NEIGHBORLY Owosso Team Shares in Dog Owner's Sadness

Our Pet Supplies Plus team members sometimes get to know our neighbors quite well.  We help them with their pet dilemmas, and we talk to them about other things going on in their lives.  So, when one of our neighbors loses a beloved pet - especially one that frequently visited our store - we feel the sadness, too.  Neighbor Lisa wrote to tell us how touched she was by the response she received when our PSP team heard the news of her fur baby's passing:

Just wanted your company to know you've gained a customer for life. Just recently I lost my dog to cancer. It was very unexpected and very emotional. When your staff at the Owosso store found out they not only helped my best friend with some pictures that we had taken, they sent a beautiful card with all their signatures expressing their sympathies. Now I've shopped at all the local big boxes, no one even said sorry. From now on me and my remaining pets will be shopping Pet Supplies Plus exclusively. Thank you to the staff and for you hiring such awesome people. Mere words are inadequate to express my gratitude. 

Lisa and Lady

NEIGHBORLY, PET-CENTRIC Texas Store Team Leaders Make an Impact on the Neighborhood with Charitable Work

The team leaders of our Pet Supplies Plus stores are always looking for ways to be more neighborly.  To us that means being a fun place to visit as well as bringing value and convenience to our neighbors when they shop.  But it can also mean joining with other community organizations to make an impact on the lives of their neighborhoods' furry creatures.

Team Leaders Roxanne and Dale in our two San Antonio, Texas, stores do exactly that.  They go out of their way to bring extra support to the area's animal shelters.  And they're so creative about it!  They're opening up their stores for fosters, creating holiday giving trees so our neighbors can join us in donating much needed items...and much more!  Do those organizations appreciate it?  You bet!  Just recently, we've heard from several volunteers at San Antonio Pets Alive:

I run a group called the Bottle Baby Crusaders of San Antonio Pets Alive. This group is dedicated to helping the over 600 orphan puppies that need help each season and the fosters that take care of them. We create a kit for those that take these orphan puppies that include Esbilac formula, blankets, bottles, syringes, rice packet for heat source, Karo syrup and other items that a foster might need. We hold a bake sale each month to raise the funds to complete these kits and to purchase puppy food for fosters that are taking care of these puppies and if they have a mom.

I met Roxanne in October of this year, when we were invited to hold our bake sale during an adoption event at her store. I was very impressed with her and her staff and the help and warm welcome that they gave all of us during the event. At that time, I found out that Roxanne personally maintains a cattery for our foster kittens that helps to get them adopted!

Roxanne asked how she could help the Crusaders and her and some of her staff are helping us by making the rice packets and blankets for our kits. This selfless act means a great deal to us as we can redirect some of our funds to other needs!

Roxanne then asked me if I would be interested in doing an angel tree and both stores to help our mission. To date, we have received a lot of supplies that are helping the fosters who have lost their jobs recently to keep their animals in their home instead of having to go back to our onsite facilities. We have also received supplies for our kits as well. We know that all this would not be possible without the support of Roxanne and Dale and their supportive staff to promote our cause or the fact that their customers are as generous as they are.

Roxanne and Dale are wonderful and compassionate people who have shown a commitment to helping the animals in the San Antonio community and the fosters of San Antonio Pets Alive. Their stores are a wonderful place with warm , friendly and helpful staff, that I do not find in other national chains. Although I live out of town, I shop there as often as I am in town. These people are a credit to your company and its mission and I hope the corporation recognizes this.

Sincerely, Neighbor Diane

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Roxanne at a San Antonio Pets Alive event

I am a foster for San Antonio Pets Alive. I attend adoption events at store #7006 on a regular basis. The manager of this store, Roxanne, is amazing! She goes out of her way to make sure all of our fosters are comfortable, have all they need to set up, and plenty of space to do so. Plus she advertises to the public for us when we will be there and is always so happy to see any of us. She has also extended an open invitation to all of us, for those who may not be able to bring their foster pets to weekend events, to come and set up whenever we want to at her store! She helps promote all that can be promoted to help so many animals! She is an astounding person and a super plus for this company! Her employees are absolutely wonderful also. I have never been there that they are not helpful, smiling and respectful! We all love going there for our adoption events and some of us drop by just to say hi and shop for our own animals! It is definitely a pleasure to shop in this store and to be treated so wonderfully! We also love the wide range of products Roxanne has in her store! Rarely do any of us have to go anywhere else when looking for something. It is truly an amazing experience. Especially in this day and age, when usually customers are treated rudely and ignored. NOT HERE! Roxanne and her staff are helpful and also very knowledgeable on all their products!

Sincerely, Neighbor Jan

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I wanted to share with you the very positive experience I have working with your stores 7006 and 7009, and their managers: Roxanne and Dale. I lead the Canine Baby Foster Team for San Antonio Pets Alive! (SAPA!) I have recently worked closely with the local PSP team to collect donations for our team. SAPA saves hundreds of orphaned puppies (and a thousand kittens) each year and the costs associated with raising them are prohibitive! I am confident that our next season will be substantially improved working in partnership with the PSP team. They are generous to a fault, extremely helpful and also creative problem solvers. They truly want to help us solve our challenges. It's obvious they truly love animals and people. Their stores are always very clean and well organized and their staff are always helpful and seem happy. No one ever told me that volunteering with animal rescue would involve carrying so many heavy things around! I am truly grateful to your team for being willing to help on every level. Even when that means helping move a pallet of cat litter! Roxanne and Dale are a credit to your organization.  

Best Regards, Neighbor Lisa

KNOWLEDGEABLE and PET-CENTRIC Valparaiso, Indiana Team Member Helps Sick Kitten Regain His Health

We love talking about all the Pawsitive Impressions our store teams are making with our neighbors, and this story from Kathy in Valparaiso is no exception.  When I reached out to the team leader of our Valparaiso store to ask about Alex, I was told that he recently left Pet Supplies Plus to do an internship in his field of study and is working on his college degree. The good news is that we were able to share with him what a great impact he had, and we're really glad that he spent some time with PSP on his way to pursuing his career dreams! 

I wanted to send you a note about an outstanding employee you have at the Pet Supplies Plus in Valparaiso, Indiana. I don't know what his last name is but his first name is Alex. Our kitten had been extremely, extremely ill for a few months and had been to the vet and emergency clinic numerous times. We could not get him to eat due to his virus. My husband went into the Valparaiso store and Alex had asked if he could help him with anything. After explaining how sick our kitten had been for about 2 months, Alex gave my husband some wonderful suggestions by adding some pumpkin and other fruit fibers to his food. Alex then recommended some of the products that could be helpful in healing the digestive tract. 

My husband took his recommendations, and after a few weeks our kitten started feeling better. When we took him back to the vet, we told her about the Fruitable and vitamin supplements that we had been giving our kitten. The vet said that was an excellent idea and that it was working because our kitten was on the road to recovery. Thanks to Alex, our kitten is one year old and thriving. You are lucky to have such a helpful, informative and caring employee working in your company and we are lucky that he took the time and concern to help us. I just wanted to know what a great employee you have and I hope you will share this with him. Thank you. 

PET-CENTRIC, KNOWLEDGEABLE Lindsey in Independence, KY Shows Off Dog Whispering Skills, Helps Neighbor

Our neighbor Janet in the Cincinnati area wrote to let us know what a wonderful experience she had in our Independence, KY store.  Apparently her American bulldog, Titan, was a bit of a handful, and our team member Lindsey saw an opportunity to show Titan how he could get the most out of a Pet Supplies Plus visit.  Janet wrote:

I want to let you know what an incredible experience I had today at your store. I took my American Bulldog into the store to use the dog washing station. He typically pulls me but today it was practically unbearable. Your employee, Lindsey, was so wonderful to me. She saw me struggling and was so kind to me and to Titan. She asked me to go into the grooming area so Titan could calm down. Then she brought me a leader leash. Titan is not friendly. I hate writing that but it is true. I was so worried that she was in over her head - but she was AMAZING. Within seconds she had Titan (and me) calm. She helped me put the leash on him and then showed me how to use it. We were in the back area for ten minutes and she was so patient with me. I couldn't help but hug her. I left that store with a new dog! Thank you so very much!

NEIGHBORLY, PET-CENTRIC and TRUSTWORTHY Lake in the Hills, IL Team Assist in Holiday Surprise

Neighbor Kevin wrote to us about the wonderful experience he had in our Lake in the Hills, Illinois location.  With the whole team's help, Kevin and his wife were able to engineer a Christmas surprise for their sons.  He writes:

I just wanted to send a note on the GREAT staff you have at the Lake in the Hills, IL location. We have been going there since you opened and every time we walk in there the staff is very friendly and you can tell instantly that everyone of them loves all kinds of animals. My wife had bought a surprise guinea pig for our kids for Christmas. She bought it a week before Christmas but did not want to bring it home till Christmas Eve so as to surprise our two boys. The entire staff was kind enough to keep the pig for us and take care of her until we picked her up. I took my wife Christmas Eve to pick up my boys new pet and I was blown away by how gracious and kind every single staff member is at this location. They all ran up to the guinea pig to say bye and they even named her Oreo which we have decided to keep that name. I am a retail store manager and I have to tell you these guys and gals are great. Thanks!

Some of the fabulous staff at Lake in the Hills, Illinois

TRUSTWORTHY and KNOWLEDGEABLE Groomer in Powell, Ohio Gives Molly a Haircut and Extra TLC

Neighbor Emily took the time to write us about Cynde, a groomer in our Powell, Ohio location. Cynde did a fabulous job with Emily's Yorkie mix, Molly.  She took the time to understand about Molly's allergies, and then went that extra step to make sure that Molly was eating an allergy-friendly food and getting all the right things so that she could be comfortable.  That was so much more than a haircut for little Molly, and Emily was truly touched by Cynde's efforts.  She wrote:

Cynde (center) with fellow groomers Dana and Michelle

We called at the last minute to get a haircut appointment for our Yorkie mix dog, Molly, at the location in Powell, Ohio. Our pup has been going to the vet for an ongoing allergy problem that caused her to have a terrible ear infection and sores all over her torso and legs. From the first phone call the people at this store were fabulous. They were so kind and caring and got us right in for the haircut. We brought her there and met Cynde, the groomer. I am in my fifties, and I remember when people really did give great customer service, not just talk. Cynde is the embodiment of the perfect employee. She groomed Molly and took care to explain what we could buy and use to give her additional relief. She suggested food that Molly could eat that would not make her allergies worse. We bought the food and everything else she needed. I can't tell you how much we appreciated her knowledge and compassion. 

We really liked everyone there, but especially Cynde. I told my husband on the way home that I barely know Cynde, but I would be perfectly comfortable, if anything happened, giving Molly to her. He agreed. That is a far fetched scenario, but you see how much we trusted her right away. We will be loyal customers. We told her how much we thought of her.   You have to realize that you cannot buy people like these They are a rare find. They love animals and their jobs, and they are very much appreciated. 

KNOWLEDGEABLE, TRUSTWORTHY Chicago, IL Team Helps Neighbor Find Just The Right Kind of Food

The team at Elston Road in Chicago made a difference for our neighbor Carrie when she needed special food for her dog.  What she got was a quality food at a good price, and some peace of mind besides.  She writes:

My husband and I where looking to improve the quality of food we currently feed our two cocker spaniel mix dogs. While we felt confident in what ingredients we where to look of in the new food, it became apparent we did not know where to start when we arrived at another competitive supply store, location of were we live in the city. After attempting to sort through the many brands for no less than thirty minutes on our own. My husband made a comment about how the food we currently feed our diabetic cat was way more expensive at this particular store than at Pet Supplies Plus. We immediately knew where we had to go, and felt a little silly we didn't think of PSP first, as this is where we shop for our diabetic cat.

Once we arrived we were greeted and quickly found the dog food section. We started comparing a few different brands I had read where good, when we where approached by an older gentleman who asked if he could help. It was a coincidence that it was the same gentleman that took the time to help us migrate through the list of foods we could/couldn't feed our cat when we first got the diagnosis that he was diabetic. With his help we left with several approved food choices to see which one he would eat. We discussed with him our dogs' needs and what the dogs where currently eating and he suggest several brands. After looking through the labels with him and talking about the ingredients in each we decided to go with Zingnature. The gentleman stated he had two German shepherds and this is the brand he feeds. 

My husband and I will be back to this particular location to meet all of your pets food needs.  

PET-CENTRIC, NEIGHBORLY Warrington, Pennsylvania Team Helps Family Pet Overcome Loss of Best Pal

Those of us who are dog owners know that they're sensitive and loving creatures.  Our neighbor Paula wrote to tell us how the whole team at the Warrington, Pennsylvania Pet Supplies Plus helped her dog, Shaka, overcome the grief of losing his best bud Daisy Mae.  Paula wrote:

Team Warrington!

I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that our whole family is so happy with our local Pet Supplies Plus store, in Warrington, PA. We had an unusual situation where our older dog, Daisy Mae, passed away in May of this year. I used to walk her and our younger dog, Shaka, around the shopping center in which PSP is located. After Daisy's death, Shaka was terribly depressed, for months, and what used to be a happy walk, was a sad reminder that Daisy was gone. I decided to make a change to our walking route and go down the sidewalk in front of the stores rather than around the parking lot, as before in an attempt to divert his attention. When we walked in front of PSP, the doors automatically opened, and Shaka was all ready to go in. So, in we went, and over the past months, he has made friends with all the staff. Our walk has now turned into "Destination PSP"! 

You should know that EVERY person working in that store makes our experience a pleasant one, and Shaka is all too happy to show everyone his tricks. I explained to the store Manager, Josh, what Shaka's story is, and he couldn't be nicer to help my little guy get over his grief. What a kind gesture. In addition to a happy, helpful and experienced staff, the store itself is so clean and well-kept, that our son travels 45 minutes to shop there. Quite a testament, if you ask me. So, thank you all for helping Shaka recover from his loss and grief in such a positive and happy way.