Petmania Sligo has been embraced by the local community as it continues to provide top health services for pets

PETMANIA has been operating in Sligo since June 2021 and is quickly building a big reputation for its dedicated approach to pet healthcare.

The origins of Petmania date back to the 1970s when Eamonn and Maureen O'Keeffe founded the O'Keeffe group which now incorporates Petmania – but back then Petmania was just a section of Gardenia, a garden centre in Kilkenny.

The demand for a dedicated petstore eventually led to the creation of specialist superstore Petmania in 2007 which now has over 15 stores nationwide, including the one located in Cleveragh Retail Park.

Marc, store manager in Sligo, said that Petmania has been warmly received since opening locally.

“Since opening in Sligo, the response has been overwhelming,” he said.

“We are always welcoming new customers through the door and there is a lot of respect for the business here. We put a lot of focus on the healthcare of pets and the quality of service our customers are getting is also reflected in the level of return business we get.”

Marc outlined some of the services and community-oriented events which customers can avail of with Petmania. “Compared to others, our focus is heavily on health. We have a range of services such as grooming, microchipping, nail trimmings and free check-ups.

“We also run community events like ‘Operation TransPAWmation' and walks in Doorly Park every so often as a means of helping pet owners find the small changes to help their pets live happier, healthier lives.”

Petmania largely deals with dogs and cats, and this is also reflected particularly in the former by the demand for health care of dogs in Sligo as a county where they are the most popular household pet.

“We focus primarily on dogs as there is a wide range of needs across such a large amount of different breeds which can range from mobility issues, to being heavy shedders to having sensitive skin and we do what we can to offer as big a variety of services as we possibly can to meet those varied needs becuase in a place like Sligo where there are many dog owners, there are also many different breeds.”

Petmania prides itself on its ability to provide up-to-date information to customers and this is achieved through regularly upskilling which staff undertake.

“Anyone who comes to work in Petmania receives in-depth training, particularly when it comes to nutrition. We want customers to know that when they come in here they are getting the best possible advice and are also building relationships knowing they can bring their pet back here any time.

“We are very committed to upskilling. We have an in-house programme for grooming and dog training.

“You can never know too much with this kind of thing so it is important that everyone's knowledge on what we do is right up to date so we can help customers as best as we can.”

Petmania Sligo is located in Unit 5 of the Cleveragh Retail Park. It is open from 9.30am until 6pm from Monday to Wednesday, 9.30am to 8pm on Thursday and Friday, 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 11am to 6pm on Sunday.

They can be reached by calling 071 9300014 or by emailing sligo@petmania.ie.