Cheap plug: please read my coinciding review of this store's grooming salon at: http://www.judysbook.com/members/Anastacya/posts/2006/6/390644/
Our dog is smart. I can't really say much about the two ferrets, as I really only like one of them, and the toad... well, amphibians are not known for their exceptional cunning.
Quite a menagerie we have here. Yes, it is. Fortunately, though, my dog's favorite store is only about a 15 minute drive from the home. I wish the store was closer to the mall, rather than all the way past 615, but hey, Norma enjoys the drive.
The store is like any other Petsmart, open, clean, and you can bring in your leashed, vaccinated pets. Since my dog knows that "Petsmart" means the store with all the great smells and other dogs, she will whine when we say that word until she gets in the car and goes. This is not a problem; I have never had a negative experience walking her around the store... another dog has not attacked her, and when she made a boo-boo on the floor, they do have cleaning stations for the mess.
Pricing for dog items, which I firmly agree, are overpriced. But then again, every pet store has high prices since they are specialty. And since I happen to have associated my dog with a brand of dog food that is ONLY available in pet stores, I am kinda screwed in that regard. However, the Petperks program, kind of like the Giant Eagle Advantage card or other shopper's cards... allows me all kinds of discounts.
And around June every year, I get a coupon for a free toy for Norma's birthday. It is up to $6, but that is fine, since anything more would be destroyed just as thoroughly as the $6 pricetag.
For the other critters, the supplies are there too. The crickets tend to be dead (they have these convenient "grab n go" containers... but I don't think they maintain them... most of the crickets are quite, uh, unmoving when we go for those), but they have the live crate ones you can have custom bagged.
Small animal, i.e., ferret, has a great supply too. Rabbit hutches, fish equipment, even the sale of some small animals and lizards, are all available from Petsmart. If you are looking for more adult-sized iggys tho, you are going to want to visit a full blooded specialty pet store, like Parma Pets. These lizards are YOUNG, and consequently, will probably die within a year unless you have all the necessary herpen equipment to take care of them. Unfortunately, there is no real disclaimer about this on the tanks.
Small animals I cannot really comment upon. I have no idea where my husband bought his ferrets (before we dated), so I cannot comment on the quality of their mammal pets.
Overall, Petsmart is a great place. They offer a variety of services, including dog training and grooming. They have many, many different items for all kinds of pets, and the staff is helpful. It is a good social atmosphere, too, and our dog always enjoys running around sniffing everything.
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