Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center and Rescue

We adopted our snorkie from here and Melissa and Gail are amazing! They are always so friendly and helpful. We have continued shopping with Wylders ever since. They have great food, toys, beds, treats and any products your dog may need. Wonderful quality, service and products! I highly recommend them if you are looking to adopt or spoil your fur baby!

Parvo (Parvovirus) in Dogs
ASPCA logoCanine parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease that can produce a life-​threatening illness. The virus attacks rapidly dividing cells in a dog’s body, most severely affecting the intestinal tract. Parvovirus also attacks the white blood cells, and when young animals are infected, the virus can damage the heart muscle and cause lifelong cardiac problem
What Are the General Symptoms of Parvovirus?
The general symptoms of parvovirus are lethargy, severe vomiting, loss of appetite and bloody, foul-​smelling diarrhea that can lead to life-​threatening dehydration.
How Is Parvovirus Transmitted?
Parvovirus is extremely contagious and can be transmitted by any person, animal or object that comes in contact with an infected dog’s feces. Highly resistant, the virus can live in the environment for months, and may survive on inanimate objects such as food bowls, shoes, clothes, carpet and floors. It is common for an unvaccinated dog to contract parvovirus from the streets, especially in urban areas where there are many dogs.

ADOPTERS’ BEWARE OF THE WYLDER FOUNDATION! This is the only pet store which seems to acquire an abnormal amount of designer puppies, not from kill shelter, rather from backyard breeders. Melissa Bacelar takes the puppies from anyone, sometimes paying them, which is supporting backyard breeders. Ask yourself how many other shelters/​rescues have access to this number of designer puppies or you might be in for a true heartbreak. The puppies on August 30, 2015 had not been seen by any vets, nor were they the age that was claimed! Where are these puppies now? Most of them are dead from the lethal Parvo Virus! The Wylder Foundation appears to acquire multiple puppies of multiple breeds since they opened. I want to be very clear, that The Wylder Foundation operates out of the location commonly known as Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center & Rescue, located in Studio City, California. Ask yourself how this so called rescue located in Studio City, California has so many puppies? According to The Wylder Foundations’ non-​profit documents filed with the Secretary of State, they rescue and vet dogs/​puppies from kill shelters. This does not appear to be true nor is it accurate! Also, in The Wylder’s Foundation Mission Statement, they say that no puppy will leave their premises until a home inspection has been completed. No one from The Wylder Foundation ever visited my home! Some of these puppies have never been examined by ANY vets! Some of these puppies have never received any vaccines and are placed in crates with other puppies of other breeds, which were acquired from backyard breeders. This is illegal! This is cruel! If I wanted to buy a puppy, I could have gone on craigslist. I don’t believe in buying animals and I do believe in rescuing them.
This is Thumper’s story.
On August 30, 2015, the same day my 15+ year old golden/​lab rescue was being layed to rest, my children and I looked on Petfinder for a playmate for our rescued golden/​lab «Bambi,» who was adopted by our family when she was three months of age from another rescue organization. She had never been alone and it was suggested that we immediately get her a forever rescue friend. We came across a
advertisement claiming to have a 8 week old female puppy named Winona for adoption. According to the advertisement, this dog named Winona had been up to date on vaccines, microchipped, spayed/​neutered and was house trained. We contacted The Wylder’s Foundation located at a pet store named: Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center & Rescue and spoke with Gail Bacelar. We explained to her that we were saying good-​bye to one rescue and wanted to adopt a puppy for our remaining dog. She suggested that we bring our dog «Bambi» into Wylder’s to meet Winona. We arrived at Wylder’s and Gail directed us to the back of the Pet Store where there were eight (8) maltipoo puppies, two (2) yorkies and two (2) schnauzer’s all kept together. My children immediately gravitated toward one of the Maltipoo’s and immediately named her Thumper. My children were seeing if Bambi and Thumper were a match. This over crowded pet shop opens its doors at 11 a.m. on Sundays and we were arrived at that time.
As there was very little room for Bambi and my children to socialize with this puppy, Gail and Melissa Bacelar suggested that they go into the back room and placed Thumper on the dirty floor so that she could play with Bambi. No pee pads or clean blankets were placed on the floor and visitors were also coming through the back entrance so they moved my children outside to a dirty cage so that Bambi and Thumper could socialize. This room had a fowl smell and was filthy. There was another couple interested in the two (2) schnauzers and they too were placed in the back of the store during our visit. During this period, I was in this pet shop asking the following questions: ALL FACTS
Where did they get this dog from? Melissa responded that someone had these puppies in their backyard and that the Wylder Foundation had brought them in approximately three (3) days prior to be placed for adoption.
Where were Thumper’s veterinary records? Response: They did not have them. There were none.
I wanted to know when the puppy was fixed? Gail gave me a certificate and told me that when the puppy reaches six months old that I could go to their vet and have her fixed as well as microchipped.
I asked about the puppy shots? Gail told me that Melissa would administer the first vaccines once I paid the $ 600.
I asked about the Microchip. Gail told me that this would be performed by the vet when Thumper went in to get fixed.
Everything that was claimed to have been performed on Thumper and her siblings had not been! It appears that Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center & Rescue is really a pet shop which sells multiple dogs as well as multiple products. It is nearly impossible to distinguish The Wylder Foundation from Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center & Rescue. This appears more like

I can’t comment on the rescues since I didn’t get a dog from them. As far as that goes I recommend that people bite the bullet and drive out to a local breeder to get a puppy. That’s what I did and she’s been healthy and happy for 12 years now. You don’t have the behavioral issues of rescues OR the health issues of puppy mill dogs.
As far as a local pet shop though, this place is good. They have the raw food that I like to feed my Italian Greyhound and some great high-​end treats. The owners are nice and the selection is good for a small shop.

The store has super cute, unique, pet items — everything from leashes and collars, specialty toys, and holistic and reasonably priced food. Staff was very sweet and friendly to us. :)
We recently adopted our lil Jimmy here and we are thrilled! I’m sad to see the negative comments on Unilocal because I truly feel that everyone working at Wylders and Wagmor care for dogs and have the best intentions when people dump unwanted puppies on them. I am happy to see a rescue get a puppy out of a mill or breeder to be placed with a good home.
We love you Wylders!

Sadly, after reading several of these stories I have a very similar one. My daughter and I drove to adopt a puppy, on October 31^st, 2015, that we found on
. The little guy was a lab, st. bernard mix. We were told he was 8 weeks, we were told he had vaccines, and we left with a bunch of food and supplies to raise our new puppy. While our puppy acted mostly normal, he was not able to eat solid food either hard or soaked in water /​goats milk (a Wylder recommendation). We saw some signs of eating but mostly it was a big challenge. We visited a vet and found out he still had worms, so we treated for those… and then three days later our puppy completely collapsed and had a metabolic failure that he never recovered from. We spent over $ 10K trying everything you can imagine, but sadly our little guy couldn’t find a way to survive whatever he had, which remained a mystery. He was not ever able to walk again and could barely hold his head up. He died on November 19^th.
Now that I know more and I see all these posts, I am in disbelief that Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center & Rescue is able to be involved in the adoption of any pets, and especially vulnerable little puppies.

I just adopted my sweet puppy from Wylders! I am
A first time dog owner and everyone who works at the rescue center is AMAZING!!! Melissa, Gail, Chris, lee and anyone I may have accidentally forgotten are the best resources for knowledge. They are kind and friendly and very patient. They love each and every puppy and I know that my Maggie was well loved there before I adopted her. The store is very clean and they have the best supplies to well equip your pet with healthy food, treats, skin, bones and coats. They helped me find Maggie and she suites me perfectly. I will never adopt anywhere else and I will do all of my doggie shopping here as well. I consider myself blessed for having the opportunity to adopt my puppy from such an amazing rescue filled with kind, caring and loving people and dogs :)
If you are looking to adopt or for amazing supplied Wylders should be your one stop spot. Thank you guys so so much for making me a part of your beautiful family!

Wylders is such a gem to find! They carry everything from fresh raw food food to Halloween costumes! Plus you are helping save lives at the same time. How can you beat that. Melissa has lots of supplements for your pups too. She got me started with dehydrated pumpkin flakes for settling my dogs rumbling tummy. It totally did the trick. He’s finicky and wouldn’t touch fresh pumpkin. Oh and be sure to check out the Wagmore for all grooming and daycare needs too! Thanks, Melissa and Gail, for you do.

11÷10÷15 UPDATE: After it was discovered that another family adopted a puppy the same day I did, and that puppy also died the same day as Kobi, further investigations were done which led to the filing of a lawsuit against Melissa Bacelar, The Wylder Foundation, Wylder’s Holistic Pet Center, Inc, among others. The case is Green et al. v. Bacelar et al., Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BC598098.
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Reselling puppies that were obtained by paying money to a private individual (i.e., unlicensed, or even licensed breeder or any other category of individual), is not rescue. The older dogs at Wylder’s may come from shelters but the designer puppies do not. Buyer Beware.
On August 30, 2015, my boyfriend and I adopted two mini schnauzers. One grey (Kobi) and one black (Walter). I was told by Melissa Bacelar that they were vaccinated, 9 weeks old and that, along with two others, had been surrendered by a backyard breeder who was going to be fined $ 500 per dog if he didn’t give them up. I was also told by Melissa Bacelar, if they didn’t take the puppies the backyard breeder would sell them on Craigslist. The following are verifiable facts that can be proven:
FACT: Both puppies had diarrhea from Day 1 and neither had their upper or lower teeth yet and both weighed 1 pound 9 oz. My personal vet, staff at the emergency vet, and the staff at the 24 care veterinary hospital all approximated the age of the dogs as 5 – 6 weeks; no where near the 9 weeks Wylder’s advertised. These puppies would not drink water, preferred goats milk, and would try and nurse on clothing, skin, earlobes.
FACT: Both puppies were diagnosed with Giardia 6 days after leaving the store.
FACT: Kobi (grey) was diagnosed with Parvo 6 days after leaving the store.
FACT: Walter was diagnosed 5 days later.
FACT: Parvo can incubate for up to 14 days after exposure. These puppies were quarantined in my home and NONE of the puppies without complete vaccinations I have fostered in my home have ever been diagnosed with Giardia, Parvo, or any other disease.
FACT: Wydlers only had these puppies in its possession for 7 days. They were immediately placed for adoption without any protocol for quarantining the puppies to ensure their safety and the well-​being of the consumer. There were no vet records proving they had been seen by Wylder’s vet.
FACT: Wylder’s admits to buying puppies — which is illegal in the County of Los Angeles. Melissa Bacelar stated in writing: «We also do ‘reimburse’ the people who drop them off. They always lie to us but once they get here we want the puppies so if they ask us for money we give it to them.»
FACT: Both puppies died even after nearly $ 15k was spent to save their lives.
FACT: Wylders official position is that I am to blame and therefore I am financially responsible. Wylder’s denies any obligation to us.
I did NOT want to BUY a dog. I did NOT want to support the purchase of dogs. I did NOT want to be a part of the Pet Trade that includes puppy flipping. I WANTED TO RESCUE. I have fostered dogs. I know the evaluation that is required of each dog. I wanted a dog whose health was verified, whose behavior was monitored; a dog from a reputable rescue that is protected from harm.
Wylder’s DOES NOT VERIFY that a puppy as tiny as these are of appropriate age, have property immunity, or quarantine prior to being put in general population and placed for adoption on the floor of an extremely busy store. These puppies never should have been placed for adoption — for the public to touch, walk by, be introduced to potential adopters other dogs. This was a highly risky situation and after 700 adoptions, this negligence was bound to happen.
Now I hope that Wylders does the right thing; changes its puppy protocol and is less concerned with flipping one puppy after the next and more concerned with protecting these puppies from being exposed to deadly viruses before their tiny little bodies can fight against them. Myself, my boyfriend and all the doctors at the hospital that tried to save them wept uncontrollably at their loss BECAUSE due care could have been exercised to prevent this if eyes were open. Their deaths were slow and horrific. If Wylder’s took greater precautions to realize that these were still babies and quarantined them from the public to ensure their health, none of this would have ever happened.
I write this review to educate and so that NO other person suffers the trauma we have experienced in dealing with this horrible situation. Ask questions and if you don’t get answers & proof, then walk away. That 5 minute disappointment will save even more extreme heartbreak.
RIP Kobi, 9÷9÷15 & Walter 9÷17÷15; the little pups that touched the lives of an entire hospital that resulted in doctors, vet techs, and staff to weep with me when they were gone.

We cannot thank Wylder’s enough for rescuing our Oscar (cocker spaniel) and facilitating our adoption in October 2013! Oscar + his litter were found abandoned + separated from their Mom at 3 weeks in poor health. Melissa + Gayle literally saved them: feed them organic goat milk + specialized puppy food to nurse them back to health, vet care, and started crate training. Wylder’s made sure we were prepared to bring Oscar home, took the time to answer all of our questions, and assured us we could call or stop by with questions as first time pet parents. Melissa even checks in with you the following day to make sure the first night goes well for the family: dog + humans. We enjoy coming back to Wylder’s to say hi, pick up doggy supplies, and for the professional advice and personalized recommendations for Oscar. Oscar LOVES to visit & say hi. You know that a rescue center is amazing when your dog loves to come back and visit. He has a with a huge grin and lots of tail wagging every time we visit. Thank you for the amazing work you do as a dog adoption center + great business in the local community! We highly recommend people adopt from Wylders + are always quick to share Oscar is proud alum.

Great, clean little animal shelter /​pet store. They have reasonably priced (healthy!) products for your pup and an experienced team to help you every step of the way. So glad they made the process simple and easy.

Very disappointed when I walked in to see the woman who was attending to the dogs spraying one with water when the dog barked. Also sad to see so many dogs in such a small space. Since pet shops can no longer sell dogs, they are now marketing the purchase as adoption but still charging high prices. Snobby attitude plentiful here.
I’ll stick to Rusty’s where they provide smiles, great customer service and welcome children. Adopt from a shelter where animals really need your love and a good home.

After my enjoyable visit at Wydler’s I figured I would return the favor by writing a review about my experience. I found them on
. My boyfriend and I are looking to adopt a pup. I saw a puppy I was interested in and immediately emailed them. Minutes later I received a response. I was contacted by Melissa who seemed very nice thru email. She answered a lot of my ridiculous questions. We are first time adopters so we have tons of questions. She answered everything unlike other rescues. I have had a few that didn’t have the decency to reply. Melissa was great and very attentive. We kept in touch through email and I finally went in this past Saturday to meet the puppies. The vibe here feels very home like, seems like regulars come in just to visit the puppies. Melissa, was extremely helpful and made us feel very comfortable. As first time adopters we are nervous about the whole situation but she made us feel very secure and confident that we will be okay because she will help us and provide us with any help and or pointers. Unfortunately we didn’t get the dog this time because it didn’t feel like the one. We have been looking for a dog for 6 months now and we have finally found a rescue that we will adopt from. They are about 40 minutes away from us but it’s definitely worth the drive. The services here are like no other. Can’t wait to meet our little companion! See you guys soon. And I will update as soon as I get my new puppy. Come to Wylder’s they won’t disappoint. Thank you again!

I am so happy with my experience at Wylder’s and I will definitely be returning for my dog’s food and needs. I first visited Wylder’s when I was searching the area for dog adoptions. I had been to multiple shelters and stores which had adoptions. Having grown up all my life with dogs, I have been in my fair share of dog stores. When I walked in, I could immediately see that Wylder’s was different. While I didn’t adopt a dog here, I knew that I would be returning regardless of where I finally found my dog.
Melissa and her mom, Gail, were extremely helpful in finding the right diet for my dog, and identifying holistic ways to treat concerns I had with his skin’s condition. Everything in the store is obviously hand-​picked with the best care for my dog in mind and of top quality. I am confident in anything Melissa suggests for my dog and the work they’re doing to find homes for homeless dogs is wonderful!
I am very thankful for this gem of a store and hope that it lasts for a very long time. I am confident it will, because I haven’t found anything in the valley that comes close to it!

I’m so happy we got our puppy here. They always had an amazing selection of puppies but we wanted to wait to find the right one. We found our love Sadie here today and I couldn’t have asked for more! They set us up with everything we needed for a reasonable price. They helped us start with training and they also make instructional videos! We are so happy!

Rude and over priced. Shady about where puppies come from.

I stumbled into this place on the way back to my car after visiting the Sunday farmer’s market. I needed cat food anyway, and it looked like an interesting place.
Yes, the cat food was a bit of a splurge, but everything had healthy ingredients… And by shopping there you support their pet rescue. Lots and lots of adorable puppies ready to go to their forever home. If you’re looking for a pet, they have pups of all shapes and sizes, and the owner have great advice about holistic pet supplements. So glad I found someone so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable! I know I’ll be back

Weather you choose to adopt one of these amazing quality chosen rescue dogs or get the BEST healthy and holistic dog care advise and products. GO HERE!!! The staff is so helpful and nice. Great products and pups

I LOVE everything about this store. First and FUR-​most (pun intended) they rescue 7 dogs/​puppies at a time from local shelters and then care and prep them to adopt out. I’m a HUGE advocate for shelter dogs and don’t believe in Pet Stores that sell puppies from Puppy Mills and back yard breeders. I think it’s so important to get the message out there that THIS is the proper way to sell dog/​puppies. There are so many in shelters that need homes. To date I think Wylders are up to 111 adoptions and they’ve only been open for 5 months! That’s truly amazing! They are saving SO many lives ;-)
When I heard about them opening up near my home I was super excited about it and wanted to immediately stop by and show my support. The owner is a breath of fresh air, so very friendly and knowledgable. It’s a family run store and you can sense the love here, it’s palpable. Everything in the store is made in the USA.
I popped in to check it out and got some great treats for my 2 lil dogs that also help keep their teeth clean. It’s hard to find «petite» cut marrow bones but they have them here! Call ahead they sell out fast! I’m really very picky about what I give my dogs. I want them to be healthy and stick around a long time so I appreciate that everything in the store is so Healthy/​Natural, I could chew, or eat the products,
(okay I didn’t eat anything or chew anything lol) but it’s comforting to know I could.
Really can’t say enough about how pleasant the vibe is here. I pop in every month picking up petite marrow bones and sometimes just to say helllo to the new newest batch of shelter dogs/​puppies lucky enough to be rescued by Wylders.
I confess I cannot resist a puppy kiss!
Stop in and check it out if you live in the valley and are thinking about adopting a new pup or if you have dogs and want to check out their awesome selection of foods, treats, beds, accessories, etc… they are on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City just east of Laurel Cyn.
Look for the brightly colored round shag beds piled out in front of the store, those things are soooo comfy I almost bought one for myself.

I was able to visit this pet store last week. This place is really amazing. I learned that they always have seven adoptable dogs that they get from the pound, they are a rescue as well. They get the dogs their shots, get them fixed and feed them amazing foods.
They have volunteers come in to walk the dogs. You can go in and walk the dogs, which is so sweet you’d love to the job! I was able to walk this amazing dog I almost adopted. He was wonderful on the leash and very sweet and loved to cuddle. He didn’t bark at all when the other dogs started. So they have a great mix of small, medium, barker and non-​barking dogs. I think you may find what you are looking for here if you want to adopt. I was impressed.
They also have them placed in a different location for the night where they get walked, fed, taken care of, they teach the dogs to be on the leash. I mean in reality this place is exceptional. They are well stocked with great foods, raw foods fridge, they are starting to get their products online so you can order them from anywhere in the USA. I really loved that since I don’t live in LA full time.
You can get pet psychic services, grooming, pet spa, sonic tooth cleansing and so many more services are available. The store is worth checking out without a doubt. The products are great, the dogs are well taken care of, they have carriers, blankets and bed. So whether you can only afford to spend $ 20 or you can spend $ 2000 this place has something for everyone.
I cant think of anything else, but I highly recommend this store. It’s close to Trader Joes, so you can shop there and then walk right over and get something for your animals and get all your shopping done in one place. Across the street is the Vegan Plate which is a nice place to have lunch and a nail shop across the way — really great location for healthy living people.