Cole Valley Pets
Category: Pet Stores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Cole Valley910 Cole St
(between Carl St & Parnassus Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94117 (415) 564-8811
47 reviews
Neighborhood: Japantown
"Best place I've found for aquarium supplies. I was having trouble with my fish tank and algae so I stopped by this place after lunch with…" read more »
16 Reviews for Cole Valley Pets
This place gets a 4.5 (rounded off to 5) rating from me and my dog (see his pic in my photos!!).
It is indeed a small pet store, but, jeeeezz..what do you expect? It's a neighborhood pet store! Check the sign outside...it doesn't say Petco, does it??!!
What I really love about this place is the staff. Maureen has been great to me and my dog. She treats us right, she treats all the dogs that come in as her very own dogs.
The reason why I give it a 4.5 rating? Sometimes, my pooch and I would walk back from the nearby dog park...and the door is closed cause they had to do a quick errand. So, my dog would stand outside and stare at the door. ..and stare...and stare...and stare...waiting for the door to open.
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Hey where can I get THE PLAGUE in SF?
I worked here for half a minute after I moved back to the city. I loved having a super part time job where I got to talk to people about their pets. In many ways, this was the ideal part time slacker job for me. In one way, it was not.
RATS people, rats. The winter I worked here ('04 - '05), when the rains came, so did the rats. There was such a disgusting infestation of them that, when opening the store in the morning you had to be REALLY LOUD to make sure they all skittled back into the stock room, where they'd set up camp and a breeding ground.
Next, you had to walk around and examine the food bags to pull off whichever ones had been chewed through overnight and also look for BLOOD ON THE BAGS from the rats warring with each other.
The owner of the store wouldn't even invest in getting hot water to the place, which is a violation of work codes, as I understand it, and he certainly wasn't investing in anything that would secure the bags of food from the rats. Forget the idea of him investing in getting a carpenter out there to block the holes in the ceiling and back wall of the building to try to keep the rats out... He was losing money hand over fist and the manager at the time was reticent to get an honest to god exterminator in. She honestly thought bringing in one little old kitty cat at night was going to fix the situation. Poor kitty.
It got so bad and the rats got so brave that one night I was closing, my last customer was at the counter and a rat scuttered right on out from the back room, went to the bowl of dog water that's kept in the middle of the floor and drank from it all while the customer's back was turned to it. The rat sat up, looked me over nonchalantly and then sauntered under one of the shelving units.
The next day I told the manager that either the rats went, or I did. She told me "hasta la vista" and called me a quitter who was spreading fear among the other employees because I was (rightly so) speaking honestly about the atrocious conditions of the building and rats.
I hear that there's been a changeover in management, and presumably the place is cleaner. Lord help us if the rats are still there!
I'll never buy anything for my dogs here, but, hey, if you want to, knock yourself out... Just keep an eye out for rat shit in the windowsills or shelves.
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Maureen is great. The other employees are great. They referred me to my pup's new vet (Park Animal Hospital). My neighborhood wouldn't be the same without this place! Plus they have lots of great brands of dog food and a good brand of pellets for my spoiled feather-butt.
My experience here was pretty short and sweet - my boyfriend and I had just come from Cold Hardware down the street. Someone there said there was a pet shop on the block, and we very much needed to get Monster a new scratching post. When we walked in, the woman who was on duty was feeding a snack to a customer's dog and didn't really offer us much in the way of help. Thankfully, the scratching posts were pretty well visible and my boyfriend took the liberty of getting one down himself. Checkout was easy and quick, but the whole process still seemed a bit lacking in person attention.
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Store has definitely improved over the last year. It's cleaner, better stocked, and more organized. The personal service is what sets Cole Valley Pets apart. They're always willing to order special dog food for our pups and call me when it comes in. A neighborhood treasure.
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maureen the manager is wonderful, but the rest of the staff ( for the most part) is surly and ignore you.
my little companion LOVES maureen but one of the other ladies told me i couldn't put my pup on the counter ( she's 4 pounds and 4 months old, for chrissake) we got kind of put off.
if you don't like dogs, best you shouldn't work in a pet food store...
good prices on Merrick food.
Although small, Cole Valley Pets has a very big heart. This great local store has a staff that truly love pets. They spoil my pups with treats whenever we stop by and they are very helpful with suggestions - be it for foods or dental issues or toys. Customer service counts for a lot and if you saw how happy my pups are every time we stop by, you'd know that this place rocks the Cole Valley doggie world.
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I stopped in the other day looking for chewies, my pup was greeted with extra enthusiasm and a free helping of sausage treats right off the shelf.
Updated 06/01: When attempting to purchase a new tennis ball, the lady behind the counter directed me to a free bucket of used tennis balls that were FREE. My dog doesn't yet know how special this is, but soon she will come to understand.
They should just call it Cole Valley DOGS, since that's really who they cater to at this store. However, they do sell some nice fancy food (my kitty does not eat junk food). The toy selection leaves much to be desired.
EDIT: While purchasing my cat's food the other day, I overheard the employees talking and found out that they rescue dogs from some of the Haight St punk kids. They foster them & adopt them out. That alone is worth another star.
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If you live in Cole Valley you have a dog, and if you have a dog you need dog food. Enough said.
Rewind that. You don't really need dog food. But if you feed your dog the other half of your burrito he will get very fat and pass gas alot.
The store is generic, spartan small independent pet supply. Today, though, the shopkeep was strumming a guitar. If I were a dog that would make me very happy. I almost succumbed, but what's the point buying pet supplies if you don't have a pet?
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This store has been around a while and the folks here know their stuff. They carry Canidae, the best dog food ever, and the substance is way over the style here. Not a lot of foo foo crapola, just good products for your pooch. I'm glad it hasn't been swept away by a store selling designer hand painted tiles or artisanal dipping sauces.
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I declare this place... a useful pet store
Product-- only the good stuff
Service-- very customer service oriented
Ambiance-- small and well... it smells like a pet food store, which is what it is, so...
It's small, but friendly, and if they don't have what you're looking for they will break their backs trying to find it. They also have a nice discount policy (for every however much you spend, you get something back). It's casual but cool.
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I like them. They're nearby. My kitty is very snobby and only eats this ONE brand and ONLY the beef variety, which they carry. I have them special order a few bags at a time so I don't run out, and they're always happy to do it. They have a system something like for every 100 you spend, you get a 5 dollar credit towards treats and toys. Which is nice.
Oh, and they some kitty litter in bulk so you can refill the jug and get a discount. I'm alll about the discounts.
I'd much prefer to frequent a place like this-- local, small and friendly. I read the other reviews & it doesn't smell weird. It's a pet store, so it like, smells like pet food, but it doesn't smell like pet butt.
They'll special order what you want if it's not in stock.
Whenever I'm in there, dogs who are on their walks, drag their owners in there for a treat-- very cute.
i love this neighborhood place. good kitty toys (try the yellow bird that attaches to a pull string and hangs in a doorway! the entertainment value is well worth the $5 price tag) and canned food (my furball loves the turducken flavored wet food. he literally drools when i bring this stuff home.). i only wish they carried the royal canin line of dry food.
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Great people who love animals. They will special order anything. A neighborhood treasure....even for cats ;)
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