The worst place ever. I called TWICE. I called the first time because I received an email for Puppy"s First Play date free event at the Pet Hotel for today 9/13 and so I thought this was a great opportunity for my new puppy to interact with other puppies her age. When I called, I was transferred 3 times then hung up on. When I finally got someone they finally scheduled her and said to bring in her vaccine records. I explained that I have two kinds of records, one with a sticker from a previous owner and one from the vet when I took her the first time. They said it was fine. Then I called a week later to confirm her reservation at the play date and explained the situation and they said, "as long as we have the records, your puppy is fine." I finally came in at 12pm to sign in, driving 30 mins to get here from South Bay and they said they couldn't accept my puppy's records. She tried to confirm with the pet hospital in there and they couldn't accept it. I explain to them that spoke to 2 people to confirm and I drove all the way from down south just to come here because this was the closest Petsmart for this event and I asked "you basically can't do anything for us?" she's like "basically no". Then there was another employee with dark brown/black hair in a pony tail who didn't have the audacity to look at me in the eye and saying in the background "You can't leave her with us" while she was walking away. This is the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. They need to educate their employees on the protocol as well as their customer service. No wonder why this place has low stars. It's ridiculous to see how they treat customers. I can't imagine how they will treat our dogs when we leave them there. read more

CONSUMER BEWARE - do not sign up for the Wellness Plan. We were sold this plan and ended up being charged $699 for one wellness visit and weren't able to get out of the contract for the plan. These plans auto renew with no notice. On a side note, they have changed their process - we didn't see the Vet, we were only able to speak with their assistant. Reception staff have no sense of urgency. The assistant we spoke to tried to get us to change the food to another brand - the PetSmart staff on the sales floor told us not to - apparently, Banfield gets spiffed for pushing certain brands. Used to be a good office and experience but has really gone downhill - we will be going elsewhere read more

Size of the store and its variety of offerings are great, but the outside usually smells of dog urine very strongly. We also have noticed that there seems to be an abundance of very demanding and strange clientele that when mixed with socially awkward clerks make the checkout process excruciating. Although this store is closer to our home, when we want a more pleasant experience we go to the Petsmart in Santee or the Petco in La Mesa. read more

Good service and they take acceptable care of your pet. Make sure you have ALL of your paperwork on hand, or they won't take them.

Wasn't too bad this time. Clean floors, friendly staff and a huge selection of all your pet needs. The customer service has improved recently so whatever they are doing they should keep it up. read more

I'm writing this review to WARN PET PARENTS not to leave your dog at this pet hotel or even unattended with employees of this pet smart. The other day I saw a pet mart employee walking a small white poodle on the hot asphalt of the parking lot. The dog was clearly in pain as it was close to 100 degrees out and the ground was hot. The guy walking the poor dog paid no attention to how the poor dog could not step on the hot ground. Instead, the guy walking the dog yanked on the leash repeatedly to get the dog to walk. Pet Smart management, if your reading this, please do something about training your staff to be more aware of how hot asphalt in El Cajon can get in the summer. read more

Transferring from Santee to El Cajon Petsmart was a huge mistake. Ally in grooming did a horrible job with my Shih Tzu, Harley. Being the first time, I took in a picture, from a previous grooming, written instructions and verbal instructions how how I'd like Harley groomed. She didn't touch his face or head, she didn't not shave his tummy, and she didn't touch his hind end or tail. His ears were untouched as well! This was the worst grooming I've ever seen!! I had to ask for a refund because Petsmart grooming requires you to pay before you see your groomed pet. After talking with store Manager on duty she assured me that I would receive a follow up call from her, that did not happen. I will never go back to the El Cajon Petmart for grooming or Banfield Vet Dr. Bellmund! Her bedside manner was nothing less than degrading and unprofessional! They don't even deserve 1star!!! read more

I'm shocked at the smells in here. I've never been in a pet smart that has smelt the way this place smells. This place needs to be cleaned. It smells like pee and poop, the worst part is my nose is stuffed and I can smell this place. I feel like I'm in a big kitty litter or a house that has never been cleaned. I'm so shocked right now because it has NEVER smelt like this. I feel like throwing up with all the smells. Super unsanitary. read more

Amazing employees and amazing vet care. Amanda who does the dog training is very knowledgeable and knows her stuff. I've taken my puppy here for almost 3 years now and won't take him anywhere else read more

Got some behavioral training for our puppy here and for 6 weeks i brought him to training Unbelievably he learned everything they thought him! He was having some separation anxiety when we left and started chewing on stuff, the trainer gave me the best tip ever: buy a crate! I got the medium Petmate w 2 doors, just a little bit bigger than him with some room to grow and we leave him there when away from home. Not only he feels safe in there, he runs in there every time he sees we r getting ready to leave the house but it also helped with potty training since they are able to hold their pee one hour per month of age. So i am grateful for that awesome tip! read more

PetSmart - Pet Stores Near Me - El Cajon, California

Probably the worst service ever. I took my dog to get groomed yesterday. When I picked him up Michelle said he got bruises all over his body. When we got home we noticed a lot more than just bruises... he also had redness and lacerations all throughout his body and worms. I went in today and spoke to a "manager" named Aaron and was completely rude and said that none of that happened there and that they sanitized there tables every single time!!!!!!! Honestly this is the second time we have noticed worms!!!! which btw my dog does not like other dogs nor is there any dogs that live around us SO NO HE DIDNT GET IT FROM HOME OR OTHER DOGS HE GOT IT FROM YOU GUYS NOT SANITIZING YOUR STUFF ! this will be the last time that we will ever take our dog there. read more

This review is for the store and Hotel: The store is large with a good selection of products and it has always been clean and picked up anytime I have gone. The Hotel is awesome. We boarded our Cat who always has a hard time being boarded. We changed to PetSmart because their pet hotel has a person there 24 hours daily to watch over the pets. Our cat had a hard time the first few days there and the staff took great care of her and kept us informed of her status on a regular basis while we were out of town. By mid-stay she was eating, drinking, and had been made more comfortable by the staff. read more

Kat is literally the best groomer. I have the most difficult dogs and she handled them with grace! Use her!!!

I was in the area and was able to book an appointment for full groom on Bichon! The store opens early and they have a full staff for walk-in nail trims. Gia was the groomer and bonded with coco immediately as she evaluated his coat . She did an amazing job I recommend her if you really love your pet ;) read more

If you make an appointment to have your pets teeth cleaned, beware that they may overdose your pet to the point of disabling them for life, which will lead to further complications down the short term. If you make an appointment for a cat or cats early in advance to hAve the view cottages, I guarantee that you'll not have them as this has occurred to me twice. In fact I made a reservation in March for July of this year it was first cone first serve. Guess what someone who made a reservation after me got the spit. I am no longer having my precious ones placed in an area that smells like ammonia. If you don't get the window spots, then for your pets sake look at the back room and see if you could stand this area. Don't go here! Pay the extra fee to go down the street to the VCA hospital. They will take excellent care of your pet. read more

Love this full service pet store. I have been taking my boxer puppy to their vet and their Puppy classes. 2 times. second time was FREE because he failed first time (he's deaf hard learner) They have doggy daycare and pet hotel. pretty cool read more

Customer service in the PetsHotel Dept is out the door and particularly with 1 specific employee named Erica. No eye contact No professional greeting...Proceeds to tally up my 2 dogs overnite boarding bill and comes up with an amount that doesn't match up to what I estimate which is over $100 more. I ask her to explain the fees/break it down/itemize and this girl insists that it is correct..2 other co workers try to calculate the bill as well and the last co worker finally gets it corrected and is able to explain the billing in detail so thank you to her! But let me tell you this employee Erica has no place in customer service let alone in the front desk greeting people. She is rude and insisted the bill was right and had a smug look the whole time and couldn't even look me in the eye. To think she was more senior than the other amazing 2 co workers that helped me, she is a horrible example to follow. Yup negative stars for Erica... read more

Took my pup to get a nail trim last night and I was very unhappy with the way the girl who took him back handled him. I saw him helping and crying. I was very upset by hearing and seeing his reaction. She was a blonde girl, I didn't catch her name but she was grabbing his leg aggressively. Then when she brings him back I asked why he was crying and she tried to say all poms try to cry to get away with stuff. I'm think this girl is an idiot. I have 4 poms and none of them do this. She just is a horrible pet groomer. I won't be taking my dogs here again just so they can be abused. Its bullshit. I should have asked to speak to the manager. read more

This Petsmart is my go-to. I'm a relatively new dog and cat owner so i'm learning as i go. Everyone here is super helpful. All my questions are always answered with 100% satisfaction. The grooming salon too! Kat was the groomer that attended to me today and she was really nice and helpful! They always take care of my little Puppy read more

Just about every time I board my dog at the Pet Hotel, she gets kennel cough and I then have a sick dog and have to spend almost $100 at the vet to get her better. read more

I took my dog in a couple days ago to get his claws filed down. He's an 11 month 10 lbs chiweenie and was screaming and yelping like he was being beat with the 2 groomers. It was awful. The brunette in grooming finishes and hands him over, rudely saying "we're not a fan and if he behaves like that again he'll have to see a vet". I get home and look at his paws and legs and see that his pad had been cut open and he has a couple abrasions he didn't have before on his hind legs. No wonder my pup was freaking out; you guys hurt him! Management was nice and offered to handle the charges associated. But, it was a very traumatic experience and I won't be returning to this place. Be more careful with these animals. read more

PetSmart - Pet Stores Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

This review is for the Petshotel. I have boarded my dog here multiple times and now we have had 3 issues consecutively. First, last September we were called during her stay that she was bit by another dog. Not a huge deal, we couldn't even find the mark and appreciated the call. But the next time she stayed she came home with an eye infection that took 3 weeks on antibiotics to recover from (and vet bills as well of course). Now today I get a call 4 days before we're leaving on our trip that our reservation that was booked months ago has been cancelled. I asked why and was told that multiple staff quit and there were not enough people to safely watch the dogs. Now it's 4 days before a holiday weekend and every other place is booked and I'm out of options and competing with all the other cancelled reservations for any remaining care within an hour of San Diego. I'm incredibly frustrated and doubting the care that has been provided all along and would not feel comfortable making another reservation for my dog here. read more

Not going here again! Took in two dogs and each took three hours!!! That's three hours each, not total. Seriously?? Maybe they shouldn't over book themselves. I've never, ever had it take three hours to groom one of my dogs. I've had it where a groomer will call in sick so they'll be shorthanded and they would call to reschedule my appointment. This was not the case! Plus one of my dogs wears an American flag on his collar. They put it back on him upside down. Looking for a new place to groom my dogs. read more

My wife and I took our dog their for grooming and overnight stay. The first time she was there, she came home with no appetite. Come to find out she lost a tooth. We had her their yesterday, and once again, came home missing another tooth. When I called, was told I don't look after my dog and that nothing happened under their watch like the first time. DO NOT TRUST THEM! read more

Arnold and Joseph were great at helping us out with our Pet needs at the El Cajon location. What a great shopping trip We were looking for Boo Stew and the Santa Stew was on the shelves already .... BLUE Arnold helped us find the remaining stock of Boo Stew. We bought every last can....our dogs love it. Joseph made sure our pet Halloween Costumes were discounted correctly. Great service and quality products. Thank you C. Lovejoy read more

(This review is for the PetHotel. However I have nothing but love for the store and its employees. We shop there regularly and find they have a much better selection at better prices than any other pet stores in the area. We've never used the grooming salon or vet services. ) We have two dogs. One is 90lbs. and the other is 10lbs. Both are rescues and therefore have separation issues. Our big one used to be awful with destroying whatever she could get her mouth on if we even left her alone for three minutes. This makes us very nervous about sending them to stay with family or friends because I would feel awful if she destroyed something, and I don't want anyone to be chained to their house for a weekend just because our dogs are there. We usually get a local high school girl to come feed, walk, and play with our pups when we go out of town, but during the winter I didn't want to leave them outside all day and night with impending rain and cold. Boarding a dog is expensive, you guys. Boarding two dogs is insane. We've even discussed starting our own kennel because these places must be making a killing based on how much they charge! But I digress. After checking prices and touring numerous facilities in San Diego County, we were pleasantly surprised to find the PetsHotel inside PetSmart was both reasonably priced and very very clean. We went in to bring all vaccine records and make our reservations for the holidays (yes, it's taken me more than 8 months to remember to review this place). Keeley helped us and she was AMAZING. I explained that our girls liked to be with each other and I was concerned that they would be really sad in separate kennels, but because of the big one I didn't think they could both fit in one together. She offered me the special double-sized kennel so they could be together and I was so relieved. I think it was like $2 extra per night. Their rates are something like $25/night and $20/night for a second dog in the same kennel. Don't quote me on that, though. Keeley also found a coupon for us since we were new customers. It was for buy one night, get two free. I mean, SHE did that for US! How awesome, amirite?! She saved us like $100! So a month later I drove down to PetSmart to drop our girls off on our way out of town. We were allowed to bring their beds, their food, and one (or two?) toys for each of them. Michael checked us in and was also the BEST. It was kind of chaotic out in the lobby because everyone was bringing their dogs in at the same time and all the dogs were trying to get over to each other while their humans were trying to fill out paperwork. The staff responded quickly and started taking dogs back or simply holding the leashes. Our girls were taken back and Michael assured me they'd be just fine. A handful of days later when we came to pick them up, we were presented with little comment cards from the employees who spent the most time with our dogs. It outlined their eating, sleeping, social, and energy levels while there and had a place for personal comments from the employees. So nice! Before they brought the girls out to us, they wiped them down with bath wipes so they smelled clean and fresh. They even washed their beds! Our girls came out with huge smiles on their faces and total satisfaction. The coupon Keeley gave us was accepted with no issue and we ended up paying around $70 for two dogs, four nights. While we haven't had to make a cold weather trip so far this year, we'll definitely be taking our girls back when we do. As an added bonus, every time we go in to PetSmart, Michael (the PetHotel manager?) remembers us -- even when we don't have our girls with us. Like, he actually remembers their names and little silly things like the curly hair on their ears. So many hearts for that, Michael! Included in your stay: *The dogs get walked twice a day. For legal reasons, they do not take the dogs outside. They either have some sort of indoor track or they take them around the store. I can't remember. I do remember them saying something about the walk area having fake grass and hydrants. *You can add playtime in doggie daycare to any day. 4 hours is $12. *Checkout is noon. If you're going to be later than noon, they charge about $15. It's better to just book your dog into the afternoon doggie daycare if you're going to pick them up later than that. It costs less and they'll be having fun rather than sitting in a kennel. *They are super flexible with checkout. We originally booked them into the daycare, but ended up coming home earlier. I just called them before noon and told them we'd be there in a few hours. No problem at all. The dogs were ready for us and no extra charges were made. read more

I've been coming to this location for a while and have always had good customer service. Recently bought a 10 gallon Glo Fish tank for my son, along with six Glo Fish and other supplies that one would need for a fish tank. The only glitch I had was when I got home and was setting the tank up, the water started leaking out of the tank. It was not a small leak either. So I was a little annoyed at having to return it and buy another tank. I don't blame the store for that however. It was probably a defect in how the tank was made. I guess poor quality or something. All in all, I like the place and the employees are very helpful. I will return for sure. read more

I will never take my puppy here to be groomed again. First off, her appt was at 4pm and she wasn't ready to be picked up until 730pm! That's a bit excessive to me. Second, when we took her in, they only gave us an option to shave all of her hair off because she was tangly (she is a maltipoo). I have taken her to other groomers that have managed her hair and made her look beautiful regardless of the tangles. We took their "professional" advice and agreed to have her shaved, thinking she would still have a cute style for the hair on her head. Nope. Her hair is completely uneven on the top of her head and looks like it was cut by someone who doesn't know how to do their job. I guess this was my fault for taking her somewhere last minute, due to other places being completely booked. read more

I have taken my dog here a few times for overnights! Everyone is really friendly!! Did not give them 5 stars just because the last time I was there the lady watching the dogs was yelling! If you have to yell maybe you should not work there! read more

We boarded our Pomeranian here over Memorial Day weekend (Friday night - Monday morning) on our drive back home to Scottsdale he threw up 5 times. When we got home he wouldn't eat, threw up right after he drank water and had diarrhea. Since Monday he has had diarrhea and no appetite. I have an appointment with my vet tomorrow. I'm not happy that I brought home a sick dog. read more

I take my pooch to the pet hotel at the El Cajon PetSmart and he loves it! The people that work there really care about the dogs and they always remember Tanner when I bring him in and even ask where his favorite toys are! The rates are reasonable (around $25/night) and they are rarely sold out unless its a major holiday - definitely book several months in advance for Thanksgiving/Christmas/NYs. read more

This pet smart is huge and organized they have a nice selection of fishes on the left wall with cute cats for adoption too. They have good stuff on clearance and the dog food isles are nice and organized. They also have a really cool glass wall with big dogs behind it super cute and another glass wall with small pups behind even cuter! Only bad thing is none of the workers there ask you if you need help. read more

Not recommending this salon for nail trimming/grinding. Waited 12 minutes before I was even acknowledged, then the groomer (older lady) went in the back on a phone call, and when she finally came back she started chitchatting with a friend of hers in the store that had just come in. By the time she took my dog to get his nails done, it ended up being a 45 minute to do. And at the end, his nails were barely any shorter and she told me I had to come back in three weeks and that she couldn't do it any shorter. I've had my dogs nails done several times, and they've never been left this long. After all that, I still had to take my dog somewhere else to get his nails done correctly. Such a waste of a visit read more

Very poor experience here. Called because I was advised they had an adoptions fair today for kittens. I was truthfully told that was not the case, but then was falsely told they had "lots of kittens" to look at today. So I made the drive. They only had 3 available, not lots. Then, their rep started in on the 3rd degree with an attitude. She clearly gave the impression even before she knew anything about my wife or me that we were asking for something that should not be trusted. I certainly will not be back here & suggest other stores for placing your pets for adoption. read more

We brought our dogs here to the boarding hotel over the Christmas holiday. They both came back sick with diarrhea. We definitely won't be bringing our dogs back here. Beware! read more

I left my dog at the hotel for a couple of days during the week and received a voicemail that one of the other dogs had attacked her during one of the play time sessions. I was out at sea when I received the call, so it wasn't until the day I picked her up that I saw the scratch between her eyes. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't until two days after that I noticed another wound on her body that I was not informed of. It definitely looks like a dog bite so here I am about to get this checked out at the vet. Never going back here again. read more

This review is mostly about the fish/aquarium part of the store. Good healthy fish with a pretty large selection as far as a major chain store goes. Friendly staff who engage you and don't keep you standing around. Competitive prices and good sales. This is the place I go if I don't need something more specialized. read more

this has always been one of my favorite petsmarts...the size...the stock...the customer service and of course, the pets hotel. we were fortunate to have been invited and to have been given a tour of the pets hotel facility years ago prior to opening {they do not do this any more due to safety of the pets}. when when we utilize pets hotel, my sister and I feel safe knowing that our beagle, scrappy is safe and well cared for and in a clean environment. the staff is super friendly and welcoming and when they see our little guy return for playtime, he's greeted with the best affection and scrappy also gets really excited to see his people and doggy friends too. we are very happy overall!!! read more

The grooming department gets worse and worse. A couple of times they have forgotten to cut some of his nails. The whole reason i take my dog here is to get the glands squeezed. The wash is a bonus. So my wife drops him off at 3:30 We get the call to pick him 3 hours later and they did not even squeeze his glands, they said he would not let them do it. Did my dog argue with them, " Oh no you don't! You are not putting your fingers up my butt!" This included in the basic wash it is a given. They then tell my wife "He probably did not even need them squeezed." Well my leg disagrees! This place sucks. There was no offer of bring him back in, and they will give us a free wash. read more

This review is for the Pets Hotel/Doggie Daycamp. Called about dropping my dog off for Doggie Daycamp - lady on the phone was VERY friendly and helpful. Process of signing him up and in was very efficient. They have late pickup, which is such a huge deal for me, because my work goes until 8pm. My dog was very happy when I picked him up and totally pooped! Oh, and the the most AFFORDABLE daycare out there! All in all, I could not be more pleased! read more