Two years ago when I found out about this store, I was thrilled by the fact that there was a pet store in the Saginaw area that actually sold animals. Too many times had I been to PetSmart to be disappointed in their lack of pets. I was excited to see a store that cared about their atmosphere, cleanliness, service, prices, and most importantly: the health of their animals.
The store is tucked away in a small plaza off of Bay Rd. in Saginaw, Michigan just after Speedway and Global Tan. When I first saw the store, I was skeptical. The parking lot was littered with pot holes, the building looked dirty and beat-up, and the girl outside smoking a cigarette didn't entice me to enter the store. But my friend assured me that this was the best pet store in the area and to give it a try.
When I first entered the store, I was overwhelmed by the heat, humidity, and the smell. The floor was dirty from customers tracking mud in from outside and the store smelled like a mix of wet dog, cat feces, and dirty bedding. It reminded me of a store I had visited in Shields, Michigan that was closed for health code violations concerning the health of their animals. But after being in Ocean Odyssey for a little while, I was able to see that the smell wasn't because the employees didn't clean the tanks and kennels; there were just so many animals that the smell was inevitable. Surprisingly, everything was clean besides the floor. Every fish tank had crystal clear water and none of the dog kennels had feces in them. The kitty litter was scooped and the reptile tanks had fresh bedding. Overall, I was pleased with how the store looked and how well the animals were taken care of.
Once I had made my initial judgment of the store, I was given a small smile by the cigarette smoking girl who was now behind the counter. She watched me and my friend begin to walk around the store as we inquired on all the different types of animals. Suddenly, an older man popped out of the back of the store and came over to us. He introduced himself as Dom, the owner of the store. Every question we had, he had an answer to. He was able to name off the hundreds of fish, in tanks from wall to wall, without looking at the name tags. He could tell us the breeds of reptiles and what their preferred type of food was, and the personalities of each kitten they had for sale. It was amazing to have somebody so knowledgeable about animals helping us look around the store unlike PetSmart.
When I had first walked into Ocean Odyssey, I was so worried about the look of the store that I didn't realize all of the animals that the store had. Once I paid attention, I could hear the birds chirping and the dogs barking. My friend dragged me around the store, showing me the multiple crates of rabbits and gerbils, the entire room of snakes, spiders, and lizards, and a whole second story full of ferrets, birds, cats, and dogs. They also had feeder mice, feeder fish, and crickets for sale to feed the carnivorous animals in the store. The selection of animals at Ocean Odyssey was amazing. And not only was the animal selection top-notch, but Ocean Odyssey sold all of the supplies needed to be the perfect pet owner: fresh and salt water tanks for fish and reptiles, kennels for dogs, cats, and ferrets, and all types of food. They have animal-safe cleaners, informational books, and even pre-made ponds for your yard so that you can put one of their many fish into it during the summer. Every time I've gone to PetSmart, I've never seen the kind of things that Ocean Odyssey has. Even if I did, PetSmart is guaranteed to be more expensive.
That's one of the best things about Ocean Odyssey: they're affordable. I own a snake and feeding him every week costs me less than three dollars. Their dogs and cats are sometimes a little expensive, ranging from a hundred dollars to five hundred dollars, but usually the expensive dogs and cats are AKC Certified and have their papers. The reptiles are a little more expensive too, since some of them are rare and require special handling and diets. But overall, the pets are the most expensive thing in the store. The supplies you need to take care of your pets are where the real savings are. At PetSmart, a forty pound bag of dog food can cost up to thirty dollars. At Ocean Odyssey, I've never paid more than twenty dollars. Bedding for my snake's tank cost me eight dollars at Ocean Odyssey versus ten dollars at PetSmart. Ocean Odyssey can't be beat, price-wise or by quality and that's why it's the only pet store I go to. read more
