For Pets Only

First I never write reviews. This place deserves one though. It’s a local spot so we come here a lot. Every time I see the person behind the counter and invariably they look spaced out and uncaring. But then… BUT THEN if you ask for help, they know everything you need and often times will give you samples to make sure it works for your pet. Side note: there’s a chance they helped keep my aged dog alive and healthy for a bonus year.

Very helpful, knowledgeable, and have the animals best interest in mind. They take very good care of their reptiles and arachnids. 4 stars because their birds could be taken care of a little better. Support small businesses!

It’s not only that they are the closest to me – they are also the nicest and most helpful. The staff knows about what food is best for my pets (over the past twelve years I have lived in the are I have had two dogs and five cats). I credit their suggestions for supplements and human grade food for helping to keep my beloved pit/​dobie mix healthy for a extra five years past the usual expiration date on 75 lb+ dogs, and for extending the enjoyable life span of my cattledog. I inherited a 17 yr old cat, and their suggestions for food made her last years happy and comfy. And I was pet sitting for a pair of snakes – the staff recommended one rat rather than three pinkies for the larger snake who wasn’t faring well per his owner. The snake perked up and got better, the snake’s owner was so thrilled. They carry specialty cat litter for cats with respiratory problems (I have an extreme exotic, aka «flat face» or «smush»), and a wide selection of no-​grain cat food (ever see a cat hunt an ear of corn or a sheaf of wheat?). They will carry my bags to the car, give samples, and have the cat toys my smush likes.

I love this place!

Over the last couple months I’ve seen a great difference @ for pets only from employees to reorganization of merchandise they stay up to date with new high quality pet foods and more I really can’t complain I love to support small business instead of chain stores thanks for pets only from me and chubby «aka my cat»

I can’t really make of this store. I love to support independent shops, but it just doesn’t seem that they know a lot about pets or that they care for them so well. There is no passion or love. There are many critters towards the back of the store in small enclosures, so small that they can’t move. There were some spiders, such as tarantulas, in round plastic food containers. It was really sad how it only had room to turn in a circle.
I’m also disappointed in their frozen mice selection for feeding snakes. When I thawed mine out, the mice reeked of urine so it had to be thrown out. Wasted money and starving Python.
There doesn’t seem to be any quality control here for their products, alive or dead… If only they truly had a passion for pets.

We come here all the time with our pup. The staff is always nice and welcoming. We only come here to get our pup any food or treats, and we don’t trust anywhere else. They carry tons of organic foods with all natural ingredients and even carry raw natural foods and bones (my dogs fav!). You never see those mass produced gross dog treats and canned food (that normally get recalled later) you can pick up at a grocery store. You can see they take care in only putting quality products on their shelves and our pup with a sensitive tummy agrees. She loves the products here and has never had any stomach problems. And she never gets tired of her canned food here, she’s always super excited for her ‘for pets only’ goodies (shes a picky little sh*t). I will always be coming back here.

I love going to this place. It reminds me of those one of a kind adorable pet stores that hardly exist anymore! Takes me back to childhood lol.
Everyone in there is so sweet — they even let me hold a snake for a while lol!
Pricing might be a little higher than Ralphs or Albertsons but something about giving to a small business makes it worth it!
Thumbs up!

Just updating to add that now they sell fish from teeny tiny little glass jars, and there’s a new defensive note scrawled next to those jars. Something on the order of «try to learn something about these fish before you complain about their small habitats».
I swear, the day that passive aggressive notes blog finds this store, they’ll have their posts for the next three months. Hilarious.
(In fairness to the store, I went there in an out-of-nature’s-miracle emergency – I live within walking distance – and they had what I needed. Grumpy counter person, though.)

Friendly staff, always helpful with questions on diet for my pets. And they are really generous with giving free samples of dog and cat food, which really helps because I don’t want to spend on a large bag if my pets won’t eat it. They do take back food that your pet won’t eat, it’s just easier for me to taste it out first. Love this local store and the staff!

Unlike one of the last reviews written; I find that For Pets Only is very well priced compared to other stores, and is normally in very close call compared to the stores around it. The employees there have always been more then helpful. For Pets Only isn’t a chain pet store, unlike Urban Pet, so there prices might be higher, but that’s because they’re a single store, and I’ve seen prices drop on all there flea meds, and food. The «asian guys» and everyone there have been nothing but helpful.
This store has been a great store for years, and management has changed but has always been an overall great store. :)

We first came in looking for some advice (and ointment) for itching, our dog had scratched a hot spot on her face and head (unfortunately the ointment never worked).
They mentioned looking at our food, they were right. The food we’d been using for years had just added chicken fat (despite it being labeled for sensitive stomachs). They recommended a kangaroo protein, so we bought a small bag. Bella’s itching stopped in a little over a week, we even gave her one bowl of the old venison food, and voila –itch was back. So we bought the kangaroo bag again. Third time we came in we asked if a bigger bag could be ordered… the same clerk who recommended it the first time said it wasn’t a great food –it had been recalled before! What?! He also mentioned that it would probably be sold to another company and that the ingredients were likely to change. We bought another small bag and got some samples of other stuff we could try (not really wanting to change Bella’s diet that quickly again). I went home and googled the brand he said was recalled, thinking it was very recent, recall was in 2012…
After the samples, and lots of online research, we picked a salmon diet. Ironically, they seem to have the best price for this expensive hard-​to-​find food (ironic because everything else is overpriced).
It’s a cute store with super cute Chihuahua that my husband always asks for help in finding us merchandise, she never does though, help that is…

I’ve been coming to this pet store for over 10 years. The selection of cat food is great. There are lots of pet toys and accessories. I used to buy fish here too, but my aquarium doesn’t work anymore.
Good customer service and the employee are friendly. The owner (I think he is the owner) is very knowledgable on everything about cats and dogs.
This store is very pet friendly. Customers bring their dogs in all the time. There is even a very social cat that hangs out in the store. And a dog too.

This place is good for as most say «in a pinch» moments when you don’t feel like driving all the way to a different store. It’s pretty over priced but sometimes decent for the little things you need, and on sale if you’re lucky.
The 2 older males at the counter were nice. But anyone else, didn’t seem to have customer service or ask if you needed anything. It’s a very small store, so the customer service should be pretty sharp. It wasn’t. They would rather carry on their personal conversations, and I was in there for a while browsing the store since I’d never been in there. Maybe they don’t care. Maybe they don’t think some people look approachable in their quest for an item. Shouldn’t matter.
. Luckily. I called ahead of time to check for an item so I knew what to look for when I walked in. Maybe I’ll have a different experience one day.

I once saw Angelina Jolie here. She looked great. Five stars.

Nice local pet store. I like to support them because they are a local business but their prices are a bit high. But it has a real mom and pop feel and the employees are always nice.

I have been a regular customer of this store for over 30 years. I’ve noticed over the past few years that the staff was long-​faced and apathetic. The store became dirty and unkempt and the shelves were often not stocked. More than once I was told to «just come back» rather than offer a time when the bird seed would be in stock.
Then it happened, an accident. I badly hit my head on a corner of a metal shelf that has a sharp edge. I staggered around a few minutes, waiting for the stars in my vision to dissipate. I went to the cashier to make my purchase and told the man who was eagerly waiting for my money what had happened and his non-​emotional response was: «yeah, that happens.» «That happens,» I said, «are you going to do anything about it?» No response. He didn’t even ask what shelf.
He took my credit card and rung up the sale.
I sat in my car for a few minutes, to be sure that I should drive. By the time I got home, I could feel the goose-​egg forming on my temple (a little bit away from my left eye) and my head started to throb. I called the store and was told the manager would get back to me after they view the security camera (I was immediately not believed). A manager called and said he’d put a cushion on the corner of the shelf.
A few minutes later, a crazy woman with a thick accent called (might be Asian) and I had to ask her to repeat herself a few times. She yelled and accused me of not telling anyone and told me that I had refused to tell her manager what shelf it was, when I said the manager was supposed to view the security camera. She yelled that I’d «be found out and taken to jail» for pretending this happened just to get money. she wanted me to go to her doctor (just to access me — not to treat me). I wanted to wait to see how I felt the following day and she said, once again, that I was lying.
Things got worse until I hung up on her. Fortunately, I was able to take care of myself with ice and anti-​inflammatory treatment. The moral of the story is: YOU ARE NOT SAFE IN THIS STORE. If anything happens to you or your pet, you’re on your own and you really don’t want to deal with this woman. Clearly, it’s her business strategy to blame others and be so awful you won’t want to deal with her.
It also explains why all her employees are miserable. They look like drug addicts on the first day of trying to get clean for the 20^th time.

3.5 star … I’m a fan, but …
I have owned my 2 large dogs for 7 ½ yrs and ⁵¹⁄₂ years, respectively. I’ve lived in the Hillhurst area for 3 years. I have often found myself in the «mecca» stores of PetSmart/​PetCo/​Unleashed/​etc. and Unleashed as well as about 5 local stores within the few miles from my home and this is a pretty fair and accurate review as I can muster. Per some other comments,
Yes, it is in the corner strip mall at the corner of Franklin and Hillhurst; yes, it is small, and a tad «gamy» smelling and frankly somewhat musty, and yes, the signs at the door and the counter can be a bit over the top, but let’s get past all that for a moment.
FOR DOGS (and I only have dogs so I cannot speak for the Cats/​Fish/​Other mammals or reptiles etc) …
For dogs it’s pretty comprehensive of what I have ever needed. They have basic caretaker supplies (Nature’s Miracle, harnesses, muzzles, shampoo, ear and eye de-​goopng stuff, etc.). Their toy aisle is less exciting, but they do have the basics, and they even have the 3 brands of toys I love most (ones that are flat and furry, ones that are made of long-​lasting rope braided in various shapes, and Kong various things.) They also stock a VERY nice selection of grain-​free and top-​of-​the-​line foods. They are actually not that knowledgeable about most of them, but they try. They also have tons of samples of each of the foods for you to try for a few days if you’re changing.
They have a less (poor) selection of leashes/​collars and they do not carry the brand of «indestructible» toys that have the «bones» rating system (I forget the name).
HOWEVER, they’re convenient, their hours even on the weekends are beyond great!!! and they have never once forgotten to ask me if I need help carrying out the large bags of food I buy. They are good about reminding me which brands do UPC code collection and discounts, and when I buy over a certain amount of specific brands, they give me a 10% coupon off the next trip, in.
I think those that complain about the smell/​appearance are the ones looking for «pristine» shops that pack a huge wallop of «Quantity» over quality. I consider this store to be (drum roll here) consistent. In this day and age, that’s kinda nice.
I like supporting local businesses, I have dogs with severe allergies to certain foods and they have at least 3 of the types they can both eat, and they have the basics when I need them. They also carry the «Greenies» generic brand that has less chemicals and is made from potato starch for cheaper (at least the size I buy).
They’re friendly to me. Helpful and quick about getting overstock items out of the back (though the shelves are always well stocked) and they have a small selection of refrigerator food as well.) It is true the shop is not exactly bustling and generally people don’t bring their pets in, but they do sponsor adoption days and there are dogs/​cats around being groomed and petted then.
All in all … there are days I wish it was a Centinela Feed store nearer me, but this true gem in the rough is steady, dependable, open and convenient when I just need the basics and know what I want.
I’d like to give this a higher rating of a 4, but they just aren’t that knowledgeable about the products I’ve asked about in the past (but please know that I research things a lot before purchase and tend to want antidotal information not bag-​facts.
I urge you to overlook the mustiness and support a local business that probably has what you need, and let’s face it, how often do you return treats, toys and dogwood!!!

I love it here… for the following reason…(see below)
1.Its right down the street and I’m lazy
2. They always give you samples, that are the perfect size to take on car trips or overnight trips for my Chihuahuas
3. I like to support local business
4. They have great brands of dog food, all my friends dogs want to eat my dogs food
5. they always have chicken wrapped rawhide sticks, that my doggies love
6. I find the staff knowledgable and helpful
7. I’m f-​cking really sick of places like Petco, Petsmart, Walmart, Home depot, Office depot, Office Max… etc etc… they hire morons that dont know where anything in the store is and just say «ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh maybe aisle 15» What the Hell happened to service…
So anyway this place is more expensive but its worth it…
On another note I just found a new nail lady… shes all the way in Pasadena, she’s black, she’s funny, and now I remember that having a manicure is a service… and its such a pleasure to spend an hour in a cross between therapy and relaxation, unlike the Asian salons I’ve been going to for the past 20 years, where I know they are talking shit about me, not listening to me when I tell them something hurts, and trying to sell me a stupid f-​cking flower design for $ 5 and quick dry for $ 1…
Back to the point, support local business, don’t support big chains or mills of any kind…
Well thats my opinion anyway.

I’ve been meaning to update this review for about a year but, being as busy and important as I am, have not gotten around to it. Until now. Thus explains the giant three star leap.
Additional star the first: The last dozen or so times my boyfriend and I have come here, the meal worms have been alive. Same with the crickets – so much so, in fact, that I’m pretty sure they’re overcompensating to make up for the crickets that get cannabalized on the two-​second drive home*.
Additional star the second: This is the only place I’ve found whole deer/​cow/​other ruminant hooves, which it turns out are the only form of pet entertainment Jet can’t swallow in thirty seconds. A three dollar investment that replaces the weekly one-​dollar-​and-​fifty-​cent pig’s ear run? That’s a fifty percenty savings per year! **
Additional star the second and a half, plus another half star because I’m not a complete jerk, for a total of an additional whole third star: The fat little cockatiel on the right side of the second-​from-​bottom birdcage wants to be my best friend, and there’s free LA Weekly.
So it is Unilocaled, so it is done; For Pets Only is a five star place.
*watch the bag, as well, and rehouse any crickets immediately; otherwise they’ll chew their way through a corner, inviting a mass exodus from bag to bedroom to god knows where else. Waking up with a cricket in your shorts: not as fun as it sounds.
**Assuming that the hoof lasts four weeks; Jet’s on week six/​seven and still has about half left. For ease of mathematics, however, we’re gonna stick with four weeks, or about once month.
In other words, Jet goes through about $ 36 of hoof per year, even though the actual number is probably much smaller.
At one pig’s ear a week, Jet goes through about four a month («four a month» meaning, or course, «one for thirty seconds four times a month, for a total of two minutes a month»), which, at a cost of $ 1.50 a week, costs about six dollars a month, or $ 72 a year, by which I really mean «72 $ for about 24 minutes of actual eating a year–
–4.56 621 005 X 10 – 5 of the time in a year, yes that is a negative exponent–
Also, does it even count as eating if he doesn’t chew?»