The local Petco staff tries, but they don't seem to get the best support from HQ. The items I want, e.g. specific Royal Canin formulas, are often out of stock. The clerks say this is because of the corporate ordering/stocking software. Whatever. The checkout lines are almost alway very slow, again due to the chain's operating software. Sometimes very good sale prices. Haven't used the grooming services. read more

This store/company represents everything that is wrong with this country. It's trying to be a big box , and I hope, for all their animals and loyal employees, it fails miserably. They refuse to find ways to keep the employees that actually care/know what they are talking about. They could definitly use more staff. I can only count 2 employees out of the 10 or so that really know what they are taking about, and only one of them doesn't talk down to you at times. There are never enough employees around to help, and the managers are always in the office, NOT really wanting to help. Today, I went in for THE LAST TIME EVER. I was desperate for cat supplies, and decised to go in. While I was in line, the cashier, (one of the two I talked about up above) was busy, and called for back up. I just watched as the new manager walked in, clocked in , walked into the office, and then called for help. A customer in line actually commented on what we all saw, and all the girl could do was kinda smile. They switched out managers, and the new one sucks!! He has a horrible personality . He is uptight, and is obviously not really interested in helping customers. They have a worthless selection of fish, though I have to give it credit for being super clean. Actually all of their animals have always been clean, it just is disappointing that hardly anyone there knows what they are talking about. I used to shop there for the past few years, but I will refuse to shop there anymore, and I will definitely not recommend it. read more

Amanda in the grooming salon was awesome! Super helpful and patient with both me and my dog. My dog is a pup and BIG, never been groomed by a pro before and Amanda and her team handled it all with smiles and gratitude! Price was right on and my dog is happy and clean with lovely trimmed c=nails:) read more

I would just like to comment on the young lady that brought her dog in and was supposedly injured. Have you considered that you dog may have had a pre-existing hip dysplasia? It's extremely common in dogs over 5 years old and it wouldn't make sense for a dog to need such intense surgery from a very standard hair cut. I understand wanting to advocate for the well being of your pet, but I wouldn't place the blame on Petco, or the groomers. It's very easy to point a finger - but these people get hired because of their love for animals. Animal cruelty, especially such a serious case thereof, is a very serious accusation. I implore you to do your research not only into the employees, but into your own animals medical history. On that note I would like to add that I have had nothing but positive experiences with Petco and especially with Amanda. I'm definitely not suggesting that your pets pain isn't real, but I think your jumping the gun a little quick. read more

HORROR!! This place just butchered our Havenese. We do not recognize our dogs at all. They buzzed off their entire coats. My husband gave very clear details about the cut and did not recognize our dogs when he arrived He had to leave the store without talking to anyone for fear he'd be screaming so furiously he'd be arrested Never never never trust your dog to get groomed here. We are devastated and the dogs were shaking all night. They look like hairless dogs. It's HORRIFYING!!! read more

I am writing this review of the aquarium department only because that's the only part of the store I use. I drive way out of my way to go to the Novato store because of one employee and the excellent selection of fish, plants and accessories that he maintains. As others here have mentioned, Travis is wonderfully knowledgeable and passionate about his hobby and job. He is personable and patient and goes out of his way to solve your problem or suggest something that will help make your aquarium experience successful and delightful. I've been keeping a tank for 40 years and been to more pet stores that I can count seeking help. I found a treasure in Novato. read more

I have been coming here for 7 years or so bringing my very timid min- aussie (miniature Australian shepherd) to Amanda for a complete cut. Aussie warmed up to her in two seconds. I hear Amanda is gone now and I hope it's not because to some custo3mer complaining their dog got hip dysplasia. I have had three dogs with HD and NONE of the got it at the dog groomers. It is heredity and takes years to build up before actual symptoms show themselves. If you are a dog groomer out there hire Amanda and you will have many customers for life. read more

The store is OK, prices aren't great. However, my greatest complaint is with the grooming department. We called for a morning appointment and drove all of the way from Mill Valley. They said it would be an hour. We went back after an hour and they hadn't started to wash the dog yet. They asked for a half of an hour more. We left, came back in about 45 minutes. My dog was JUST in the bath. An hour later, still not groomed and had not been dried. Another 45 minutes we went back and they were in mid cut. It took them a total of almost 5 hours to wash and groom my little dog. I would have been less angry if they had just told us to come back in 4 or 5 hours, instead of making us hang around the Costco parking lot and shopping center for an entire Saturday, always being told "just a little while longer". They then charged me $70 for the groom job, which was OK, but not fantastic. Never again. read more

I brought my labradoodle to Petco for grooming. Not only did they give my dog a terrible haircut, they burned him while grooming. He had sores all over his nose area. I got my money back after a week of phone calls with the manager. read more

Daniel (Danny), the store manager, is the reason for my 5-star rating. He was kind, patient, and kept us fully updated on our guinea pig's condition when he (the guinea pig) needed antibiotics. Danny and his associates REALLY care about the animals there and were wonderful to me and my daughter. Honesty, kindness, compassion and excellent communication are what you can expect when he's managing the store. read more

This place has the best people working. We came in after being evacuated from a fire and our cat had been in his carrier for 8 hours while we tried to find a place to stay. The staff set up an area that he could walk around in and stretch his legs. As if that weren't enough they offered us water and were very kind to us even though we came in solely to inconvenience them. Thank you petco for making a stressful day a little easier on our furry friends read more

This particular Petco has been amazing. The last two times I have been here, I have had a "WOW" experience. The first time was when I bought my kitten some dry food and the table was set up for "extra savings." I asked the cashier which food choice was better between the two, and she educated me on what to look for to make my choice. My next question was well, what's the price of this bag; option B...it came up as the sale price of 25$ where option A was 4.99. She called one of the managers, Chris over and because it was the regular sales price and not the extra savings, he gave me option B for the price of option A! WOW!! He also kindly carried out my two bags of food for me. My latest experience was a bit frustrating, but the recovery was the "WOW." I had gone to the Vallejo Petco where I had purchased my flea meds for my kitten with the price match. I had done some research on prices because well, it's very expensive. I go in and show the checker my research and she calls her manager over. They said that they only price Mach from Petco.com or a "real store." Ooooookkkkkk but the last two times they price matched no problem. So I check out, the cashier and her manager proceed to discus how ridiculous I was for assuming they would price match an online store, in front of me and I become annoyed. So I think of my past experience with Chris at my normal Petco. I call Novato and explain my story to Jessica, and she, like myself was confused as to why they would say that. She graciously informs me she would price match for me no problem, so I drive there immediately. She was so nice and apologetic on behalf of my experience at the Vallejo Petco and recovered my loyalty to them instantly. So, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Chris and Jessica for being so awesome at customer service! read more

I take my English Bulldog here monthly to be groomed. They do a great job for a very affordable price. My dog is simple, bath, nails and tooth brushing. I recommend these guys. read more

An ok store... The people are unknowlegdable and very rude. I LOVE CATS, so one time, I went to visit some kittens, a woman shrieked, "No kittens today, next Saturday!" in a very rude way. I'm fourteen, and they can't treat me different for being under 18!!!!!!! When I visited the kittens the next Saturday, I was extremely excited, but a woman said, "One kitten at a time!" she was very rude... The fish are alsways dead, and the store is quite negligent to them.... Poor fishies..... read more

We went in to buy some goldfish, and the guy asks me how many gallons of water. One per 20 gallons! Are you kidding me,? And how long have we been preparing our tank? WE ARE TALKING ABOUT GOLD FISH,. Walmart, no problem. read more

Good/large selection of foods and pet "necessities" as well as a few luxuries The staff is very helpful. Decent pricing on most items.

I have used Petco Grooming for several years, but this relatively new staff is really great! They are knowledgeable about dogs, issues affecting dogs(like fleas) and love their clients. My little cocker is typically nervous when I leave her for grooming but since she has gotten to know this Petco staff, she goes right in without a fuss. I recommend it very highly. read more

I have lived in the Petaluma/Sonoma area for last 8 years. After many years of taking my little Shihtzu to various groomers I finally found one in Sonoma that I really like. Unfortunately for me, not for her, she is so busy that unless you book at least a month in advance you will not get it. My experience with other groomers in Sonoma and Petaluma, which I do not like, is they want you to bring your dog in and leave him with them for most of the day. He would be caged up or let out with other dogs to play with, which I didn't like since I don't know about the other dogs. In the past, I have taken my dog aq couple of times to Petco in Petaluma when I couldn't wait to get in to my regular groomer in Sonoma and the results were not good. Today, I took my dog to the Petco in Novato since I couldn't get in to my groomer until April. I took him in at 2:00 this afternoon and received a call from them at 3:00 informing me my dog was ready to pick up. I'm thinking, "Oh gosh, I wonder what he is going to look like". Well I will tell you he looks beautiful!!! Seriously the best cut he has ever had and he is 11 years old. Roxanne is the name of the young lady who groomed him. There were three ladies working there today and they were all so nice and professional. I think I found our new groomer! read more

I will never go to this Petco again. Last week I spent about $150 only to later open the bag of dog food and find webs, worms, and dead moths. Of course, I decided not to feed it to my pup and to return it. I understand that Petco isn't responsible for Purina One's disgusting surprise in the bag, however, a little friendly customer service would have been appreciated. Gemini the person in charge of helping me never said he was sorry for the inconvenience or anything! Even when another employee came over to help him, they treated me like a transaction, not a human. It was inconvenient to return the bag (not to mention gross silk worms crawled out into my car while trying to return the food). I would have appreciated some sort of an apology or even an ounce of empathy from the employees. Instead they chucked a gift card my way and that was it! I almost swore off Petco, but the Petaluma store totally redeemed my faith in customer service. read more

SELLING SICK GUINEA PIGS! We recently bought a guinea pig. After a week, we found out it had bronchitis and mites. We returned it to the store for vet treatment (that is how their "guarantee" works). We called to follow up on the guinea pig's condition and they started giving us details about a DIFFERENT guinea pig that had been returned for mites two weeks before. The other day, I saw a guinea pig in their store cage that had cohabitated with the sick one we bought. The sad thing is that there were 3 new pigs in the cage with the existing one. So, they keep contaminating the new ones. Unfortunately, the sick guinea pig we bought infected the guinea pig we already had at home. (Yes, they were living separately and had only met briefly a few times. But, apparently that was enough to spread the mites and cold.) The vet today told us that they get this problem a lot from Petco, that they don't quarantine the sick ones long enough and the cages aren't cleaned well enough after an infestation. (The mite eggs are very resiliant and can cling to the walls of the cages, even after cleaning.) We have to clean our cage twice a week, use a spray and still wait 3 weeks to be sure the pig has gotten rid of all the mites. I am sorry to have to write this review. Our first guinea pig from Petco has been healthy for a year and a half and is a great pet (until we exposed the poor guy to mites.) But, I would be extremely wary of buying from them at this time. If you do get one, you really should take it to your own vet and have it checked out completely. Very unforunate. read more

The store is very well run and has a pretty above-average staff for a big box store, service is quite good, store is clean etc. but the review and 5-star rating is specifically for the grooming salon and particularly Amanda there. They SO totally care about and for dogs it is a pleasure to leave mine with them. Trust me, I am both picky about and paranoid when selecting a groomer and it is a very difficult decision for me so when I moved to Novato from SoCal with my 2-year old (now 3 ) long-hair chihuahua I had a hell of a time. A friend, the same one who had referred me to The Country Vet in Novato, told me about Amanda. I laughed at first because I wouldn't normally even consider a salon in a Petco or Petsmart but trust me, the Country Vet is the best Vet I have ever found in 40 years of having pets so I had to consider my friend's advice. I now think I will start asking this same friend about stock investments because she scored again so totally with Amanda and this salon. I am not even that picky about how great a job a groomer does to be honest, my concern is more about how they care for and handle my little dog and they are ACES in this regard but they do, in fact, also do a really good grooming job. They have all the hi-tech gadgets for nail grinding too, yadda yadda but to me the bottom line is, does my dog seem happy when I pick her up and does she seem in any way afraid of the groomer or reluctant to stay when we show up. Trust them, I do. read more

I read a lot of the reviews about this Petco and was surprised to see even the very few negative ones. I realize not everyone has the same experience but I have to give my 2 cents about the service I received in the grooming department. Neither of my dogs has ever liked their nails clipped and both would put up quite a struggle. After a bad experience at the Petco in Petaluma, where the staff refused to clip my female puppy's nails (even though they had done so in the past), because she was resisting, I was reluctant to try another Petco. Since taking them to the vet for nails was a bit on the expensive side, I decided to try the Novato Petco even though I live in Petaluma. My male dog hated his feet even touched. In the 8 years I've had him he's never allowed me to even touch his feet. I explained to KellyAnn the problems I had with both of my dogs in the past to give her a heads up. I watched through the glass, expecting to see her fighting with both of them but I was blown away. She was so gentle, leaning down every now and then to whisper in their ears and stopping to pet them in order to calm them down and gain their trust and before I knew it, she was done. I would have bet money she was going to have a big struggle so now we affectionately call her our dog whisperer. Even after I got them home, my male was sitting on the couch beside me and I reached out and tried to pet his feet and he didn't pull back and actually let me pet all fours. He was a rescue so I think possibly he may have been abused because he had a lot of issues but thanks to KellyAnn, clipping his toenails is no longer one of them. The times I've been at the store I've stopped and watched as they groom the animals and I see how much patience and love they show them and you can tell they love their jobs. I don't have a reason to take my dogs anywhere else. I had always talked about taking my pup, who is a little over a year now, to obedience classes and was given a Christmas gift for the six week course. I was so impressed with the classes even after attending only three, that I paid for the Complete Dog Obedience classes that Petco offers. Anyone who's thinking of getting their dog trained or if you're looking for a great groomer, I wholeheartedly recommend Novato Petco and no I'm not the mother of any of the employees either. ;) read more