Especially for Pets

Love this place! They have a wide variety of brands at reasonable prices. There are always dogs (the staff’s kids) wandering the store — who wouldn’t love that?! The best part about Especially for Pets is the staff. I’ve never met a person who I didn’t like. They are ALL extremely helpful and well versed in the brands. They truly care about you and your pets. I love this place!

I am a regular customer of Especially For Pets, I prefer to give them my little bit of business, though I will say that their prices are a bit high.
As for Marita, the trainer… I was very disappointed, annoyed with her. She was specifically asked to help us train our puppy — we had given up on a few points. She twice came to our home and wasted one hour each time basically talking to us instead of interacting with and training the puppy. It was a waste of time and money!

It’s a shame that I can’t do separate reviews for the store and the training, because my experience with the store itself and the people who work at the store has been very positive.
However, I have to say that I want to advise anyone to avoid taking a training class with Martha. Martha is too jaded, and shouldn’t be training anymore. She doesn’t have any excitement about what she’s doing, and if you dog is anything out of her expectations, she doesn’t have the patience or care to spend the time with some extra help.
I enrolled my 1 year old dachshund for beginner training classes, in part to help him get better socialized with other dogs outside his breed. He was very nervous and scared and barked at the other dogs if they got too close. This was the exact behavior that I needed help with, yet Martha had no advice on how I can work with him on this, and instead shunned him (and me) to the corner of the room caged off from the rest of the group. It was humiliating, frankly, and a little love could have gone a long way. When one of the other pups went up to the cage, my dog barked at him, and Martha concluded that he had bitten the other dog. This, of course, was impossible because he couldn’t even fit his nose through the cage, yet Martha nevertheless used this as an excuse to say that he’s not fit for this class.
This, I might remind you, is a beginner class, and for her to give up on my dog ten minutes into the second class without even offering any advice or special attention tells me that she does not have the proper temperment to be a beginner dog trainer any more.
I was a swim instructor and if I had a class of toddlers, one of whom were afraid of the water, I would put in the extra effort to encourage the child and get her comfortable. I would expect the same in these circumstances, and believe that it’s time that Martha retire.
One other thing of note… When you have a class of 12 dogs for 1 hour, you shouldn’t waste the first 20 minutes having everyone take their dog outside to the bathroom… it’s completely wasteful use of the limited class time.
I will say that the staff up front were extremely sympathetic and told me this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened with this instructor; so I’m sure if you choose anyone except for Martha, you’ll be well taken care of and have a more positive experience than I had.

Nice place to shop for your furry friends. It’s a chain, but feels like an independent store. It’s clean, homey, and there’s always a pup behind the counter. Big parking lot, REALLY helpful, friendly staff and huge selection of hard to find brands. The only downside is price.

I shop here regularly for cat and guinea pig supplies. The store has a nice neighborhood vibe, and they have a great selection of high quality products. The staff, especially Jane, is really knowledgeable. The brand of hay they sell is far better than the brand Petco sells, and their «scoop your own» cat litter is also superior. The selection of toys and other «accessories» really hits the mark — I have never come home with a disappointing product.

The man of the house had his schooling here. Yes, the man of the house is a Goldendoodle!
EFP is a great example of supporting a local business, and they — in turn — support other causes when they do nail clips, the holiday photos and other things that you can find out about via their website and Facebook page. Locations all around the ‘burbs, so you can get your BFF something to keep him/​her healthy/​happy and looking stylish «furever».
Only bad thing was the puppy class though: I know puppy class can be a little hard. It’s a room full of puppies who are looking at each other and probably thinking «hey, it’s you again!!!» and they just aren’t thinking anything after that. Our instructor was Martha, and we had another family in this class that was doing private training in their home at the same time. Now, on the first night of class, Martha made it clear that the person (s) coming to class should be the one (s) most in charge of the puppy… i.e. if you had a small child, that obviously wasn’t to mean that the child was coming.
Well, the family that was doing the private training would show up with Mom, Dad, 3 SMALL kids (seriously, the youngest wasn’t even 2) and the puppy. Just the kids were distracting enough for all of the puppies!!! It was obvious that this was a conflict of interest, and I got so annoyed that I didn’t even go to the last two nights of class.
So, big points to EFP for their whole business, but the class experience really knocked down my rating. I wanted him to go to «graduate puppy» or try some agility after that, but wouldn’t do it at Newton since I didn’t want to deal with Martha again.

This used to be our go-​to store when I lived in Newton. Even now, I still go back to this store a few times a year, whenever I’m visiting family in the area and need pet supplies. They’ve got a great selection of food and toys for cats and dogs. It’s worth bypassing the Petco by the highway to drive a few extra minutes to get to Especially for Pets.

The store has some great, innovative products — but it is really expensive and I can’t help thinking I’m getting taken advantage of because I want the «best» for my dog.

I can speak only for the grooming that my dog received here.
The store itself is clean, the staff at the front desk friendly, however the grooming service is atrocious.
I have a lot to say about the experience (they don’t know what time they open apparently– so double or triple check if you are dropping off early in the AM unless you want to arrive to a closed store, have to go back home to drop off the dog and then have someone else drive the pet back to the store) …but would rather keep it as concise as possible.
I was charge extra for the fact that my dog had a small mat on his fur in one area. Which is fine, i figured– charged extra, they spent extra time, so he’ll look very good!
WRONG, when he came out i got SCARED!!! His ears were different lengths, the top of his hair was visibly sticking up all in uneven lengths, he had been cut sooo short that i could see the pink of his skin underneath, and they did not give him a cut in the private parts— they left what looked like testicles-​but made of uneven fur. All in all he looked worse than when my younger sister gave our dog a haircut at the age of 4. Worst of all, i was walking my dog down Newbury St and some lady literally laughed out loud, and commented on how «ugly the haircut is»!!!
This hair cut was 2 months ago, we are still trying to grow it out evenly, and will not be going back for them to fix it, even though they reversed the charge.

Especially for Pets sells an great selection of healthy dog foods as well as many quality pet items. The food I buy is also available at the nearby Petco but the price is the same and the shopping experience is much better here. The staff is very knowledgeable and ensures that you find what you need without having to ask. Items are well stocked and available which I find as a weakness at the large box stores. The staff here cares and are very welcoming.

Wonderful store, three stars because there is a trainer there who frightened my dog and does not use positive reinforcement methods. Variable sales staff, Tim is amazing — he is the dog whisperer. Last night I went in to get a new harness and the staff didn’t know much about it or how to fit it, Tim would have gotten down on the ground and charmed my dog and fitted her as well. Cute Halloween costumes. Often there’s a hard sell on expensive god food, but otherwise a good place on a strange kind of hidden street between Rte 9 and Needham Street.

This place is EXPENSIVE but they have a great selection of «premium» or whatever dog foods, Our vet recommended a «novel protein» — what? so we were able to find a food that was great for our dog. You walk the food aisle and you see all kinds of «novel» shit — venison, elk, fish-​based dog food. We ended up getting our girl a lamb and brown rice food. She loves it and no joke — the stuff smells like souvlaki.

Great store. We had a problem with our dogs diet and they helped us find the right dry dog food for him and it made a huge difference. Good selection of pet supplies and the staff are friendly. Parking in this area of Newton is limited but the location is good.

I am. I’m a fan. Great spot with some quirks. They have a great variety of non-​Petco/​Petsmart food and treat options. We get our bags of Orijen and Acana here. And, we were thrilled when they started carrying Wagatha’s treats!
Staff: The staff is incredibly friendly. I had the owner’s daughter use a sharp tone with me at one point, though (and I’ve heard it happen to other people). Make sure you don’t take your dog around the back of their check-​out station… they have their dogs in there with them and they don’t want any other dogs going around there (something about the space under the door/​entry gate). I think I hear them remind people about that every time I’m in there. Really? Is there a way that you can fix that problem? Maybe extend the bottom of the gate so that it’s flush with the floor… even if just to spare yourselves the hassle of having to tell people the same thing 50+ times a day? Plywood. Cheap fix. Otherwise, they’re very nice/​helpful if you ever have a question or need an explanation.
Training: We enrolled our puppy in the Fetch dog training class. Martha is great. Highly recommend it. Even if just for the socialization time — entertaining for you & helpful for your pup.
Grooming: You get what you pay for. It’s cheaper than some other services, but there’s a reason for that. We have a doodle (I know — expensive mutt) and he’s come home completely shaved twice now. I think this last time we had specified «no shaving please». Oh well. We’ve learned.
All in all a great spot — can’t get enough of their no-​smell bully sticks (we might need to buy a case).

This store is great, and really has everything you need. We get our ‘premium’ dog food here; when the giant size we buy is not in stock, they set one aside when the next shipment comes in and call us right away — I doubt Petco or PetSmart provide this service.
Their rewards program, while not super-​rich, does help defray the cost of some of the pricier items I choose for my spolied pup — although I should note that I don’t find their prices for similar/​same items to be any more or less expensive than at other stores — if you can find the item at the ‘other stores.‘
I am especially happy with their selection of treats and chews — pretty much anything you can imagine, and lots of options for my dog with food allergies.
We also did Puppy Kindergarten here with Fetch training, which we thought was quite good.

Why take your dog to Petco, corporate land of muck and $ 60 per head, when you can take your dog to Especially For Pets, a truly wonderful (read: attentive, moderately-​priced and skilled) place to have your dog groomed?
I’ve struggled finding a place that’s attentive and moderately priced, and here at Especially For Pets, I’ve found it!
The people who work here truly love the animals, and they take good care of them.
My only complaint is they don’t have the prices listed on their website (or in their initial intake process). I was worried it’d be like one of those fancy restaurants, but actually, it was fine! It was $ 50 to get my Cockapoo, Teddy groomed. He looks fabulous!
They also give the dogs treats (they ask about food allergies ahead of time), to make their time more pleasant.
They have a great supply of food, treats, toys, and supplies, and a parking lot in the front, which makes for easy drop-​off.
This is a great place!

So I wavered between the 4 and 5 stars because this place is expensive but the more I thought that it was worth it. We’ve been to the Sudbury location several times (we had Puppy K classes there through Save A Dog) and both are great. It makes me wonder how Petco can be so large and still not have a fraction of the good things Especially for Pets does.
Sleigh bells to hang off the door so puppy can let you know they need to go out? Couldn’t find it anywhere! Whole display of them at Especially for Pets.
I’ve been going to Whole Foods to get our dog her puppy food but they only sell the small bags so I needed to run out every week. What do you know? Especially for Pets has the large bags.
They also have a great variety of toys and treats and leashes and probably anything you can think of for your dog. The people working there were very nice and gave our pup tasty lamb treats and were able to give us some recommendations on the flea and tick stuff.
Yes, it’s a little more expensive that getting stuff at the local grocery store or Petco but I feel like you can tell that they care more about what they sell (in terms of quality– which is great considering all the pet food scares in the last couple of years) and actually know what they’re talking about.

Nice selection, friendly staff, and if you do a dog training class (which I did with Martha Francis) you get discounts. I like how the store is organized. It looses stars for being far away and very pricey!

Can’t believe I haven’t Unilocaled this place yet!
I’ve been coming here for years and years. A great spot to learn more about higher-​quality pet food (read: Science Diet is NOT «the good stuff»); get samples to try out on fido or fluffy; pick out a nice new bowl, leash, or bag o’ treats; attend doggie school; or – get your pooch a high-​quality grooming. I swear they give us a new dog when I come pick Ink up from his grooming. I never knew it was possible for my dog to be so soft – or clean-​smelling!
Tricia, the woman who runs this place, is kind and helpful and friendly. Her pooches – a couple of Aussie shepherds – and always at the shop with her, and are well-​behaved and handsome as can be. There’s also a super-​cute, teeny-​tiny sheltie that belongs to one of the women who works here. Precious! I’ve named her Princesss. .. (the pooch, not the pet’s owner)
I’m of the belief that a pet store should never have a «sad» feeling to it – such as Petco and the likes. .. our pets bring us happiness, so why should we shop for them at those dismal, depressing chain stores?

They have more brands, but fewer selections within each brand (not all the flavors). However, the customer service and the prices more than make up for this lack. I’ve been getting my canned cat food from another small shop, and this place has it beat by a mile. More toys, more pet items (leashes, beds, bowls, etc) and MUCH friendlier service!