Best Animal Toys & Pet Stores in Your Area?

[Jay™]

Hey everyone,

I’ve been researching various toys for my pets and would like to start a discussion. We have a dog, a couple of cats, a snake, and a guinea pig. There are numerous options available—plush toys, chew toys, puzzles, interactive feeders, and more. Some are great for keeping pets entertained and active, while others seem to fall apart too quickly.
I’m also curious about your go-to pet stores (both local and online). Do you stick with the big chains, or do you have a favorite small shop that always has unique finds?
For me, we have the local Pet Valu, which has a good selection of different items; however, it's a little on the expensive side.

A few questions to pick your brains.

What’s your pet’s favorite toy, and how long has it lasted?
Have you found any toys that are especially good for mental stimulation?
Do you prefer shopping at local pet stores, or do you find better deals online?
Any hidden gem stores or brands you’d recommend?

Would love to hear your experiences so we can all discover new toys and shops to check out.


Thanks!

 

[Crystal]

What’s your pet’s favorite toy, and how long has it lasted?
For my dog it's a stuffed toy, she's ripped the stuffing out of it, so it's just a floppy lining of what used to be a creature of some kind, but she still loves it, carries it everywhere and won't give it up.

Have you found any toys that are especially good for mental stimulation?
When we had our cats, absolutely, there are fantastic cat toys, but doggos seem to bet more...fun toys. So hard to find mentally stimulating toys there.

Do you prefer shopping at local pet stores, or do you find better deals online?
I prefer local pet stores, but they're so much more expensive, so I feel stuck shopping at the big chains, sadly. I would rather support local when I can!

Any hidden gem stores or brands you’d recommend?
This is a fun idea! https://unlimitedtoyclub.com/

 

[Jay™]

The hard plastic chew toys are the only ones my dog can't seem to destroy, but can certainly get pits and pieces from them.

 

[Crystal]

The hard plastic chew toys are the only ones my dog can't seem to destroy, but can certainly get pits and pieces from them.

Oh when Skye was a puppy she did that, too, it was so annoying when you had nothing on your feet in the middle of the night and your found her handiwork! Ugh!!