📣 🐾 Calling all pet owners, pet lovers, and pet supply store enthusiasts: Petagogy recently moved from its prior Shadyside location to a larger storefront at 5818 Penn Avenue in the dynamic East Liberty neighborhood!
Petagogy is a local and independently owned pet supply store that is loved by customers for its knowledgeable staff, wide selection of healthy (and) natural foods, unique treats for dogs and cats, quality selection of toys and accessories, grooming services, and community events. Petagogy was recently voted the Best Local Pet Stpre in Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best of PGH 2024 Reader’s Poll, won the Best Pet Store in the 2023 Best of Westmoreland County poll, and was also a recipient of the 2020-2021 Independent Spirit Award from Pet Product News International.
Obviously this tenant is doing something right, so we sat down with some of the Petagogy crew in their new East Liberty location to learn more about why pet owners love their business:
Q: Do you partner with any local shelters or rescue organizations? Tell us more about that and why you chose to work with the organizations you work with.
A: Yes! We work with many different area rescues for adoption and donation events throughout the year. We try to work with rescues that are volunteer and foster-based, meaning they don’t have a facility to house animals and rely on a network of volunteers to foster dogs and cats in their homes. Our biggest donation event is our annual holiday pet food drive, which we do every holiday season. We match all pet food purchases on one Saturday in December and donate an equivalent amount to area rescue organizations. Last year, both Petagogy locations combined donated more than 1,000 lbs of dry food and 400 cans to four local rescues: Senior Hearts Rescue & Renewal, TrashCat Rescue, All But Furgotten and Ninth Life Rescue Center. We are also excited to have more space in this new Petagogy location to host more in-store adoption events with our partner rescues!
Q: What’s one piece of advice you wish every pet owner knew before buying pet supplies?
A: You don’t have to buy everything at once! Make sure you have the basics when bringing home a new pet — bowls, a leash/collar, a bed/crate, a toy or two, some treats, food. If it’s a cat, litter supplies. We can help you make sure you have the necessities! You can always get more things once you get to know your pet and its specific needs. We know toys and treats are fun to buy, but we want to make sure you are buying toys and treats for a purpose (teething, training, enrichment, etc.) so you are starting your pet owning journey on the right foot! We are also a great resource for learning what to feed your pet. We spend a lot of time researching brands and understanding what ingredients are good and what aren’t. There is a LOT of misinformation out there about pet food and we are here to help our customers parse through that information.
Q: Can you share a memorable or heartwarming story/experience from a customer and/or their pet?
A: The most beautiful but heartbreaking part of this job is that we get to know our customers and their pets so well that we become part of their pet’s lives and routines until the very end. We’ve been the final stop for several customers before they took their pet to be put down because we were their pet’s favorite place. One lovely couple whose dog was a staff favorite came to the store after losing her to buy a gift card so that we could buy other people’s pet’s treats in their dog’s honor since Petagogy was her favorite place.
Q: Lastly, what’s one underrated product in your store, or what is your favorite product here that pet owners should know more about?
A: It’s only underrated until you’ve tried it, but we carry a brand of stuffed dog toys called Fluff & Tuff that is simply the best toy brand on the market. Although no toy is indestructible, these toys stand up to ALMOST the toughest chewers; plus, they are adorable and come in so many different varieties of animals and balls. including seasonal and limited-edition holiday toys. They are customer favorites, and we have customers who collect them. We were their first store in PA, and they are an amazing company because they only sell their toys in independent pet stores like ours (no online stores or big box retailers).
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We’re excited to see Petagogy join the East Liberty community and encourage our pet-owning clients, coworkers, and friends to stop in during the upcoming holidays! Be sure to keep an eye out for this pet supply store the next time you’re driving down Penn Avenue and stay tuned for more tenant spotlights to come!
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