Pet Department

I sell local media in SLO county and have been visiting the pet dept for years. The staff is always nice and the animals are always very well taken care of. For those of you below that were berating the store, I suggest you take another look, the store is under new ownership now and the new owner is great. The store has also won awards for cleanest pet shop. The people that had to take their kitty in for an operation I say this. That is unfortunate, however all living things can get sick. It is not the pet shops fault for your kitty being sick, Im sure that as a business they wouldnt knowingly sell a sick pet. Reviews are nice to see but sometimes people go overboard with their criticisms. Hopefully these same people are not negative about everything in their life.

Posted 12/11/09 | Report Abuse

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I do not shop in any store than sells live pets.....they are over priced, do not take good care of their puppies/animals....are short staffed...and the priority is making lots of money off of peoples love of animals, and their ignorance. There are many other places to go, both in town and online...to buy ANY pet supplies you need. If you know your prices.....you can get a fair deal.
I have been in this shop on occasion over the last few years to browse and see what they were selling. I do not shop there.
Please, do not support these folks. I agree, that this shop...as well as others like them...need to be shut down.

Posted 11/13/09 | Report Abuse

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Nothing but defective pets at the Pet Department. We had to spend $500 to have surgery for a kitten we purchased there. Absolute nightmare. Owner is ridiculous. Liars.

Posted 11/12/09 | Report Abuse

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never again will i shop at the pet department in paso or atascadero. i use to be a loyal customer and could overlook a lot of what was going on over there because i really enjoyed the staff. well, most of the staff, you could just always tell who wanted to be there to help and who had to be there to help. the prices were always a little bit on the high side, but i would always get a good break or they would hook me up with free fish or food or merchandise just because i would always come in and chat for a bit. i think they liked my company so i was rewarded, so long free brine shrimp. lol. all that changed a while ago when they prices kept creeping up and up and up, they went up so much in such a short period of time that i finally said something about it. at first i was told gas prices were going up so shipping charges had gone up too. i understood and left it at that. next the prices started to creep up and up and up again. gas has not gone up (it has actually gone down), so i asked what was going on? i asked the staff that in this type of economy why were the prices continuing to rise so high? how can you justify this outrageous price increase? i was told that the pet store is a recession-proof business and if people truly loved or cared for their animals then they would still have to buy. i turned around and walked out of that store and have not been back since. so now i go to tropics in san luis obispo for my fish and fish products, and i go to lemos for my dog/cat food (i actually have always gone to lemos since they have always been cheaper on their pet food) and i go to the vet for my frontline (call your local vet and see how much cheaper it is there then at the pet department. i save $15 on a 3 pack alone). that store is greedy plain and simple. i hope that they can see the errors of their ways very soon or they will be but a distant memory. they need to realize that if they do not support their community, the why should their community support them?

Posted 10/19/09 | Report Abuse

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Garbage, garbage, garbage! The worst pet store...I take that back, the worst store period! The service was rude, no one was anything but self-absorbed, and good luck on getting help once you pay. Do not be fooled, when you first enter they are all sweet and friendly and everything, but once you pay and your filter or heater or light bulb did not work the way you were told you are basically S.O.L.!! I have to agree with many of the other reviews on here, DO NOT SUPPORT THESE JERKS! You have been warned.
I only wish I could give them a ZERO STAR.

Posted 10/16/09 | Report Abuse

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The Pet Department is awesome. They are an fantastic store that have the most knowledgable staff, the best selection of merchandice, and the lowest prices around. I highly recomend them to anybody looking for great quality products, and pets, and at fantastic prices. Whenever I stop by I always greeted with a warm and caring smile that just shines from ear to ear. I never made to wait for there excellent customer service, and am always cared for. They are convienantly located in Downtown Atascadero and Paso Robles. They are open Monday-Saturday from 9:30am-7:00pm and on Sundays from 10:00am-6:00pm.

With such a fantastic selection of merchandice too choose form at rock bottom prices you too should find everything you are looking for there, just like I did!

Give them a call today and find out why all the Central coast is talking about The Pet Department.

Posted 10/05/09 | Report Abuse

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I stumbled upon this website from an employee at another pet store in SLO and boy is it an eye opener! I have read the reviews and am shocked that this store is still in business. I was always raised to believe that you have to give the people what they want, and I guess that the people in the North County want rude and crass service when they visit their local pet store. The few positive comments are far and few and they were probably posted by their own employees, just like the last one posted by Amanda C. Like posting yourself wasn't bad enough, I think the icing on the cake was that even she (probably the manager) only gave her own store a 4 out of 5 stars!!!!! LOL!!!
I am going to tell EVERYONE I know about this website and I want everyone to be honest in their reviews of the pet department.

Posted 09/22/09 | Report Abuse

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If you have ever had a bad experience at the pet department, come in and see me, Amanda, and I will give you the grande tour I give all of my customers: Our store is clean and stocked, easily navigable with a wide selection in every department, our pets are loved, monitored for illness, and their cages are cleaned regularly, we buy locally to ensure the health of our animals (besides, buying sick animals is probably more costly than buying healthy ones), our staff members are knowledgeable, some with 10 plus years of experience and even if we dont know the answer to your question we can definitely find out, We strive to give you guys a better experience for your money and we are friendly from the smallest cricket customer to the largest aquarium customer, (everyone has had a bad day in their lives and anyone who says they havent is lying) These things and much more are just what I do everyday, and there are a few of us. I know that I appreciate people supporting their local business, even if it is in a bad economy. Hang in there. thanks everyone

Posted 09/10/09 | Report Abuse

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How is this store still in business? The store is dirty and the employees are rude. You can never find help, unless you have big $$$, and even if you do manage to find help you better know what you want because they are not that helpful. The one thing in their favor is that they do have a large selection of products, too bad they are so overpriced. I use to shop there until i stopped at Petco one day and saw that I was paying almost double. It's hard to believe that the prices keep going up at this store, while they are going down everywhere else. I am sure it won't be long until a bigger better store comes along and finally puts them out of business.

Posted 09/02/09 | Report Abuse

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"Oh my God" I don't know who does the hiring there at that store starting from the owner he's a total jerk and tight . I sold him a couple puppies for fifty dollars,really needed to find them a home. I could not believe it the next day i went to visit them and they were behind glass and up for sale for 599.99 plus tax what was that all about i asked whats the deal with this and the old lady with the glasses said that thats bussiness. She is the most snotty lady there,always stuck behind her desk on the computor I.I hope my poor pups get a home

Posted 08/18/09 | Report Abuse

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I saw an ad for the pet department in a mailer so i decided to check them out. Oh my god, I could not believe what I saw. I was heartbroken by the animals and the way they were being cared for. The puppies were stuffed into cages way to small for them, the rats were doubled up upon themselves, and the fish tanks had just as many fish dead in them as they had alive. I told one of the employees thst one of the mice were dead, and she told me it's okay they were only feeders, and she laughs it off. I could not believe it. I told her it's unhealthy and unsanitary. She told me thank you and that she would get around to it. She turned around and continued to talk to the other employees. These employees have no respect for their customers or for the animals they are suppose to be caring for. Stay away from this filthy disgusting store. It's amazing in a town as big as Paso that so many of its residents would allow this store to continue. Shamefull

Posted 08/18/09 | Report Abuse

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Very Clean. I visited this store this weekend and was impressed by how clean it was. You know how in some pet places with animals your met at the door by that "pet store smell?" Not here. Everything was very nice.

Posted 08/09/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been around the county and haven't found another store with such a good selection of fish. what ever I have been interested the staff has ordered in for me, and they've all done extremley well. The employees even stayed a little after closing so I could run in and get a few last minute supplies and fish food. Thanks guys

Posted 08/04/09 | Report Abuse

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the worst store on the central coast. the people in the paso store are idiots. the older manager lady up there ignores everyone and refuses to help, while the tall skinny blonde girl is too busy with her nose in the air to be bothered. i think everyone there is related (or at least inbred) because i hear them say mom this and dad that. that probably explains why those morons are employeed. the animals look so sad and the tanks are always dirty. i have called animal control onthem numerous times for under age animals. do paso a favor and stay away from thsi store!!!! i now shop at lemos where prices are cheaper and service is better.

Posted 08/02/09 | Report Abuse

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lets make things a little clear..the pet department store in paso and the one in atascadero are complete opposites when it comes to employees and service. Paso store employees are so robotic, no personality and yes, it does look like they dont care about the animals. in my experience at the atascadero store, i have ALWAYS been greeted at the door and when it comes to questions about fish....let me tell you...this guy is rediculous! he has never said " i'm not sure" or "I don't know" to any question about tanks. all the employees get to it when they see a problem. The owner is a JERK in both stores since he owns both places. i dont see respect towards employees. all I see is greed in his eyes, no passion for animals. and the manager or co-owner or whatever she is, the older lady, all she does is laugh at her own mumbles and tell other employees to help customers while she sits infront of the computer for hours probably myspacing. in conclision, paso=bad, atascadero=good, owner=horrible.

Posted 07/21/09 | Report Abuse

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I went there last week to look at the guinea pigs and they all seemed really lethargic and unhappy. I predict because they were overcrowded in that small weridly shaped cage. And when i was looking at the rabbits in the cage thingy under the guinea pigs i noticed a guinea pig in with them! Gunea pigs arent meant to be housed with rabbits because they have a very diffrent diet!!! I think id much rather shop for live animals at Petco even though they arent good either.

Posted 07/09/09 | Report Abuse

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My dog was dropped off for "professional grooming" per their ad..My husband picked the dog up in less than an hour..I came home from work to be greeted at the door by a dog who obviously had Not been bathe nor her ears cleaned nor her nails filed...she ruined a pair of nylons and my neck was scratched from the sharpness of her nails.(possibly a nail clipper and no filing).Also, Miss Fiona has done nothing but itch and scratch since her return from the doggy den of horror...My husband observed the groomer wipe the ears with a cotton ball...I do not call that cleaning...
I called to speak to the groomer to discuss how unhappy I was...she rudely snapped that you were not here to see all that I did to the dog...I told her she was right..I was at home where I could see and smell all that she had not done..Even worse, one side of her head and ear fur is cut shorter than the other side...Not even a cute bow or scarf...I asked her what can she do to compensate for my unhappiness...expecting a free flea dip or even a doggy bone...she snapped, call the manager...he is at our other store in Atascadero, California.
I called him to which he replied he would get back to me...I never raised my voice nor did I ask for a refund,,perhaps I should have asked for the $5.00 tip my husband left...
By the way, the manager has never called me back..
Miss Dolly of Creston, California

Posted 05/16/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been pet shopping at the Pet Department since I have moved here. We have a small zoo now. Our first pet Coco a mini poodle has best the dog. The employees were able to help us with supplies for our fish tank and they got a few special fish in just for us. I recommend the pet department to anyone looking for a pet.

Posted 04/17/09 | Report Abuse

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If I could give it zero stars I would. Over the last few years I have bought supplies there, preferring it to a big box store or online, and have often spoken with others about the service being terrible...but, it's a local store. Tonight my daughter and a friend (both 12) were in looking for supplies they would need for a 4H rabbit project and were asked to leave if they were not going to buy tonight. I returned to be informed that they "prefer" that children be accompanied by an adult. Indicating that they were not told that, but were simply asked to leave without provocation and that I would now shop elsewhere the Manager (?) told me she was sorry to here that. As I left (having said no more) she shouted at me "Good luck finding what you need elsewhere!" Nice...I know many people in this small town and will share the story freely.

Posted 02/04/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been a customer of the Pet department off and on for many years now. I have purchase a couple dogs there and numerous pet supplies. I recently started a 55 gallon tank of African Cichlids. I purchased my tank, some of the fish, all of the gravel, rocks, and numerous other items at their store in Paso Robles and Atascadero. Needless to say, I have spent approximately $1,200.00 over the past two months in their establishment. I decided to start another cihlid tank and asked the owner about ordering some cichlids for me and talked about cycling my new aquarium. He pointed out some of the chemicals that I would need. (which I already have) When I explained to him that I enjoy coming in and getting advice and fish that I can get my chemicals cheaper elsewhere he became very rude and asked me why I expected them to be motivated to help me if I was buying some of my products at other businesses. I explained to him that I have spent alot of money there in a short amount of time and that should be motivation for him and his business. I also told him that I do have other connections for my fish if he didn't want to help me. He then handed me the paper with all of my information on the fish I wanted him to order for me instead of apologizing to me. BIG MISTAKE. I will take my money and my business somewhere else.

Posted 10/17/08 | Report Abuse

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the employees there are very rude and they seemed to be very bored with their job. if that is the case then y are they working because u arent goin to sell any animals if they continue to be rude. if u have a problem with what i am saying and u have the gute to email me back how u feel well i live right down the street so i wouldnt be rude and the animals seem very sick and unhappy u dont take care of them very well i hope u take better care and have more concern for ur animals

Posted 07/09/08 | Report Abuse

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I have been a regular customer at The Pet Department for four years. The staff is always friendly and helpful. I bought my little mini dachshund from them one year ago and she is the greatest little dog. I asked the manager where they get their animals from and they all come from local sources. NO PUPPY MILLS. Where each puppy comes from is right on the sign of the pups cage. They also have a wide selection of reptiles, and saltwater fish and corals.

Posted 03/22/08 | Report Abuse

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i went to look at a puppy in the store thinking i may purchase a puppy of a certain breed for my child. the puppy did not look well and seemed very skirtish. the staff had a non chalamnce attitude and ignored the puppies without trying to help socialize them more. these puppies seemed like they came from a puppy mill and i did not purchase that puppy there but went to differnt source and went directly to a local breeder and have been hgappy since

PROS: NONE
CONS: unimpressed staff whom looked bored, dirty caGES ANIMALS NOT REALLYHAPPY

Posted 11/29/05 | Report Abuse

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