Growing up in Lake Villa next to Antioch, Best Pets has moved locations once and I've know the owner Steve since I was a young girl. Best pets provides food, supplies, toys and of course, animals. Pre owned items or brand new with a modest price difference. One thing that many negative reviewers don't know is that Best Pets only rescues dogs, not purchase them from breeders. So the dogs may not always be in the best condition and the staff do their best to give them the best care. They took in my ball python when he became too picky for me to be able to feed him, and they rehomed him to a wonderful family. I also bought my love and life, a ferret who was given away to them, and they gave me a great deal on her supplies. Now, service can be a bit slow or pricing on items your trying to sell can be a bit cheap but I totally understand, some days there's only one person on the floor and other times, business is bad and can't give too much for people's supplies. Overall, I love this store for the memories and the staffs knowledgeable information on animals. read more

This is what local pet stores should be. Friendly staff, fair prices, wide selection of products for cats and dogs with a robust small pet and aquarium section as well. They have various foster cats available for adoption and they carry a lot of good food brands that go beyond your average Iams or Fancy Feast. They provide strong customer service and seem involved with the community. I would definitely visit here again. The only downside is that parking is out behind the building and the storefront is on the front along Main Street, so there's not a very easy way to buy litter and haul it out to the car. read more

I love Best pets the new owners are doing some positive changes and are really kind people. please give them your business!

Nice store, good selection and nice staff working there. Was surprised to read some of these reviews, so thought to leave my own. We have 3 dogs, 2 rabbits and a toad and find them helpful and reliable. Worth a visit for sure. read more

Decent selection. Reasonable pricing. We purchase supplies for our aquarium here. Helpful staff.

A gentleman working there was very helpful and friendly. What he recommended helped my sick parakeet get back to health. I'm so thankful! Highly recommend this place. read more

I was very excited to check out this store because a friend told me all about how great it was and how nice the owner was. I drove 40 minutes on a Saturday to check it out! Well, I didn't get that experience. I'm not in the shop 2 minutes when some employee comes up to me and makes me feel bad for even being in the store. I immediately left because I felt so uncomfortable. I didn't even get to purchase what I came for or look around the store. Oh well. Hope your experience is better. read more

If I could give this place a zero, I would. Someone supposedly dumped two 9 month old dogs there who were said to be adopted from a rescue then abandoned. I say supposedly because there is no way of knowing if these two dogs were in the store for sale, or if someone actually dumped the dogs there. This occurred on Saturday 9.16.2017 Coincidentally a customer and animal rescue advocate happened to go in there to buy some food on 9.21.2017. She happened to see the dogs and the manager asked her if she wanted to take them to foster. The dogs were in deplorable conditions. Immediately the customer/rescuer took the dogs to the vet and it was determined that one was so sick it needed to be brought to the 24 hour emergency vet. German Shepherd Mixes, weighing only 35 pounds, Both emaciated, one was having such a hard time breathing it was impossible for even a two year old child to miss that! Turns out an employee of the establishment decided on her own (with no veterinary experience) to give one of the dogs subcutaneous fluids (not the right amount, not even enough for a puppy) over the course of the 5 days the store had the dogs in possession). Did it concern them the dogs weren't eating? nope! The female dog was dead within 6 hours of leaving the store. She was THAT sick. If the irresponsible people from this store had given a rats ass they would have taken these dogs to the vet or called a rescue IMMEDIATELY. The male dog is sick but hopefully will survive. Does the store care that so far the costs have exceeded $1k to treat the dogs? NO! Do they care the female dog died? NO Have they even inquired about the male dog? NO To add insult to injury when the store manager was notified that these dogs had come into contact with puppies and customer dogs while they were at the store and the management could have cared less! This is exactly why all Pet Stores should be regulated. This place SELLS animals, which is even more disturbing. They used to get their animals from puppy mills, but now say that they only sell rescue dog, cats and birds. You'll find the occasional reptile, fish and rodents there too... Any reputable rescue wouldn't allow their animals in this store. Fair Warning: do not bring your animals into this establishment, do not purchase product from this establishment and do not allow them to Pet Sit for you if you care at all about animals. They dont! Only money is important to them. Shame on you Best Pets, you are a disgrace and disgusting. Hopefully enough people read this and refuse to ever step foot in your store, or spend any money in your store. read more

I would give this place 0 stars if it was an option. The kittens had terrible living conditions. The 5 kittens that were in the room were left to share 1 tiny cat bed. 2 of the kittens did not have room on the cat bed and slept on wire shelving. There were no other blankets and absolutely no toys. I was disgusted by their environment. I told a clerk that they need to put blankets and more beds in the room because it was obvious that they were uncomfortable. The floor in the room wasn't carpet, so that wouldn't even be a viable option because they would be cold. This place needs to be shut down. The clerks did not promptly help with... anything. It smells of urine and feces. I left infuriated and I feel helpless for those animals. They shouldn't have the responsibility of taking care of animals if they can't deliver on basic needs. read more

I have been taking my bird here to have her wings clipped and boarded once. I recently had to give up 2 baby bunnies, both males. I got a call from the pet store saying that the males are spraying the glass cages and if I don't pick them up, they will euthanize the bunnies. How the hell can a business blackmail me? I am APPALLED. This is disgusting. Is this what they do to unwanted pets? I had to rush around and find a place for them to go. Something Fishy in Fox Lake is happily taking them. I tried to confront the owner about this, but he "knew nothing" about this. DO NOT give them new pets to sell. If anything, save the animals there! read more

Best Pets Ltd - Pet Stores Near Me - Antioch, Illinois

Don't come to this dirty store ! My friends and I were walking around the store when a employee came up to my friend confusing him for someone he wasn't. We were also being followed around the store making us want to leave. read more

This pet store used to be good, but has gotten so bad even before the pandemic. Now every time I go in there I see animals being neglected and not living in the correct conditions. We went there today and we saw a kitten that had green goop coming out of it's eye and it was squinting. I asked a male worker if the cat was okay and he just snapped back twice, it is fine. We go to the reptile store attached to Best Pet's and I just need to stop going over the BP's, it is truly heartbreaking. read more

I was there tonight to find an appropriate sized home for a turtle I'm fostering. It's hard to find a 40 Breeder tank in the area and ordering one would take months. I called and they had one. It was a complete kit and reasonably priced. After purchasing, they helped me get it to the car. Nice salesperson and very helpful. Thank you!!! read more

When we first moved to Antioch, Wife and I tried to support this local shop, but each time it ended in disappointment. The last straw was the time she bought a bag of pet food and left the store, only to be chased down on the sidewalk by a store employee demanding to see her receipt. Not cool! read more

Best Pets is one of the last bastions of privately owned pet stores with an owner that truly loves animals. We have been buying pet supplies here for 10 years and have not had any issues. They are happy to let you interact with their animals, but are understandably strict about children needing an adult present. They have a huge selection of supplies, cages, and companions. My wife and I recently had a baby and were unable to make space for our very large rabbit that we adopted. It had been abandoned by its owner in our neighborhood and we took it in. As time progressed we had to give it up. Steve, the owner of Best Pets, was happy to take the rabbit in and help us rehome it. Every time my family eats in downtown Antioch, we stop by Best Pets to see the animals, and finish the night off at the nearby Dairy Queen. All in all, it's a fantastic local business that deserves your support. read more

This place is just awful... Starts out with a bad odor and weird and informally dressed staff. We purchased 2 hamsters and a cage the hamsters were given to us in a cracker box from Walmart. The next day when my sister got home she went to take the hamster from the cage and it had given brith!!! Yes the hamster from the petstore gave birth the next day! When we brought the hamster back they took full responsibility, which was good but then things took a turn for the worst. The owner started speaking of things like talking to my 11 year old sister about abortion which was completely uncalled for at this point we were disgusted and haven't been back since. We had gone here for years and come to expect everything else but the comments about abortion and eating babies was uncalled for. Will never go back... read more

I went to Best Pets and it was a very nice pet store. It was nothing like Veronica mentioned. It was clean and no odor except what is customary for a pet store. The workers helped me with my turtle clipping her nails and trimming her overgrown beak. Looked like they had a lot of happy customers who regularly visited. Not a fancy pet shop but just what was needed. read more

My boyfriend and I stopped in here to get food for our bearded dragon because it's closer to home than most chain stores. Bad idea. This place is disgusting. When you first walk in, all you can smell is urine. The cages and litter boxes are filthy, and the puppy area is full of soiled papers and lethargic dogs. In addition their prices are ridiculous. I understand a small business can't compete with chain stores price wise, but they were still overpriced for a small business. I could understand a big mark up if they were selling specialty items, but this is basic stuff you can easily find at most pet stores at 30% less. We asked for feeder fish, and the person working near the aquatic section seemed inconvenienced at our presence. He said he would get them in a second, as he was busy. We said no problem, and went to browse the rest of the store. We found the worms and light we needed for our Beardie, and walked back over to the fish area. When we reminded the guy we asked for fish, he just stared at us like we were speaking another language. Needless to say, we gave up and didn't get the fish. We encountered 2 employees while there, and both were rude and acted like we were imposing on them. When we asked to see a puppy, we were asked for our ID's and told we had 10 minutes. We found a puppy we really liked, and wanted to take her home (we've been considering a puppy for a while). When we approached the sales person (because no one actually showed us the dogs, or explained breeds, ages, etc) to get the dog, we were told they "didn't have time" to start the application process, and we would need to come back on Monday (this was Saturday afternoon). When I asked for the application, the employee then told me that the dog hadn't seen a vet yet, so it would not be ready for a week. Why would you put a puppy on display that hadn't seen a vet, or wouldn't be able to be "adopted" for a week? They also say they don't "sell" pets, but rather "adopt" them. That's a bit hard to believe considering their "adoption" fees for some dogs top a thousand bucks. We were also told we would need to watch a 15 minute video before adopting a dog, which I thought was pretty normal, except the video was about the benefits of a raw/freeze dried diet, not about taking care of a puppy/new pet/etc. So their "training" video is basically a sales pitch. I would have loved to have brought a puppy back to our loving home (with other well cared for pets) today, but because of rude employees and a filthy store, I did not. I still really liked the puppy and will consider adopting her, but to pay that kind of money for a dog, and to be treated so rudely, I am reluctant to give them any money at all. This place should be out of business with the way their pets are treated and the way their customers are treated. If I go back for the puppy, I will make sure to let everyone know about the place I "adopted" her from, though it seems more like an overpriced rescue to me. read more

Best Pets is the worst pet store I have ever been to. It is filthy inside and smells horrible. Once I overheard the owners daughter saying she was keeping some donated dog beds for herself instead of giving them to the rescue dogs. Do not shop here. I hope they close and a better store or restaurant goes into their valuable downtown Antioch location. read more

The customer service here is phenomenal. The prices are unbeatable. While I've never gotten a pet from this pet store, I did purchase a larger tank for my beardie and a bunch of new accessories for half the price that a new tank would cost at a large retailer. They also bought my old tank off of me which saved me the hassle of trying to sell it online. Very happy with my visit today. Support your neighborhood pet store. read more

We have gone here for years, it may not be the most organized or fancy store in the world but the people and the prices are the best around. I love being able to get things new and used and they have s many options for things such as cages and tanks, their animals are always in good condition and they take responsibility for everything. They accept some trade ins at the owners discretion which is also a plus for us, how many pet stores can you get a used item or trade things in, most stores jack up the prices of everything and sure they still mark things up like everyone else but not anywhere near reg. pet store prices. Our family loves it here!! read more

I inherited a couple of parakeets last minute from family. Never having owned a bird, I really didn't know where to start. The man working, (maybe the owner or manager, should have gotten his name) was so nice and went above and beyond to help me. He was able to answer all my questions and give me useful advice. He got their nails and beaks cleaned up as well as clipped their feathers. Very kind and helpful people. read more

I just went here to look at one of the puppies up for adoption. The one employee was cleaning the area and put the puppies away. I asked her if I could see the puppies and she said not really I put them away and I am cleaning and turned and continued to clean. I looked at their hours afterwards and they closed in half an hour. I guess they are more worried about going home on time instead of finding a home for there pets. read more

Worst pet store I have ever been into. The workers practically ignore you. One girl was leaning over the counter talking to her boyfriend on the other side and ignored me and another customer until one other lady came out front. Extremely rude staff, unprofessional, no customer service skills, no sense of urgency or accountability. Besides for the surface things like the place smelling, the puppies in the window rolling in feces and the cages looking like they are rarely cleaned-NEVER bring your dog to get their nails clipped here. This was the most traumatic experience my dog has ever had. I took my extremely nice 1-year old blue nose to get his nails cut with my fiancé. The woman grabbed a small container of powder in one hand and clippers in the other. She told my fiancé he would have to hold our dog cause he is too strong for her. She came around the counter and made us hold him on a concrete floor in front of paying customers at the register and she proceeded to cut his nails. At first I thought it was weird but got over it. I was trying to distract my dog while she clipped his back left nails and my fiancé holding him. She clipped three and then stopped started putting powder on his feet, when I stood up and realized what was going on my dogs nails were literally bleeding all over the floor. I have never seen so much blood come from a nail. She had cut them so short that there was half the size of my pinky finger nail of nail left on three of his claws. I was shocked! My fiancé stood up and she proceeded to tell us she didn't think he needed his back nails cut! Why would he not need them cut!? That is why we came there! She then told us that we may need to come back when there are two men that work there that can hold our dog down. I was appalled. Another women who worked there came from behind the counter and asked us where we normally get his nails cut, I told her we use to do them but he is too big so the place right next door to them usually does it. She proceeded to ask if they sedate my dog when they cut his nails! I was started to get very frustrated. My fiancé asked her how you know how much to cut of the dogs nails she told us, and I quote "You keep cutting the nail until it bleeds-then you know where to cut the nails down to on the other ones". Then she had the brain to tell us she wasn't going to charge us for cutting three of my dogs nails and make him bleed all over the floor. We left right away. I had to shampoo the seats in my car to remove the blood stains that were all over the back seat. I will NEVER give these people any business anymore in any way. This is horrible and I will also tell everyone not to go there so they don't have to go through what we did. if I could of left 0 stars and still made a review that's what I would of done. read more

I am honestly surprised to see bad reviews here. I go to Best Pets all the time. I see the same frequent shoppers all the time. The staff is young, mostly high school students so I don't get too upset if they don't know everything the first time I ask but they have always been able to help me. The one time they did not have the collar I wanted in stock they ordered it for me! They have a AMAZING selection of Dog Food, and can help you choose which is best for you. The prices are better at best pets than at Pets Mart by a good $4-$6 for the dry food I get. What they lack in professionalism they make up for in the products they have and the prices. Love best pets! Love the new location too! read more

Warning to those that receive a quote to sell them used equipment over the phone. I called them to ask if they buy USED fish tank and filter system, he asked what type, I told him and that the filter was used for about 2 months (originally $200) and that the 55 gallon tank was not used but the BOX WAS OPEN. He gave me a price and I confirmed again that the filter was used for 2 months and the box on the tank was OPEN AND NOT NEW and that I also had a stand. He said to bring it in. When I got there he ended up offering LESS THAN HALF of what he told me on the phone and said it was a misunderstanding that he thought it was new. To make it clear, I went out of my way during the phone call to make sure he knew that it was used/open so I could get a good idea of what they would pay for it because I don't live near the store. He even remembered what he quoted me but somehow "misunderstood" that it wasn't used/open box? That is just bad business. Won't be back and will tell everyone my experience. Good luck! read more