I hate to see disinterested shop staff.
I hate to walk in and have my nose tell me that I'm not going to like it before the rest of my senses catch up.

I like

Equipet in Ashbourne - the staff there are great and really helpful. The groomer based there is very good too.

Kathleens Perfect Pets in Errill - the reptile setups obviously have had hours of work put into them. Seriously, I could spend hours just staring into the vivs... And the bird enclosures outside are amazing. Can't wait to see what they do with the new section they're planning

Brendas Pets in Duleek - no matter how strange my request it arrives The cage she found for my chinchillas is divine! There's an online shop now too so that satisfies the geek in me - I really like a petshop with an online section too.

Sigma Force

Warning Long version for Short version look at end of post lol.

Have similar opinion to Hadook re pet shops.

I find in some shops around the country that there isn't enough stuff for birds it's usually the usual plastic budgie toys etc.

I like an open airy feel, the usual animals things like dog toys etc but also stock that is more unusual. Have been to the warehouse type sized ones and although they are spotless and have a lot of stuff they still sometimes lack the more unusual things like natural toys for birds. One although in UK let birds fly free which can be very dangerous, I'm not talking about big parrots etc I'm talking about wee little finches and budgies they could get out the door if they wanted to.

No pet shop I have seen yet stocks Burns, although it's handy to get it locally from the vets here they only stock one flavour in the large bag though and no Burns treats. Lots of Royal Canine etc sold in pet shops though.

More guineapig items would be nice not the standard guineapig shampoo but would be lovely if something like the Gorgeous Guinea range was available they do trial bottles now which would be an option as they don't have as long a shelf life as some shampoos.

Affordable concentrated disinfectant for kennels or something like Trigene or something (think Trigene can?) be used on kennels, hutches, avairies etc.

Guineapigs, rabbits etc on newspapers rather than woodshavings, outdoor area if possible, although some shops are in towns etc so it's not so possible for some.

Care sheets given out to all and also having them available on a shelf to take away with you for free.

Aside from the practical stuff like proper sized caging, ok usually in pet shops they animals aren't there for long but this is the first port of call for a lot of would be pet owners and if they see e.g. a pair of budgies in a canary cage they are going to think that's how they are supposed to be kept. So decent cages and like Ks perfect pets aviaries are a great way to show the natural behaviours of budgies and how fun they can be as pets.

Sale of large items (I think this is where hardware shops pet sections could improve) like dog run panels and avairy panels and doors etc. The petsafe ones aren't great that are for sale in many of the hardware shops atm.

A shop that can sex the animal before you buy is one of the most important things. Here's a Short List after all that waffle lol.

Cleanliness.
Newspapers instead of woodchips for rabbits n piggies.
Knowledgable Staff.
Care Sheets freely available.
Good stock of standard and more unusual items.
Open airy feel, good lighting and if poss an outdoor area.
Reasonable prices and good seasonal offers etc.
Some may not agree but a good stock of doggy clothes, esp. the more practical ones like fancy but practical collars and leads, warm jumpers for smaller dogs and rain jackets.
Also natural treats for dogs and smallies ones with no nasty additives.

michelleans

Kess73 wrote: »

Petmania in Limerick is what I call a good pet store.

Whereabouts is the Petmania in Limerick?

I love wandering into all petshops I find. There's pro's and con's each way as I see it. I like the bigger selection in the larger shops and the larger shops usually stock the more expensive dog foods. Though I find the staff in the smaller places friendlier and more knowledable. So a bit of everything not too much of anything works for me

Kess73

michelleans wrote: »

Whereabouts is the Petmania in Limerick?

I love wandering into all petshops I find. There's pro's and con's each way as I see it. I like the bigger selection in the larger shops and the larger shops usually stock the more expensive dog foods. Though I find the staff in the smaller places friendlier and more knowledable. So a bit of everything not too much of anything works for me

It is beside Woodies in the Jetland centre on the Ennis road. Right across from Duunes stores near Ivan's cross. Since Petmania opened, Woodies have improved their pet product area and especially their wild bird food area, and also dropped a lot of prices. The joys of competition.:)


There is also another large pet store in Limerick at the end of Mulgrave street where it joins with the Ballysimon road roundabout. I am not so keen on that place, mainly because the staff are not into animals and it is just a job. But thankfully they tend to stock product more than they stock animals. Quite a few spoofers in there, and they are quite convincing if you did not know what you were on about yourself.


There are a few small pet shops in Limerick too, one in Cecil street and I think there is still one down by the Milk Market, near Icon Nightclub, but am not sure if that one is still there.

As an aside, I see Petmania in Limerick are looking for an assistant manager at the moment.

michelleans

I shall pop out there and take a look at the weekend! Thanks

I'm not up on the street names - but I'm assuming the second large one you mentioned is the Pet Supermarket? the toys are cheap there but you're spot on about the job is just a job for them.

Paws and Claws also stock my beloved Royal Canin Breed German Shepherd, and has a large selection for it's size which is why I like it, and the food there is cheaper than most other places! (Though the rest of the stuff is a bit more expensive)

carwash_2006

Oh Guineapigrescue. Just thought I'd let you know, Burns do not supply to pet shops. Just so you don't judge anywhere by that

comongethappy

It's not a pet shop here in Ireland, it's one I was in while in the states.

I think it was one of the larger ones, and on one side of the building (indoors) they had kennel / cattery areas for 1 dog and 1 cat from the local humane society (I think they had the cat and dog stay for a few days). Staff would provide socialisation for the animals and walks for the dog, and it gave a chance for people to see animals that were "last chance", the animals nearing the end of their cycle at the rescue before being put down.

The normal vetting procedures through the humane society still applied, but it gave people who might not turn to a rescue first the chance to see the pets. From what the sales associate had said they had found happy homes for pets that would have otherwise been put down.

I don't know if it would really be that feasible here though.

LuckyStar

tonym wrote: »

purple and gold
enniscorthy

No way. I was at the Pet Expo and they had a python on the floor, mostly unsupervised.

Bainne2

Well to be honest I haven't been in purple and gold petshop in Enniscorthy but the one in Wexford town was a disgrace as soon as they moved to only using the bottom floor.
I was in there one day and there were lots of pigs in the same cage, they were a breed I was interested in so picked one up, male, next one female. I walked out of there very quickly.

I only like petshops where animals are kept in appropriate cages/enclosures. And obviously where male and females are spilt. If you don't have space for an animal then don't stock it.

Obviously it's good when the shop has some of the better quality stuff in - Nutro, James Well Beloved, Kongs, other toys. Being able to order particular stuff in is great too. Don't like the bigger chains - in my experience with dealing with staff they were rude and seemed to presume that they knew everything, when in some cases they didn't.

My fav. petshops are :
Brenda's Pets, Duleek
Reptile Haven, Fishamble Street Dublin.

If I run out of stuff and don't have time to order stuff off Brenda I go to either vets for rabbit and guinea-pig food or Molly's in Dun Laoighaire now do Nutro as well.

Knowledge among staff members is great too, and honest advice. Like Hadook, I would expect to be screened and examined on my knowledge and research before making a purchase of a live animal.

WooPeeA

Is there any good online pet shop here in Ireland?

Demonique

WooPeeA wrote: »

Is there any good online pet shop here in Ireland?

None that sell animals, but there are some good ones that sell supplies and equipment:

NOTE: I'm not sure if the following are actually any good b/c I've never bought equipment from them


http://www.petshoponline.ie/customer/home.php


http://www.pet-bliss.com/


http://www.mollys.ie/store/charity.html


Molly's seems to deal primarily with dogs and cats, Pet Bliss deals with dogs, cats, birds, small animals, fish and reptiles, Pet Shop online is the same except they don't deal with reptiles.

It's a pity Reptile Haven don't have an online ordering service for reptile supplies, I'd rather get from them than from some new-comer to the market.

WooPeeA

Thank you Demonique.

maryoshea

There's Doggy Stylz pet shop in watch house cross near moyross. Don't know what it like tho.

Faddymackshyte

https://www.brendaspets.ie/

Brenda's Pets. I ordered from them yesterday and they delivered today. And really good quality stuff too!

Sigma Force

"Petmania in Limerick" (sorry my puter won't let me do quote tags here for some reason).

I would avoid this store from what I have heard (from reliable source but you can judge for yourself).

Brendas pets online service is nice and fast I was desperate for Timothy hay and got it within 2 days of ordering.

I'm dying to go and visit Mollys.ie store never seem to get around to it when I'm up that end of the country but deffo going to when we get the next dog coz I don't think he'd like walking around with a pink harness on lol.

I can't remember in my other posts wether I mentioned an online pet tag store but identitag are the best by far last forever they do.