Pet Uno
675 College St. M6G 1B9 Toronto, ON, Canada

Everyone, meet Tala! Tala (whose exploits can be followed @once_uponafeta) is a 3 month old German Shepherd, Husky mix with the sort of eyes that are often paired with softly played piano music on late night television in the hopes of manipulating you into donating to some animal-based charity. While slightly shy, Tala does not seem at all unhappy, as her days appear to be spent receiving adulation and support from an enthusiastic and loving family. Still, there's something a...bout the way the folds of skin pile on top of her already terrifyingly communicative eyebrows that had the entirety of the Pet Uno floor staff hurling high value dehydrated animal parts in her direction, desperately seeking some visible improvement in her mood. Again, not that we believe Tala needs it particularly. She's playful and intelligent, as one would expect given her breed background and, judging by a visit to her delightful profile page, has a persistent attraction to cat toys and feline-intended crinkly tunnels. It's just that there are certain visual triggers that activate a nurturing instinct in most people and, to the best of the Pet Uno staff's knowledge, Tala displays... well... all of them. So if you see her on the street, fight down the urge to wrap her in a blanket and feed her filet mignon. She has a good home and wants for nothing. If the feeling persists feel free to give to one of the many worthy local animal rescue agencies. We feel it's only a matter of time before they hire Tala to be photographed for promotional materials anyway. See more

Everyone, meet Sigma! Sigma (whose exploits can be followed@sitsigma) is a 3 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named after the symbol for standard deviation due to having the darkest coat in her litter. The Ridgeback was bred to be a versatile guard dog and was a product of a combination of the hunting dogs of the Khoikhoi peoples of Southern Africa and a variety of breeds introduced by European settlers, most notably the Great Dane. They are known to be strong-willed and ...confident, which is already highly visible in the case of young Sigma who trotted into our store as though she'd been sent by some government agency for a surprise inspection and was confident that she'd find Pet Uno in some way not up to code. There is also the clear sense that there is an overabundance of energy trapped in her body desperately seeking an avenue of escape. Her steps are inefficient leaps forward with easily as much propulsion upwards as forwards, and when she's faced with a new person putting out a hand for her to sniff, she will often jump dramatically left and right before splaying her body out in front of the offered hand and sniffing hesitantly before, more often than not, jumping into the person's lap, tail wagging delightedly. Her person has taught her a surprising amount of commands, knowing that Ridgebacks are a working breed who famously thrive in a fair, structured environment which, when paired with her rich, dark colouring and intense gaze, gives Sigma a surprising gravitas for such a tiny creature. But after 15-20 odd minutes in Sigma's company we found that our disbelief had already been thoroughly suspended because she seemed, in a word, special. Her local pet supply store can't wait to watch who she grows into. It's bound to be delightful. See more

Everyone, meet Enzo and Luna! Enzo and Luna (whose exploits can be followed @cirneco.enzo.luna) are Cirneco dell'Etna, a breed from the island of Sicily named after its famous volcano, and they've just celebrated their third birthday. Enzo is the larger of the two and has a dramatic, wedge-shaped marking on his nose. He's confident, sociable and will approach anyone who makes eye contact with a cheerful, buoyant stride. Luna is smaller with a richer, darker colouring and a cl...ever looking face which tends to wear an expression of either refined curiosity or polite skepticism, the latter usually in response to being approached too suddenly or having to watch Enzo engage in attention-seeking behaviour. Cirneco dell'Etna are traditionally used for hunting rabbits and these two both look nimble enough to make you believe it, but there are also theories that they are an ancient breed with lineage in north Africa. That certainly falls in line with this Pet Uno employee's unshakable sense that Enzo and Luna both bear a rather uncanny resemblance to Anubis, the Egyptian God who sat atop a person's coffin to ward off evil spirits during their trip to the underworld. While it's unclear if these two hold any similar powers, we at Pet Uno can confirm that the mood in the store always feels much improved for having them in it. @ Pet Uno See more

Everyone, meet Darma! Darma (whose exploits can be followed at @darma_the_rescue_dog) is a 7 year old rescue who was adopted from Playa del Carmen, Mexico after having recovered at a local dog wellness center called the Snoopi project (whose work can be seen @thesnoopiproject). Darma has what can only be described as a unique build with a chest that is both broad and deep with asymmetrical, white markings which looks a bit like she threw on a tuxedo in a terrible hurry. Her s...kinny neck holds a wide head with a crooked mouth and a pair of beautifully soft and emotionally complex amber eyes which fall into a resting face which seems both kind and slightly pained, like a classical music critic listening to their child mangling a particularly beloved piece of Beethoven on a cello which they are still in the early stages of learning how to play. Her energy in a room is measured and curious and, equipped with her wide array of supportive and vulnerable eye shapes, Darma has a knack for bonding quickly with anyone around her and subtly improving their mood. While she came from Mexico with the name, with the missing "h" only typical to Indonesian spelling, one must assume that it refers to the Buddhist concept which means that which upholds or sustains a positive order. Her local pet supply store thinks that is as close to a perfect description of her as we could imagine. @ Pet Uno

Everyone, meet Ozzy! Ozzy is a compact and delightful French Bulldog - Staffy mix named after the charismatic, hard partying former lead singer of Black Sabbath. Yesterday was his first birthday and, as you can see, coming into adulthood has done nothing to dampen his buoyuant puppy-ish energy. Considering his breed background, it should come as no surprise that Ozzy has a diverse and terrifyingly effective arsenal of facial expressions. These include but are not limited to:... bouncer about to toss a misbehaving customer bodily out of a fashionable downtown venue, wide-eyed child halfway through opening a present on a long-awaited birthday morning, and heartsick lover at an airport locking eyes with the object of their affection after a long period of unwanted absence - which is the look Ozzy gives to any person who makes eye contact with him for more than one and a half seconds. His body always seems tightly coiled with positive energy meaning that every step Ozzy takes seems more like an aborted attempt at flight than simply moving from place to place. His local pet supply store humbly suggests that Ozzy has one of the best smiles in Toronto and we have no doubt that anyone in this dog friendly neighbourhood will do their part to bring it out as often as possible. @ Pet Uno See more