Skip to main content
It ain't easy when your pet is green.
Portland is home to multiple dog hotels, a themed pet kennel for every neighborhood, and even a chichi dog spa out on Sauvie Island. But when it's time for that trip to Aruba, no one wants to take care of your boa constrictor, your bird or sometimes even your chinchilla.
Except, that is, for a little pet food and supply store in Cedar Mill called Pet Barn.
"Mostly it started out we had a lot of regular customers with large birds," says Pet Barn sales associate Emily Hankins. "They'd go on vacation, they'd be in the hospital—we started boarding for close friends."
But it turned out it was more than just bird people who were without a place to stash their pets, and soon they were stocking crickets to feed even more exotic pets.
"We had a red-tailed boa last year," says Hankins. "Her name was Athena. We were told she was super-snuggly. We just had her around our necks all day. Some people bring in their aquatic frogs. We have a regular with degus. Degus are like gerbils—kind of, not quite."
Some customers have become such regulars that pet-food buyers will look for them every time they come into the store.
"The most popular is Jerome," Hankins says. "A lot of people come in looking for Jerome, he's an African gray parrot. He's 22 years old—he's as old as me! He always says, 'Hello!' whenever the door rings."
Nothing that will fit in a cage is out of bounds. Though they haven't boarded spiders as of yet, tarantulas wouldn't be a problem.
But there is at least one class of pet that Pet Barn won't take care of for you. "No cats, no dogs," says Hankins.
Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2017
Here are the Things WW Declared "The Best" in the Last 12 Months
Inside Mall 205, You'll Find Oregon's Last Remaining Magic Shop
A Vancouver Man Bought Naked Falls Swimming Hole, So He Could Re-Open It to the Public
Rodney Scott Puts On Portland's Greatest Indie Firework Show
Cabel Sasser Found a McDonalds Mural That Led Him to Uncover a Secret Collection of Art
Two College Students Started An Organization to Provide Bras and Underwear to Homeless Women
Jim Hipsher Is Portland's Greatest Live Book of Poetry
These Two Women Make Showing Up for Jury Duty A Lot Less Terrible
On Northeast Broadway, You Can Learn Boxing From Two-Time World Champ Molly "Fearless" McConnell
Portland Urban Golf Makes the Entire Changing City Its Ever-Evolving Personal Golf Course
Did You Know You Can Play a 9-Hole Portland-Themed Mini-Golf Course?
Seven Years Ago, New Trail Blazer Caleb Swanigan Was 360 Pounds and Living in Homeless Shelters
Each Week, a Group Goes to Laurelhurst Park to Throw Axes Through the Air—And They're Really Good
Portland Now Has a Nonprofit That Gives Kids Access to Free Pinball
The City of Portland Made a Sign Reading "Heartbreak Dead Ahead"
There's a Secret, Profit-Free Bookstore "Forest" on Division Street
You Can Get a Pre-Addressed Letter to Trump from Paymaster Lounge's Vending Machine
A Local Business Totally Trolled Willamette Week—And It Was Awesome
The ACLU of Oregon Has Emerged as Portland's Most Consistent Free-Speech Fundamentalists
Division Street's Oregon Theater Is Portland's Greatest NSFW Twitter Account
Alberta Street's American Legion Post 134 Went Rogue—Inviting Homeless In and Hosting LGBTQ Nights
Beaverton's Spectra Gymnastics Provides Play Spaces for Kids on the Autism Spectrum
There's a Hidden, Underground Sculpture Inside the Standard Insurance Center in Downtown Portland
The Zymoglyphic Museum is a Self-Contained World of Rogue Taxidermy and Steampunk
Every Sunday, Portland Hosts a Real-Life "Fast and the Furious"
Portland's Best Daycaction is a Cheap Flight to Pendleton, Where the Cowboys Still Walk The Streets
Oregon City's Tim Kovar Is one of the Nation's Foremost Tree-Climbing Experts
Who Do You Call When Your Goat Is Throwing Up? Portland's Go-To Goat Doctor, Of Course
Meet the Portland Poodle Who Dresses Better Than You
Every Saturday, A Train Runs Through Oaks Bottom, Making Birdwatching Actually Fun
Right Now, Three Dogs Living at a Southeast Portland Dispensary Are High on CBD Dog Treats
Feeling Sad Lately? Snuggle Up to One of Portland's Therapy Bunnies
Pet Barn Will Watch Your Boa Constrictor While You're Out of Town, But Not Your Dog
Portland Science Rapper Coma Niddy Has the Best Rhymes About Black Holes You've Ever Heard
There is a Secret Willamette River Bridge Most Portlanders Have Forgotten Exists
Hero Portland Man Built an 8-Foot Tall Multnomah Falls Out of LEGOs
There's An Alley in North Portland Where Robots Will Call Out To You
Daddy Mojo's Has the Finest Gallery of Signed Celebrity Memorabilia of Any Bar in Portland
Portland's Black Book Guitars Owner Has Tracked Down Guitars from Elliot Smith and Kurt Cobain
Thank God for the Los Cactus Food Cart, Which, For 14 Years Has Fed Junkyard Customers for Cheap
Two Portlanders Created a Willy Wonka-Style Edible Forest Near Milwaukie
You and Your Friends Can Drink for Free for an Hour on Your Birthday at This Portland Bar
The Portland-Area Finally Has Hong Kong-Style Ice Cream Bubble Waffles
Yes, There Is a Place in Portland Where You Can Try Witches' Brews and Heal Yourself with a Fire Pit
Portland's Best Fritters Come From Donut Queen on 58th and East Burnside
If You Haven't Noticed Yet, the Trail Blazers Twitter Account is on Fire
The New Market of Choice On Belmont Has The Very Best Grocery Store Beer Selections We've Ever Seen
Yes, There a Secret Underground Bowling Alley in the Center of Portland
When Portland Saw Snowstorms, the National Weather Service Twitter Became Our 24/7 Therapist