Canine Center Inc

Canine center is a wonderful place to find just about anything you would want get your dog. Yes, it is slightly high priced but they do sell great quality products. After all, isn’t it worth spending a little extra to give your best friend a nutritious and delicious meal every time? They carry Blue Wilderness — high protein, grain-​free dog food. Since Darla started eating Blue Wilderness, she’s never had anything else and she loves it!
This store also have some baked treats for your pets. Even though I can’t vouch on the taste of their treats, I can tell you that my girl loved hers — she had a cupcake one but they aren’t grain-​free. They are quite pricey though and I doubt they are very healthy but it’s not so bad once in a great while. You could even buy these treats during your pet’s birthday!
Other than that, they have shampoos, conditioner, many different kinds of collars, brushes, beds, and anything else you could want for your pet. I love this store!

Our dog was dirty and shaggy when we took her. She came out clean and beautifully cut — just lovely looking. Since she is old and timid her «beautician» took extra time with her. We are so pleased.
Shirley

Great spot for an amazing variety of foods and treats, especially the top brands, like Fromm, Merrick and Nature’s Variety and even Nature’s Variety frozen items.

Pros — Knowledgeable employees, excellent holistic and raw dog food selection (they price match), willing to special order in anything (willing to serve the customer)
Cons — Parking access can be difficult at times

My negative experience is based on one groomer, Jamie, ONLY.
My husband and I have been using The Canine Center for 9 years. I do not know what has happened over the last couple visits but they noticeably lack courtesy and customer service. We have been considering switching groomers for the last 6 months because we noticed that one of our dogs was very dehydrated that he would drink so much water after we came home.
That being said, our last experience was abysmal. I followed the usual procedure, dropping our dogs off at 7 am (I forgot that my groomer does not come in until 8 am). My husband and I received a call around 1:30 pm asking how we would like our dogs taken care of. (something new) This was 6 hours after I dropped off our dogs. I later called back and was told that my groomer had left. Assuming they were ready, I went to pick them up around 4:30 pm but one of our dogs still was not ready and I was asked to wait another 30 min. I ended up asking for some water for my dog while waiting. That is 9 hours (not counting the first hour) after dropping them off. I asked to speak with the groomer, but she didn’t even bother to come out and speak with me.
I am not sure how other groomers treat their customer’s pet but I strongly do not recommend this place to anyone if you don’t want your pet to suffer for hours in a crate without any water and to receive mediocre customer service from the groomers. Before taking your pet to this place, I suggest you to ask them some questions in detail since your pet WILL be sitting in a crate for hours.

I was very happy when they offered to order in a brand of dog food that they don’t normally carry, but that I wanted. It hadn’t occurred to me to ask for a special order. The food came in quickly.

The staff is always courteous and I’ve only bought a few items from here but I honestly won’t shop here since it’s way too overpriced.

Great products — pricey, not cheap, but great. However, the staff can be really, really bizarre and off-​putting. A friend and I went there this week and the woman who waited on us was downright rude. I couldn’t wait to get out of this place.

I took my bichon here to get groomed and it was a big mistake. The groomers name is Jamie and when I dropped him off, I felt confident that she would do a good job. She asked me how I wanted his hair cut and everything.
Fast forward a few hours later when I pick him up. First of all, they have me pay and take my tip before they even bring my dog out. When I see him, his hair was completely butchered! When I asked for a standard bichon hair cut, that’s what I expect to get. Not some nearly shaven dog.
After I took him home and got a better look, the more upset I got. I called to let them know that I was unhappy with the cut expecting them to be apologetic and maybe offer a discount the next time. The girl gets on the phone and never apologized for my dissatisfaction and was relentlessly defending herself. It almost seemed like she was blaming me! She was very rude and refused to listen to me.
I’ve been taking my dog to the groomers for five and a half years. I know if his hair is too matted to brush out and when it’s not. That was her excuse. I will never go back.

This place used to be one of the only places in town to get top quality and specialty dog food.
Now, however, there are a variety of great, local dog stores that sell the best quality dog food. Sadly, Canine Center has not kept up with the competition. I live near here and pop in occassion when I run out of something and haven’t got much time. Because the staff is so rude and the prices are only mediocre, I really try to avoid it. There are several other stores with kind, knowledgable staff, better product and better or comperable prices.
Skip this store and head to one of the other locally owned dog shops in town!

Watch your pennies when buying your pet’s food? Don’t go here.
Want your furry companion to have high quality, nutritious fare? This is one of the only places in the mid-​county area to find it.
Let me say I’m a total food snob when it comes to my pups. Have you ever read the ingredients of your dog’s food? Most of it is completely disgusting. Animal parts not meant to be eaten, corn (just think– what does corn do to you? Not high nutritional value), and lots of artificial stuff. Blech. I have no qualms paying more so my dogs get better nutrition and their coats and overall health are much better because of it. I’ve had foster dogs come to me in horrible conditions and feeding them food from the Canine Center (I feed Innova EVO to be specific) has gotten them in better shape fast.
Canine Center is small but has a lot of supplies. Some is pricier than I would spend on say, a toy, but the food products and treats are good and fairly priced compared to competitors.
A tip– there is parking in the front, but it’s hard to back out (onto Manchester!). There is a parking lot behind the store — turn on the street between its complex and 7 – 11, then turn left and the lot is there. Much better and easier to get in and out.

I wish that I could give the Canine Center a glowing review, because honestly, I do really like the store. Sadly, my wife and I had a negative experience there, so I thought it might be a good idea to temper my review with a reality check.
First, the good. Th Canine Center is a big store with lots of great stuff for dogs. The prices are comparable to what you’d find at PetCo or PetSmart, and the atmosphere is a lot friendlier and more dog-​centric than most pet stores. The Canine Center carries a lot of products that you won’t find at other pet stores, and the people there really, really love dogs. If you have a pup, I’d highly recommend at least checking the store out.
And now… let me share my negative experience. We stopped in the store looking for a dog bed for my 30 pound mutt, who was going through a destructive phase and tearing up every bed we bought. We talked to the folks at Canine Center about our problem let the salesperson talk us in to a $ 100 dog bed that was supposed to be indestructible. Our dog chewed a hole in it within 24 hours. We felt like the salesperson exaggerated the manufacturer’s warranty a little bit, and neither the manufacturer nor the retailer were willing to replace the bed since it was clear that our dog had done the damage.
(Happy ending — a $ 20 leather bed we found on closeout at Gordman’s has lasted our pup for years. It really DOES seem to be indestructible.)
Anyhow, that’s my beef with the Canine Center. If I lived a little closer to it, I might give it a second chance. But it’s out on a very busy stretch of Manchester road that’s too far out of my way. Getting in and out of the place is enough of a chore that I’m afraid I’ll have to go elsewhere for my canine supply needs.

I tend to be picky about the dog food and supplies I get for my Corgis. I want the bedding to be durable, the chew bones to be quality and only the good dog food.
Canine Center has all of that at a reasonable price. Plus, they have a great selection. The owners are friendly and only too eager to help. What else could you ask for? Great store!

So I have a dog who I love named Sammie. Sammie loves to roll in mud after a long rain as well as the dead worms (ick) that have tried to escape being drowned by coming to the surface. And apparently when rolled in, dead worms make a dog smell like goat breath.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, because I have experience with dirty dogs who need to get washed and groomed professionally. I called every dog grooming place withing a 10 mile radius of my house and Canine Center was by far the least expensive. And my dog is my child so I am not about to send her to a scary or unclean place. Even Shaker Bath House where you wash your own dog is more expensive. And my dog is not that big she is half beagle half whippet– imagine a beagle on stilts– or a baby dear– that’s Sammie. And many places charge $ 30– $ 35 just to wash her no grooming or cutting her hair. Canine Center charges me $ 15 to wash her and clip her toe nails.
There is also a great store with really knowledgeable employees (often the owners) attached to the grooming center. They have been great in my quest to find a dog food that Sammie would actually eat as well as toys that would entertain and stimulate her brain.