Unleashed by Petco

The staff is super nice and helpful. it saves me the agro of driving to Dedham. It’s a welcome addition to Roslindale. Thank God it wasn’t another hair salon that went in the space!

Staff is very personable, love the $ 10 wash very nice setup with everything included no more trashing the bathroom! Just wish they didn’t have so many potentially dangerous Kong toys.

I have stopped in several times since the store opened. I also have found the sales staff to be very friendly and helpful. The store is clean, attractive. Pets are welcome and treated kindly. the array of products provides good choice. I patronize locals too. Sometimes local stores have exactly what I want; and sometimes another venue is needed. I think Petco Unleashed is a welcome addition to the square.

Petco Unleashed is just a stone throw away from our house, and we typically stop in on or walks. The staff there is very friendly, polite, and knowledgeable. Our two dogs, Mia and Rozzie, particularly love Tony who is super sweet to them and kneels down to pet them and welcome their kisses. We take them here regularly to buy treats and use the Dog Wash, which is very affordable at $ 10 and includes everything you need from Shampoo, Conditioner, Towels, Blow Dryer, Brushes, and treats to keep your dog well behaved during the process.
Side note: The dog wash at Pet Cabaret is $ 22 each (if you include conditioner or blow dry– otherwise it is $ 20) — since I have two dogs that would be $ 44 each bath which is a lot more than the $ 20 I spend at Petco Unleashed.

So, the store that nobody wanted has finally opened. Honestly, as predicted, it’s not that great. Unleashed is basically Petco Lite, and only sells ‘higher quality’ products for cats and dogs. No live animals are sold, at least (but Petco is a pretty problematic company aside from the fact that they do support adoption).
Anyways, if you want items for birds, fish, reptiles, small mammals, etc, you are out of luck here. This place basically caters to dog and cat owners. Pet Cabaret carries the stuff you need. In fact, Pet Cabaret outclasses Unleashed in pretty much every way. Pet Cabaret carries a higher quality selection of goods, and definitely know their stuff compared to who Petco hires (this is especially important regarding any medications or treatments/​remedies or any potential food allergies your pet might have). If the existence of Petco in the square causes Pet Cabaret to run out of business, that’ll be really sad.
Speaking of which, while browsing I overheard an employee who made sure to mention that Unleashed’s in store dog wash was ‘much cheaper than Pet Cabaret’s’ which was unprofessional and skeevy in my opinion. Everyone else was pretty pleasant but they work retail for a big box company so there’s only so much they can offer while being pressured with the constant pressure of meeting quotas or being terminated. They pet your dog and give them treats, which is nice, but that’s the extent of it.
So, bottom line, Petco isn’t needed in Roslindale. The addition of it in the Square just seems odd and invasive, especially after ignoring the community’s feedback. The large Petco in Dedham carries everything they sell here, plus things other than for dogs and cats, so it just seems pointless for Unleashed to be here other than to show dominance over small businesses which make up the majority of Roslindale Square. Shop at Pet Cabaret instead, seriously.