Ashgrove Pet Cafe

The Ashgrove Pet Café appears to be a family run business and it’s obvious how much they love animals! They have a great range of food and often give you a sample to take home to see if your pet likes it before your purchase. They have pretty much everything you need to keep your pet happy and their prices are low compared to the bigger chains I’ve shopped at and all come with free treats for your animal! Dogs are welcome in the store, they even have a small bed built into the counter so their dog can sleep there during the day!

Nawww, this place is so cute. It really is like a café for your pet. They have treats, snacks, and a water bowl out the front if your pooch is parched. I’ve never been one to clothe my dogs, but I have this one friend who has a rather concerning penchant for kitting out her little chihuahua in a variety of sleek little numbers. Guess where she buys them all? Yep. Pet Café is definitely the go-​to place if you want some kind of attire for your dog. Like I said, I prefer my pets to be naked and I think they do too. Although I suspect my terriers consider being dressed up to be the stuff of nightmares, they do loooove toys. When I need a replacement for yet another massacred squeaky toy, I always hit up Pet Café because they have loads of toys in various sizes (my smaller terrier is easily intimidated, you see).
The staff clearly love our furry friends and are lovely to have a chat with. I always like hearing about their own pets and comparing doggy tales. As well as the dog haute couture and shelves of toys, there is a fairly extensive range of specialty dog foods, grooming tools, and other pet-​related products. It’s sometimes a bit tricky to park at the Pet Café, but once you do you’ll be considering the merits of the red doggy hoodie vs. the camo army vest. Good, clean fun!

They sell dog beer at Ashgrove Pet Café. It’s sitting on the front counter, looks like an elegant bottle of human beer in design but has dogs on the label. (Sorry, it’s non-​alcoholic.) Then, behind the counter, there’s a row of flea tablets lined up like cigarette packets. Glancing at the beer and tablet line-​up, I felt like I was in the equivalent of a dream toy shop for dogs where they also sell beer and smokes.
This large store sells an insane amount of toys for your pet. There’s stuff for cats, birds, fish and other pets, but as I have a dog it was mostly dog-​specific products I focused on. The dog selection seemed to take up a large proportion of the store, and there’s even a dog (a surprisingly docile Chihuahua) that sleeps on the front counter. (He’s six, called Louis, and likes pats but not being held.)
Besides a huge selection of toys — so much you can’t take it all in in one visit — there’s other stuff to pimp out your pet, including a doggy clothing rack if your pet is that way inclined.
The Pet Café also boasts a wide range of health foods for dogs, particularly those suffering from health issues (e.g. calcium deficiency, obesity — general medical issues that also seem common to humans). The store stocks both Science Diet and Advance food and health products. In terms of The Unhealthy, the front counter showcases an assortment of doggy cookies and chocolates (actually made of carob) that are home-​made looking. They weren’t as expensive as I thought they’d be, but I’d bought enough stuff here already.
The counter staff were also incredibly friendly and chatty, which you’d gather from a business where there is a resident pet.

Own a dog? Cat? Bird? Guinea Pig or another pet? Then you need a place to shop for pet food and accessories on occasion and one of the best places if you’re in the Western Suburbs is the Ashgrove Pet Café. This store, previously located on Stewart Street, in Ashgrove and now in a bigger premises on Waterworks Road, has everything from pet cuisine in all shapes, manners and forms to almost anything to pamper your pooch, cat, winged creature or otherwise. The store itself is bright and airy, and you can roam to your heart’s content without anyone trying to push discounted specials your way. I’ve been buying roo tendons for my dogs here for years and they’re always reliable, with product in stock every time I stop by. The array of products available rivals that of any top-​shelf retailer from pet beds to dog leads, snacks and chews, and even the basics like water bowls. The move to their new location at 254 Waterworks Road is more convenient than their previous address with a neat little car-​park out from that lets you park, zip into the store, and easily enter Waterworks Road again. If that’s full, there’s also a car-​park at the back of the building that few people know about — until now! — so you’re almost always guaranteed of a park there. And if you happen to have your pet with you when you stop in, it’s more than welcome to join you in-​store on the shopping spree. Just don’t let it fill your basket with junk food while you’re not looking!