Petco — Local services in San Diego

I'm a new dog owner to a puppy and I love coming to this Petco location. I came here in January feeling kind of lost and feeling like eh what's the point, how often will I come here? I found chewy and Amazon and felt I didn't really need to come to Petco but figured I'd look in person at some items I was considering ordering online since I was getting my puppy in February. Matias asked if there was anything I needed help with and I explained to him I didn't know what I was doing or really looking at as a new dog/puppy owner. Like literal 0 experience and used to be afraid of dogs. He showed me around to so many different aisles and products I didn't even think about. He recommended chew toys with rubbery grooves/spikes that help massage puppy gums, and showed me sprays or items to help in case my puppy likes to mark areas of the house. He gave me Zoe's, the dog trainer at this location, card and puppy schedule classes and I thanked him, but recycled both after a week of getting home since my friend had recommended a different trainer/company to me and I had an online membership with Baxter and Bella. My vet actually recommended going to Unleashed in the Del Mar Highlands for puppy classes so my puppy can get socialized with other puppies. She said Unleashed was great when she went last year and she said that what's awesome is because Petco is a big chain store, the curriculum is all standardized. I went to Unleashed and mentioned this Via De La Valle store is near where I go boxing, and every employee I spoke to said go see Zoe and get training from her. They said Ethan is great, but Zoe is amazing and Zoe actually taught Ethan, and I thought huh, yeah why not go to the teacher of the already great trainer here at unleashed. I met Ethan and he's super friendly and I have no doubt he's a good trainer. I went back to this Petco, and I'm surprised I don't see many Google reviews about the training and about Zoe. I feel like such a dud for recycling her card and calendar. I immediately picked them back up in March when my pup was 12 weeks and ready for classes.

Zoe is phenomenal! I have nothing but positive things to say about her and my experience taking classes from her. My puppy, Archer, and I did Puppy Level 1, but missed some classes and Zoe recommended he take Puppy Level 2 since he was picking things up well and I was relatively prepared and was on top of training Archer. Both classes were really great, and Zoe was about to troubleshoot things that I didn't even realize were things to troubleshoot. For example, Archer tends to sit when given the command, but if he doesn't get treated immediately, he'll actually start scooting back a bit, so Zoe recommended practicing up against a wall to prevent that! When Archer lost teeth and lost interest in his high value treats, and I told Zoe how much Archer loves balls, she said to use the ball I had to grab his attention as the reward instead of the treat. I've seen Zoe mentor/teach 4 trainers during our Puppy Level 2 classes, and she's such a great teacher to peers and handlers. I feel so grateful and lucky to have met her and have her helping me train my pup. She is incredibly friendly, nice, receptive, patient, and cares so much for all the pups she trains. The walls put up to section off the area for class are filled with all these pup graduates that I know are equally fortunate to have benefitted from her teachings. Archer and I are so excited for Adult Level 2 next!

I do want to also add that all employees I've met at this store are super friendly. Shaira, the manager, is also so kind and nice whenever I return things. I always feel guilty returning items but sometimes things don't work out. As a new dog owner, it's so comforting on my mind and my wallet to know I can return items in any condition...

I took my one year old Golden Retriever in for a bath. I booked my appointment ( had to wait three weeks) and I was recommended to this location by a neighbor who also has a Golden Retriever. I read on their website that for an extra fee he would not be left in a crate after bathing. The process of grooming would be expedited and he could roam in the grooming area until picked up by owner. I even told the groomer that I would be readily available once they called me to pick him up. This was his first professional grooming and I wanted to make sure it would be a positive experience. When I did come to pick him up, they instructed me to go to the cashier first and pay which I did. While paying I heard him barking rather hysterically and I was shocked because he is not a barker at all. I went and got him from the groomer and he was bleeding on the top of his head. I was shocked and upset, needless to say. I asked the groomer how that happened and he looked and said (he hadn't even noticed it!) he must have bumped his head on the crate because he was jumping trying to get out. I then asked why was he in the crate and if he saw that he was jumping and scared of the dryer he should have stopped and called me. (BTW, my dog was crate trained and I never had any issues). I suspect he was scared of the big dryer being blown at him. Who knows. The fact that the groomer did not notice the blood on the top of his head is unbelievable. I was speechless and immediately took him to the car. He was visually stressed and wouldn't even ride with his head out the window like he usually does. Obviously, I was angry and very hurt that he had to go through this. After a day of calming down, I called and asked to talk to the manager. She wasn't there but was told by the temporary manager that answered the call, she would give her the message and would return my call the next day. She did and immediately said she would refund the grooming charge and offered to have my dog come back for a complimentary grooming. I told her that was nice but why would I do that when he was physically hurt from the first experience? She said she inspected the cameras and that there was no foul play involved. I said probably and hopefully not BUT when and if he was jumping in the crate and bleeding, why wouldn't the groomer release him from the crate and notice his head was bleeding? I will not go to this PETCO again. Up until this incident, I had been to quite a few Petcos in the past with previous dogs and never had any issues. I am warning others with my review to be vigilant if they...

I had to call multiple Petco stores, none close to either of my locations (west Chula Vista and La Costa/Carlsbad), before I found one that actually had a few crickets left to sell me to feed my son's starving fire belly toad (I had been trying for days at a time in Chula Vista). I was charged $0.16 each for ten medium crickets.There was tax added. I am very expert in caring for animals (the tablespoon-size toad is 16 years old) and I know how to keep a clean cricket keeper with calcium cubes, a cap of water, spinach or fresh potato, etc. A good batch of crickets will live 10 days or more. These crickets died in the keeper, all but three (one the toad ate the first day, another two days later, and the last alive one yesterday) survived for me to feed the toad. I watch the feeding and 'rescue' the crickets if they get caught in the water side before they drown. This was a bad batch of crickets that I went out of my way to buy. Since crickets are so fragile, and often at the end of their lifespans, it should be customary to provide the customer with several extra crickets at no charge. I now have to buy more crickets just four days later. It is both inconvenient and expensive. The crickets died because they were 'old', no other explanation. I pay too much for crickets that are ready to die. Unlike PetsMart, Petco charges the SAME PRICE for crickets of any size, which is not fair. A large cricket is equal in total mass to two medium crickets. But, I had to buy what was available. The medium are a bit small but the large ones sometimes are too big for the...