Montecito Pet Shop

The older woman who works here is extremely rude, and I would say borderline racist. My brother tried to adopt a kitten here and she told him he couldn’t because he is a student. That I can understand since its their store policy. But then he asked if there was any other way he could adopt the kitten and she said it was fine if he had a guardian or someone else to come in and adopt the kitten for him. So I came here to help my brother adopt a kitten, and even though I live on my own and have my own income she would not let me adopt one. She said something like, «are you with that other Asian guy out there?» What does it matter if I am or not? Then she had this very rude unwelcoming demeanor and told me that she wasn’t going to let me adopt a kitten. Despite me saying that I wanted to give the kitten a good home and frankly, why wouldn’t you want to allow the kitten to be adopted to someone who wants to provide it a good family. Seriously?
She was one of the RUDEST people I’ve EVER come across.

Very rude service! I don’t recommend coming here at all. Also, when we called to ask about something they answered very rudely. Bad service = no customers.

Such a great place to shop for animal supplies! They had a raffle & my son won a gift basket with several hundred dollars worth of supplies! We get all of our goldfish & supplies from Montecito pet shop!!!

These people are super nice. When our dog went missing they were one of the only businesses willing to put up a sign.

I was VERY pleased with the help I received from one of the girls! She was very knowledgable about the types of cat food that I was looking for, for my cat. She even recommended a really good product for my cat having an upset stomach! :) The prices here are a little high but that’s understandable considering it’s a small local shop and I feel happy to help out a local business. I will most likely get my cat food here again! Meow :3

I buy my pet’s food here exclusively. They are the only ones I know of in Santa Barbara who stock raw, ground meat for pets — which my pet loves — and the largest variety of high quality, grain-​free canned food. Plus, all the people who work there are friendly, helpful, and very nice!

I love Montecito Pet Shop and so glad it has made the Mesa its home! Staff always helpful in pointing out products for my springer spaniel and pouty cat. Nice variety of product for all kinds of households and pets. This is far better a shopping experience than large chains!

A behaviorist’s nightmare, decidedly not dog-​friendly.
While it’s a well-​stocked store with some great products, this is not a safe place to take your dog. I usually expect a pet store to be ready to fit dogs with collars, harnesses, and even sweaters, so yesterday I made the mistake of entering the store with my 12 lb dog on a 4′ leash.
Upon entering Montecito Pet Shop, we were immediately rushed by a medium-​sized, powerfully-​built dog that proceeded to follow us around the store, looming over my dog and remaining in physical contact with him despite my efforts to separate them. While my dog is EXTREMELY forgiving, this was still incredibly rude behavior. The person at the counter was talking to other customers and completely ignored the dog harassing mine. I had assumed this dog belonged to the other customers, but when I tripped over it the employee called for it. The dog returned almost immediately and resumed shoving my dog and running into my legs.
Behind the counter there was a VERY large dog that began growling as soon as we entered the store. As I approached the counter, both dogs rushed over and corned mine against the counter. The smaller of the two then jumped on my dog, pinning him to the floor in its mouth. I was able to pull him up and out of danger by his harness and leash. The employee then called the dogs back behind the counter with a quick «Sorry.» I paid for my purchase and left immediately to check my dog for puncture wounds.
My little guy is ok, but that situation was dangerous and unforgivable. At best the shop dogs were rude and out of control, at worst they could have killed my dog in a heartbeat. My dog is very resilient, but other dogs I work with would have been traumatized, and the situation could have ended very badly.
I will never shop there again, and I would caution other customers to avoid putting their dogs in harm’s way by bringing them into the store.

Randomly stopped here on a rainy day with my dogs. Had no agenda and this was the 1^st pet store I have visited (other than PetCo) in SB– moved here in Sept 2012. The young lady (blonde) at the front desk was very nice, and helpful. The store itself though can use some work. Some unique items for sure, however, overall I didntl feel like the place seemed all that clean or organized.
YES it is a PET store… I get that. But I have been working in the ‘pet’ field since 1998 and one of the very 1^st things I notice about any facility I walk into that involves pets is the cleanliness. This could be easily improved…

I have only used this store for purchasing pet supplies, not adoption services. I have always been happy with the service! The staff is friendly & knowledgable and has given me good recommendations for cat supplies. They even let me bring back a cone that was purchased for my cat — it just wouldn’t stay on his head and they were happy to take it back.
I also find it sweet that there are a variety of animals that «work» in the store. A giant dog and a rooster that actually seem to be good buddies! I love this store!

This review is for their products and services only; NOT for their adoption services.
We had a great experience here buying dog food. The customer support was excellent, and the man who helped us really knew his stuff about dog food and nutrition. It is by far the best and most knowledgable service I have ever received at a pet store.
Besides a wide variety of foods, they also have a great selection of toys and other convenience items (i.e. dog water bottle tops… the kind of stuff you never knew you needed!).

It’s odd to see that someone adopted an unhealthy pet from this pet store and received poor treatment from staff. I’m actually disappointed, because the staff seems to care about the pets in their care. I adopted my kitty here last month and he is in excellent health. Also, my roommate adopted her bunny and it’s in good health as well.
I often go in and play with the new pups and see the new rescues and they all seem in good health and spirits so I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry someone had a really bad experience and hope to not hear of more. I’m big on animal rights and believe that more should adopt their pets instead of buying little ones from mills. I like the fact that this pet shop switched from using mills; it’s more respectable.
I like this place and will continue to buy my kitty’s food and toys from here, but if I see any animals being mistreated or looking neglected, I will say something. I just hope it won’t come to that.

Unfortunately, we cannot recommend this store for rescue pets. Although the contract states that kittens are provided in a healthy condition, ours was not. It had fleas, parasites and worms. It hadn’t been tested for feline leukemia or heart worm — potentially putting our cat at risk. The vet said that our newly adopted kitten had the most unhealthy stool she had ever seen. After paying $ 200 for a kitten, it is frustrating to pay $ 300 to then make the kitten healthy — especially when the contract states «They have been appropriately vaccinated, treated for fleas if present, and dewormed. Our cats are not released to their new homes unless we, the rescuer, believe the cat is in good health.» Total lie. The pet shop staff was unapologetic and dismissed our concerns by stating that their kittens «don’t come from the best places.» I adopted a kitten without a home because it’s the right thing to do, and I expect the pet shop to provide a healthy kitten. It’s the least they can do, especially when there are children in their store holding these animals.