Pet Stores in Berkeley, CA

“I bought a Paco Collar for my now 13 year old dobermann girl before she was even born. One of the jewels came off and without hesitation they sent me, not one, but a whole pack of replacements. Not one has fallen off since. Bear in mind, I live in the UK. The collar is still going strong and will be handed down to the new boy, for hopefully another 13 years ”

“"Open Paw - Good Habits Are Hard to Break." This review is based on attendance at several lectures by Open Paw speakers as well as direct experience with the Open Paw program and the programs founders. (BTW, while I love cats, I own 3 dogs and work with dogs on a daily basis. My bias therefore, leads me to write about dogs.) Open Paw is a multi-faceted approach to making companion pets (more) adoptable, educating pet owners (preferably before an adoption), and keeping pets in the home once they are adopted. When the Open Paw program is employed at the animal shelter level, staff, volunteers and visitors to the shelter are encouraged to feed the dogs part of their daily food ration for displaying appropriate behavior (sitting quietly instead of barking and lunging) at the front of the kennel. The dogs get lots of repetition for this appropriate behavior throughout the day and dogs that are shy or aggressive around people learn that the approach of strangers is a good thing - this is how they get their dinner! Special care is also given in the Open Paw program to teach and maintain housebreaking by ensuring that the shelter dogs get adequate time out of the kennel - housebroken dogs shouldn't be forced to soil their kennel. (In most shelter situations, the mental and physical health of the dogs is constantly deteriorating. Constant barking, lack of physical exercise and mental stimulation as well as inadequate levels of staff and volunteers to get the dogs out frequently enough - these are the ingredients for doggie stress and deterioration found in most shelters.) In and out of the shelters, Open Paw strives to educate prospective pet owners BEFORE they adopt. Far too many dogs are returned to shelters because the new owners don't have realistic expectations of their new companion and they don't know how to resolve insanely simple problems. Post-adoption, Open Paw continues its efforts to educate pet owners and handlers with the goal of keeping the new pet in the home for a lifetime. In addition to a vast amount of resources available on the website, Open Paw also offers - for free - a electronic (pdf) file of "Before You Get Your Puppy", by Dr. Ian Dunbar. (Dunbar - a very well known and respected veterinarian, animal behaviorist, dog trainer, and writer - revolutionized the dog training world when he opened "Sirius Puppy Training". He is also the founder of Open Paw.) The Open Paw program and what it strives for is nothing short of brilliant. The priceless information is appropriate for anyone who might come into contact with domesticated animals. Pet lovers, owners, the general public as well as people that don't like pets - all would benefit from OU (Open Paw University). Check it out, get educated & gain some knowledge about our fuzzy friends! This is pure win-win-win!”

“When I shop at Fill Good, I feel good. My main purchases are cleaning items like dish soap, dishwasher powder, all-purpose cleaner, and hand-soap. Those items are competitively priced with supermarkets, albeit minus the externality of the plastic. They offer donation jars or upcycled wax-bags if you come without.The staff is very knowledgable and I always chat with them about the best ways to recycle and compost etc. I love the loyalty program too. I feel like can do something about the standard pig-lifesytle that's offered by Amazon and friends.”

“Healthy Spot is my primary go to spot for food, snacks, bones and holistic supplements. Dianne's like the MVP all day, every day over there in the Berkeley store. Her depth of knowledge crosses many different product sets and services. She is extremely versed in holistic supplements for a dog's overall health, physical and mental well-being. She has recommended game changing holistic supplements that I've integrated into my dog's daily life. For my 5yr old American Bully, HeiHei's pain management program allows him to lead a thriving & healthy lifestyle. HeiHei is on a monthly holistic supplements of Standard Process (Ligaplex II, Musculoskeletal, & Boswellia Complex), Connectin and Bixbi joint mushroom powder for my dog's hip, knee, joint dysplasia & osteoarthritis, that he was born with. He's my lovable lemon. Because of Dianne, I also felt comfortable putting HeiHei on a raw food diet of frozen duck necks, chicken and turkey necks which has kept him lean and fit for an 80 lb. large size dog. For treats, they have a huge selection of high-quality snacks. HeiHei's favorites are bone broth, long gullet sticks, beef taffy long sticks, massive tendon bones, generous freeze-dried options like duck & chicken necks, Stack that Cheddar & Gouda, etc. Your dog will live longer knowing Dianne and Healthy Spot Berkeley. You're welcome.”

“I went to Your Basic Bird to get a pair of budgies after my beloved one died. It's a lovely big store full of bird supplies. I asked for males, specifically to avoid female territorial aggression. The employee that helped me insisted the pair he showed me were males. I was pretty sure they were females but let him talk me out of my first impression. Turned out they are females, now that they're mature. I love them anyway, though it's more challenging having a pair of females, but if someone needs a specific sex be sure to trust your gut and knowledge over the employee recommendations because at least one of them doesn't know enough to be accurate. The birds I got are lovely though. They are very healthy, hand-raised so were pretty tame when we got them. They just argue a lot. I would definitely shop there again for future budgies, but will trust my own expertise rather than let myself be talked out of what I knew to be true.”