This is a review of the Delisle Court (Yonge & St Clair, Toronto) location of Pet Valu.

I have some issues with pet stores that sell pets (adopt from a shelter or buy directly from a responsible breeder, please!) and so I was on the lookout for a more socially responsible pet store when I checked out this location. I have since been back quite a few times.

They do not sell animals, with the exception that they sometimes carry Beta fish. They do run a cat rescue program from the location and often have cats waiting for adoption, so you can still check out some kittens playing... satisfying both my desire to look at cute pets and my sentiment that they shouldn't be sold in this type of environment. They have a collection bin for donations and run several fundraising campaigns through the year, and have an excellent adoption rate for the cats.

Store Description

The store is about medium sized, with wide aisles easy to bring a large pet through without worrying about knocking anything over. It is well laid out with items appropriately grouped together, and it is well lit and clean. You are welcome to bring your pets in with you, and they have lots of items on display at the front of the store.

Prices

The prices are a bit higher than one of the pet discount stores or the grocery store, but are very reasonable when you consider the neighbourhood and the convenience of being on the subway line. I find most items are typically $1-2 more expensive than Pet Smart. Unfortunately they almost never have sales and don't have a loyalty program to reduce prices.

Products

For a small store they carry quite a lot of products, including supplies for dog, cat, fish, birds and small animals (a bonus, as not all smaller pet stores carry these).They usually have more than one brand choice for all items and a variety of sizes. They may not have the same selection as a large store but they have an impress selection for their size.

They also have a groomer come in several days a week and can refer you to pet daycares and trainers in the area.

Customer Service

Their customer service is excellent. They are always friendly, helpful and reasonably efficient (though the friendliness does sometimes lead to chattiness and slows things down ). We brought our dog in when he was a puppy and he had an accident. When we asked for some paper towels to clean it up they refused and cleaned up for us!! I would never expect employees to do this and was very surprised and impressed. They have also been willing to take items out of the box to show us when they didn't have something on display.


Overall, the store is socially responsible, clean, with friendly staff, convenient to get to by transit, and the only area it takes a hit in is price. I would give it 8/10