Sylvia's Pets

Danielle Chamberlain

2023-10

Absolutely love this place, had to come on here as a regular costumer after seeing the inaccurate poor reviews. I would like to make it public knowledge that the “fish” sized containers at Sylvia’s are larger than puppy city. They are equipped with towels, metal grates, two waters ATTACHED to each container, along with toys and bones. As for food, puppies are fed in the early and later hours which is why the food was not seen. I first came to Sylvia’s over two months ago after falling in love with a female German shepherd mix. Immediately to my surprise, the staff was extremely diligent to the needs of the puppy. They would let me play with her for hours in a play pen and would constantly give me pigs ear bones and toys to keep the puppy entertained. I now frequently come each week to play with the dogs and give the cat extra attention. I have witnessed them let the dogs out to play throughout the store and would cleanse the dogs if accidents did happen in their containers. While there isn’t a standard dog bed, I have never seen a dog at a dog store be placed in a holding container with extremely cushy bedding before. It’s also important to understand that their puppy turnover rate is very fast, as dogs are quickly adopted and placed in good homes within each week I arrive. As for the mannerisms of the dogs, they have always been standard puppy behavior licking the glass, running in containers, and extremely happy to play. I have also been able to develop a closer relationship with the owners and employees and have been satisfied with their hospitality and treatment of the animals. As for the German shepherd, she was nothing BUT a spunky, affectionate, loving, and playful animal as well as the multiple wiener dogs who were adopted in the past few weeks. I am also attaching pictures for reference of my real experience at this pet store.

Evelyn Cruz

2024-04

Skyler and Jeff are amazing! I feel like Family! Skyler knowledge with reptiles It’s amazing. She helped me with my bearded dragon, I feel in peace when she told me there’s nothing wrong with her. Jeff is also amazing, always willing to help With my many questions about fish, always with a smile and A good attitude! Sylvia’s pet is amazing because of these two employees!

JsyStn

2024-04

Sylvia’s is a wonderful place! They treat you like family, I’ve never seen or heard any attitude or rudeness so these other reviewers HAD to of put a review on the wrong business.They always have crickets, unlike the other pet stores around.I would definitely recommend stopping by and seeing all the reptiles and birds the other Big Name stores around don’t have.Support small business!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hana Kitten

2024-04

Sylvia's is amazing, I come here often and generally it's quiet and the owners are very diligent about the well-being of the animals and they're always cleaning up stuff. I've met numerous animals here, over the years I've lived here and idk why people are posting bad reviews. Animals poop, especially puppies, but personally I've never seen dogs covered in filth or any animal being neglected whatsoever. They have huge cages, it's clear they're cared about and cleaned up regularly and it's always been this way. It doesn't even really have that 'pet store' smell, it always smells like fresh bedding inside the establishment. Personally, I get pet rats from here, but I always stop in to play with and interact with bunnies, guinea pigs, ferrets, birds, fish, frogs & reptiles, turtles, and of course see the puppies and kittens... not once have I felt concern for their well-being. The owners and staff are friendly, helpful, go above and beyond here. And I always tell people, even just ones passing through town, to go here vs other big chain pet stores.

Sara Hodges

2024-05

Harrisonburg is so lucky to have a locally owned pet store like Sylvia's. Jeff is the LFS guru every aquarist needs; he always stocks cool fish the big box stores don't carry (especially for my nano tanks), and he and Skyler are both incredibly knowledge. I love doing business here and I hope you will too.

Will Thompson

2024-01

This place has been a gem of the valley since I was a child. The store itself is nice, the (lack of) cleanliness however is hard to miss. A little poop here and there in a pet store is fairly normal, Id say, that isn't really the issue. It starts in the parking lot, cigarette butts and garbage everywhere, not a great first impression. The store was very busy when we visited, again, this place is a gem, a go-to for pet owners. Can't give it 5 stars due to the reasons listed.

The Gamer

2024-04

All these 1 star reviews recently gotta be a joke or fake, Been coming here for years! Great place! Great Pets! Can’t complain! Down to earth type people, always willing to work with you. Kinda a family if you will. Out shines Petco and PetSmart by a long shot. Would give more than 5 stars if I could.

Jennifer Langhorne

2024-04

The employees here are so helpful and actually care about the welfare of the animals. I highly recommend! Prices are really good too!

GraysonStubby

2023-11

Happy & healthy aquatic pets! Unique stock & knowledgeable staff. Chili Rasboras pictured

abby cullers

2024-04

dirty atmosphere and the owner surely doesn’t care about the people they hire. they are inconsiderate and don’t care enough about the animals. i would NEVER shop here or try and sell animals there because you won’t see the money for them.

taegipie

2024-01

giving one star regarding the horrible state of the puppies enclosures. there was pee and poop absolutely everywhere that hadn't seem to be cleaned for a while and the smell was horrible. the dogs were too big for the small area they were in. it seemed very unsanitary and no place for young puppies or any animal to be put in. the bottom of the enclosure was a cage material that their paws could get stuck in. please get these dogs a better space where they aren't surrounded by feces.

Poulain A

2024-04

Very cute local pet shop!

C C

2023-12

This place is a gem, the only pet store I want to go to. If you’re looking for supplies, their selection is limited but if you re going to buy a pet, I feel this the safest and best place to do so! The animals are very well kept. Knowledgeable staff and very friendly

Caleb Bradshaw

2024-05

Would give 0 stars if I could. The place was very dirty and the dogs seemed like they were drugged! Not to mention the small sizes for almost all animals.

Knight Cvill

2023-10

I will go there again.. best customer service employees friendly I don't know how people's talking about the stuffs everything was cleaned and organizedI both this two loving bird healthThank you

areta Simmons

2022-05

Always our go to place! Very nice people and always helpful. We have gotten a few of our now family members there and love them. Also go often for feeder rats and crickets. As long as Sylvias’s is open we will continue to go. Thank you for your kindness and our loving pets.! ❤️❤️

Shirley Washington

2023-10

This is my go-to place for pet supplies. I'm not sure about these negative reviews but no, this place isn't dark upon entering, no, they don't have dogs in fish storage, and they are helpful. People need to get a life and stop being so obvious when talking out of their backside. The customer service is great and they are wonderful with my kids when they want to pet the dogs. Always a good experience!

Christopher messner

2023-10

Sylvia's is the place I tell people to go for almost every pet need, from food to toys, feeders and more they seem to have it all.We have a picky eater in the family, and they won't even look twice at an albino mouse. I've never had a problem feeding her any mice from Sylvia's! The fish are always such wild little things, we got some rope fish from them about a year ago and they've grown to absolutely adore us.Every time we come in it seems there's always someone willing to help (which is amazing since I'm willing to learn anything about pets I may not know)The atmosphere in store is cozy and non-judgmental unlike other stores I've gone to.It may be a small building but the Sylvia's team has a big heart for pets.I'll keep coming here so long as I have pets.

Your Highness

2023-05

Amazing place with amazing people, do not miss out on their great deals for purchasing well taken care of dogs, cats, ferrets, fish, birds, lizards & snakes! The cricket program is epic & so is Jeff; They deserve more than 5 stars!!

Marceline Harvey

2023-10

I love this pet shop. Even though there are only 2 employees, they do everything they possibly can to put the animals first while maintaining a positive and welcoming attitude despite the workload. They deserve more attention and should be the standard for how pet shops care for animals before they find forever homes.

Britteny Kimble

2023-10

I love Sylvias! This is where I've come since I was a little girl, most all of my pets have come from here. Every time I am in Harrisonburg I make it a point to stop by Sylvias. I love just checking out all their new animals, esp their fish! They have a great saltwater selection with awesome prices! The staff there is incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to anything they have in the store, and super friendly! For those with negative comments, shame on you. Everyone that works in that store is clearly an animal lover that dedicates all of their time to providing them with the attention and care they need before they find their forever home. Sylvias will always be one of my favorite pet stores!

Gavyn Broce

2023-10

Sylvia’s is the best :) Everyone that works there is so sweet and helpful, and they take wonderful care of the animals. I boarded my lizard with them for a few days and they took such good care of him. My weekly visit to Sylvia’s to get crickets always makes my day!

Jessica Landis

2023-09

We had a wonderful experience with Skyler !!! She is AMAZING! We bought a puppy from them ... And she answered all are questions . She explained are paperwork & told me how much food she gets and what kind . Told us when her next shot would be ! she was very informational about a new puppy ! our little Luna is a great addition to our family & the sweetest. Luna is literally fully potty trained in 3 days ... She is so smart ! Thank you Sylvia's Pets 🐕💖 we will be in soon for a visit and to pick up few items for her .. she is so spoiled !

Brian Rhinehart

2024-04

Great service everytime im in the store and feel and treated like family absolute best locally owned and operated pet store in the area .....definitely my go to place

Cody Balint

2023-10

I love Sylvia’s!! A super unique place from the rest of harrisonburg, and the only place in Harrisonburg which sells live feeder rodents which was more than a blessing when my snake was little and wasn’t taking frozen prey as well. Awesome selection of animals, sometimes animals come in that leave you in awe that they could even find and get them. I’ve bought some of my favorite animals from Sylvia’s

Kay Houchens

2023-05

We go every tuesday after finding them! They are very knowledgeable on the animals they have and the animals in general. You can not beat their prices either! We even got our ball python from them and he is a very amazing pet, we have several fish and shrimp from them as well and have never lost any. The animals there are well taken care of and happy. I highly recommend this store for your pets needs or if your looking for a new friend!

Ashley Dugger

2023-10

Id like to start this off with if I could give this a higher star rating I would.I’ve been going to Sylvia’s for years now for many of my pet needs.I have owned everything from reptiles to rodents to birds, even fish and tarantulas.All across the board they’ve been amazing with the care and then necessities that I need for every pet that I have had over the years. They are the most reliable source of insectivore foods for my reptiles and my tarantulas. I am now solely by my horn worms from then due to the variety of sizes that I can get, they have everything from smaller for my small leopard gecko juveniles, to the biggest plumpest hornworms for my Pac-Man frog. The quality of employee knowledge Is beyond me.I’ve gone in before without full knowledge on a specific item that I was interested in (whether it be Food, a harness, a care, item ECT) no matter the cause of the question. The employees are kind and considerate when answering. It seems that every time I go I’m always met with a smile on a welcoming tone “hello how are you today?”Whereas if I were to go to any other local pet shops, I’m just another number in there the day. At Sylvias I feel like I’m a member of the family and they care about what’s happening with the Pets in my home, rather than just being another penny in their pocket. I couldn’t value that more. They always seem to have very mice for feeders or pets and I love the care of the enclosures, that they keep their animals in.As I said before I’ve been coming here for years, and I plan to continue for many years to come! <3

Duck Holmes

2023-05

Very friendly, lots of different animals for everyone (many birds, fish, different reptiles, dogs, cats, etc)

Emily Wylie

2024-04

Would give them zero stars if I could. Terrible place. Unclean and not nice to customers or animals.

Brittany Barnette

2023-07

Our local pet store! My favorite place, we go here at least once a week. They always have the nicest selection of fish. Not to.mention Jeff and Skylar are just awesome people to work with