Dyvigs Pet Shoppe

Halley

2018-05

This business is a great local place to shop for all kinds of pet supplies. It is a great place to buy pets as well. Both of my dogs have come from Dyvigs and are the best little puppies you could ask for. They are playful and have great personalities and I know for a fact they have come from a good breeder and NOT a puppy mill. Dyvigs does not sell puppies from puppy mills. Don't believe the lies. None of the places that claim Dyvigs sells puppy mill puppies have their facts straight. Dyvigs is a great place with great animals and with good customer service. The employees are willing to help you find what you need and every time I go I have great customer service.

s s

2016-05

The shop is clean and well organized. The staff is always helpful and willing to find anything for you or order it in. They also have a punch card system that goes off of how much you buy and after it is full you get a gift card to their shop. My pets also love their custom mix feed. Don't let the people who write bad reviews based off some random idea that they have puppy mill puppies. This store is legit and worth a visit!

Kylie Anderson

2016-05

I love visiting Dyvigs and now that I finally have a puppy of my own, I finally got the chance to make some purchases this past weekend. The owners are very friendly, knowledgeable and eager to help. They were honest with all the questions I had and wanted to make sure I might the right purchases for my dog. They have a wide variety of pets, toys and supplies for very reasonable prices. This honest, family-owned, local business is a wonderful addition to the downtown district in Ames and I look forward to continue shopping there.

Erin Shirey

2017-05

Pups that are sold in pet stores ARE puppy mill dogs. No one that cares about animals would shop here. No one that cares about animals would work here. I went in the other day and the poor babies are stuck in little kennels with poop and pee all over they don't get played with. That's not how pups should live. Don't support this shop. Don't buy ANYTHING from them. Will never go back hate that all their poor pups are depressed. Not happy or healthy 💔

kim reimer

2015-05

Nice place to shop and visit, I only purchase fish and food there, but love petting the puppies, birds and bunnies. the owner and his staff are so friendly and always offer to let me pet or play with one of the animals. the pups are well cared for and I enjoy learning about them. great place! ps I too have read about the possibility of puppymills and I think the protesters are way off on this pet store!

Jo Eirii Matibag

2017-05

Great, local place that's family owned. Owner is a very nice guy and very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about pets.They've been getting a lot of hate not because of their service (because they're pretty great people), but because of their puppies for sale.They have pretty great products and a good place to shop for live reptile food.

j. ro

2013-05

Nearly every time I'm home from school I visit Dyvigs. During the summer, when I tutor, I use trips to Dyvigs to see the animals as a reward (very effective). Even though I'm too busy to be a pet owner at the moment I try to buy something every time I'm there for pets of my friends. Seeing a locally-owned pet shop is encouraging. Because they are small they don't have a huge variety, but I'm sure they would be willing to order what they don't have in stock, and they have all the basics you could possibly need. Their staff is friendly, and helpful, and while I've never asked if they're related I think I've seen some of the owner's kids working there so they're a family business too. The puppies are a great attraction, and are not puppy mill puppies. While Petland and others do continue to use puppy mill puppies, Dyvigs is not one of those places. Yes, the dogs come from a breeder. Yes, that breeder breeds many dogs, so it's hard to give them individualized attention. This is not the same thing as being a puppy mill, where the dogs are often malnourished, abused, unregistered, and inbred. The breeders Dyvigs uses specialize in certain breeds so their puppies are healthy and have good temperaments. Their puppies are well cared for. The breeders Dyvigs uses are very typical. If you want a purebred, whether you buy it from Dyvigs or not you're going to get a comparable dog. I understand some people feel adopting shelter animals is the better way to go, and I hope to adopt some day, but this doesn't mean everyone who wants a purebred is evil. If anything, at least Dyvigs is selling healthy dogs so when someone impulse buys a puppy they're not going to die six months later like they do when you get them from Petland. And the staff is friendlier than the staff at The Ark, and their shop is much cleaner.

Nov Aguilera

2017-05

The staff is super friendly and will have a great conversation with you. The dogs DO NOT come from puppy mills, they come from reputable breeders. It's an awesome place to get any supplies or animal from!

Ryan Pierce

2016-05

They may be friendly and they may take very good care of their animals, BUT the fact that they buy puppies from a puppy mill is enough to show that they do not TRULY care about animals. Treating your customers and products with care is the sign of a good businessman... NOT a good person. Please do not support this store.

Jordan Pool

2016-05

My experience with this pet store was great! Walking in, it is very cleanly and orderly. The fact that it has an actual carpet floor that isn't caked in animal feces already puts it several notches ahead of The Ark, one of its competitors here in Ames. There isn't a gigantic selection as far as pet products and accessories, but they seem to make good use of the space they have to work with. They have a good selection of pets. The employee I talked to was a vet student who seemed to be very invested in her work, I talked with her for at least 10 minutes and her passion for animals was very evident. She was quite helpful and attentive, allowing me to hold the rats I was looking at buying and even letting me use the employee bathroom to wash up after the rat pooped on my hand (lol).After reading several reviews online for Dyvigs, the issue of "puppy mills" is a recurring topic and certainly the only reason this place isn't getting 4 or 5 star reviews consistently. I brought this up with the employee, and she assured me there was absolutely no way she would be working there if the dogs they were getting had come from such places. She said she had met the breeders (she has been working there for 3 years) and they do not raise their puppies in cruel environments. She said that their main breeder had actually taken a break from breeding due to health issues, which checked out considering there were no puppies for sale when I stopped by. I'm not saying it isn't a possibility, but I highly doubt the employee was lying to me.(begin rant)I know animal cruelty is an issue that is easy to get fired up about, especially over a cute animal like a puppy, but I have no reason to believe they are getting their puppies from puppy mills, and it seems slanderous and unfair to spread these rumors without having solid evidence to back it up, especially since this is a local business trying to compete against the new giant in town, Petco.Some people are saying that selling puppies is wrong and that puppies shouldn't be sold for profit. I'm sorry, but if you want a purebred puppy you probably aren't going to find it at the animal shelter, and if your job is raising puppies, you deserve to make some money for your efforts--that's how the economy works. People are biased because puppies are cute--people wouldn't be nearly as passionate or quick to demonize if there were "snake mills" churning out snakes for profit. There are a lot of warriors for animal rights, but rage can blind people, and it can be easier to express that rage than to take the time to find out if that rage is founded on truth.So maybe take a look inside and ask around before you take the word of all these reviews. Many are irrational--NO WAY is this is a 1 star business, puppy mills or not. And come on, if you were the owner of a business and nearly EVERY reviewer was hating on you because of one of your providers, don't you think you would drop that provider instantly? You would be an idiot not to.(end rant)

Nana W

2016-05

I was looking for specialty feed for my recently purchased puppy who was having digestive issues. No one was at the front desk for help, but several people were talking in the fish room. I looked around for the dog food brand recommended for me but had no luck. I patiently waited at the front desk for 5 minutes while the chit-chat continued, then left. Better customer service is needed! I have taken my business elsewhere.

maxwell Merutka

2018-05

Dyvigs pet shoppe gets their puppies from puppy mill or backyard breeders. Iowa is one of the puppy mill states in the United States.NO responsible breeder who cares about the wellness of the puppies and who will get them.Will NEVER sell there puppies in a pet store.Don't believe the lies. Google puppy mills and pet stores.

Ghost Beau

2018-05

I have so many complaints. First off if you research who dyviggs says they get animals from it is undeniably a puppy mill. Second they have tried to refuse my service dog coming in because they use nonpet safe cleaning supplies. I find that highly unethical and unsafe considering they sell live animals. Still today I was in desperate need of a feeder for my snake as my main source had something happen to the most recent litter of rats and I'm not able to get one from them. Well I get there and there is a sign on the door saying closer sundays. Now in theory that's fine. They have every right to do that. But if your own store front and everywhere online says you are open today then you should be open. Either come in on sundays or fix your sign. At this point I'm never coming here again. I can wait till Wednesday for snake food to be available elsewhere. I'm no longer supporting this establishment. They just do too much wrong and too many sketchy things for me to ever trust them again.

Kristina L.

2013-05

Hi. I recently moved to Ames and almost immediately I looked up local pet shops. I always have been an animal lover and have enjoyed perusing through pet shops wherever I go. I am always critical because animals are priceless and deserve a good quality of life. So, I went to check out Dyvig's to see what I thought of it. Well, they have lots of supplies and animals. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they carried a certain product I needed for my newly adopted friend (I found her through an advertisement not related to Dyvig's). I was happy to support a small and local shop and the front desk worker was helpful (Score=2). Dyvig's also has many animals - and I am only giving a score of "1" because some of the enclosures I disapprove of. My main example is the anole cage (little green/brown lizards). They are in a desert-like enclosure, whereas they are tropical creatures. I had anoles for years and they thrived because I set them up right. They need foliage and humidity - neither of which is provided in their enclosure at Dyvig's as of yet (that I've seen). One anole was even near-death and emaciated last time I visited the store. I also have had hermit crabs my whole life and they thrived with access to plenty of water and a deep enough water bowl to climb in and out of. Humidity is another important component for them. It is a "decent" set up at the store, I think. My last comment has to do with my first visit to the store. I was in the small animal area and noticed that one gerbil cage was completely out of water. It was a hot day and I notified one staff member - maybe the owner...? He seemed a little bothered and busy, but I spoke up for the animals welfare, not to make anyone feel bad. It is probably hard to keep up with so many animals, but water is a main priority. All in all I enjoy visiting to look at all the animals and supplies, I just ask that Dyvig's and every pet shop check up on all of their animals and give them the best life they can while they are in the store. Thanks for reading. Speak your mind, speak for animals, and support local businesses!

Sara Johnson

2016-05

Had a lot of help finding what we needed for our great Dane/ mastiff puppy. As well as our 15 leopard geckos!! Great crickets!! Reasonable prices and very friendly!!!!As for puppy mill puppies.... They saved them from that crap!!!

Chad Baker

2018-05

I want this store to stay. Sure Dale may be gone, but someone out there can be just as great. PLEASE MAKE A BUY, SOMEBODY, TO GOSH SAKES! Without Dyviggs, the Ames Petstore Service is bad.

Judith Kvei (Ilya)

2017-05

It's a great place. The owner is nice and helpful and so are the workers. Its clean, well-maintained, and well-stocked with things you'd need for your pets - whether its reptiles, small animals, dogs or cats.

Aminda Nolan

2015-05

They sell puppy mill puppies. They have too many rats, mice, hamsters and other animals in one cage. Their fish tanks were dirty and there were some dead fish too. The staff were rude.

Jack Ermisch

2017-05

Very friendly staff here. They have a wide range of products and animals and they are at pretty decent prices too. The animals are absolutely adorable. It's a nice environment and a fun place to stop by.

Nascar gal

2015-05

Stay away the puppies come from a known puppy mill just because the puppies are USDA doesn't mean they are healthy, happy puppies.Adopt your new best friend

Ethan Wilson

2016-05

This store is always clean and the staff are friendly. There's a great selection of tropical fish, animal supplies, and other pets.

Kara Berhow

2016-05

Dyvigs sells puppy mill puppies. Please consider adoption and don't support the cruelty by shopping at this store!

Chantelle McMahon

2018-05

Buys puppy mill puppies and then lies to customers about where he purchased them. Would give them a 0 or -5/5 but that's not an option

Dustin Hagemann

2018-05

Bought my first pet rat here. They were very helpful and sold me used supplies that saved me a lot of money!

Derek

2012-05

Owner is always really nice and talkitive. I stopped by shortly after they were closed but they didn't lock the doors. They stayed open for me and let me get what I needed.

Everything 3rd

2017-05

I'll tell you one thing, this place is the best I had a ball python for many years and I needed a home for her and they took the best care I wished for.

H F

2018-05

Many choices for new companion

Lizmari Collazo

2015-05

Excellent, wonderful people. Pets well taken care of. Excellent advice given to customers.

Sam Vimes

2016-05

A great locally owned store with healthy animals and friendly employees.

meicen liu

2018-05

Only place that is willing to take care of my Betta fish.