67 of the Wildest Reasons Pet Retailers Have Heard for Returns

In our 2025 PETS+ Big Survey, we asked retailers to share the wildest reasons they’ve heard for a product return. The response was overwhelming! We ran 26 in print, here they are with 41 more in the complete list!

1. “My dog is scared of the pig ear.”
2. “The customer didn’t like the texture of the food when they tried it. Yup, they try everything the pet eats.”
3. “Someone brought back a thawed pinky mouse that they said their snake wouldn’t eat because its feet were facing in the wrong direction.”
4. “Litter ‘clumped’ too hard.”
5. “Canned dog food because the customer said it had maggots in it. It was the rice in the food!”
6. “I had a customer try to return a used coat from the previous year because her dog outgrew it.”
7. “‘This shirt didn’t fit my child.’ It was a dog shirt!”
8. “A customer returned a small stuffed deer because they didn’t want their dog to start chasing deer.”
9. “Their pet died … four years ealier.”
10. “One person dropped a glass aquarium down their stairs and wanted to return it because it broke. Another left 100 crickets in his truck in belowfreezing weather while he was at the bar for two hours, and they died!”
11. “Bought two birds, said one died and one is mean. Bitched at me for five minutes, then realized she was in the wrong store.”
12. “A customer returned food because their dog died, but then booked a groom for him.”
13. “Dog wouldn’t stop humping it.”
14. “Squeaker sounded funny.”
15. “‘I just can’t feed my dog pork’ — while exchanging it for something with bacon.”
16. “A request to return a grooming brush that was very used looking, saying that his cat didn’t like the brush and it was the brush’s fault.”
17. “Her dog was allergic to chicken, and the product had chickpeas. She thought chickpeas and chicken were the same thing!”
18. “It’s not wild, but insulting: ‘I need to return this bag of food. My Chewy order came in after all!'”
19. “A customer tried to return an item because their pet had peed on it.”
20. “The dog didn’t like the harness, which was purchased to keep the dog from pulling the owner down the street.”
21. “Years ago, we sold a rather large iguana and it was returned a few days later because it was chasing the customer’s kids down the hall!”
22. “Husband thinks the fish-formula dog food smells like his favorite sandwich, and now he can’t stand the smell.”
23. “The dead mouse found in the open bag of food kept in the barn on their property.”
24. “‘This light bulb didn’t work.’ So I started putting dates on the bulbs.”
25. “A feeder that attached to a pet bird cage. ‘I only needed it for when I was on vacation.'”
26. “A fish being returned because its color clashed with the decor in the aquarium.”
27. “The harness didn’t fit right. Come to find out, they put the dog’s legs through the wrong holes! Poor pup!”
28. “I’m not sure I’ve had one, but did have a customer tell me their matted dog identified as long haired.”
29. “They purchased dog food but had a cat.”
30. “A customer brought back a bag that was 80% gone and said, ‘My cat won’t eat it.’ My employee looked inside the bag and said, ‘Well, it looks like somebody’s been eating it.'”
31. “We had a customer try to return Birkenstocks.”
32. “Their dog had an allergy attack after getting close to the bag, so he must be allergic to what’s in it. It had not been opened yet.”
33. “We had a client that returned two sets of raised metal feeders because she kept them outside and they rusted. They retailed for $180 each and were not intended for outdoor use. She was a good customer, so we didn’t return them but replaced them with the same bowls. A year later, she attempted to return them again for the same reason. This is after being told they were not appropriate for outdoor use. We refused, and she never shopped with us again.”
34. “My dog didn’t like it. A WHOLE YEAR LATER, and the bag was more than half gone.”
35. “A woman wanted to return the two dog harness and leash sets she purchased because they didn’t fit her guinea pigs.”
36. “The customer didn’t like lamb, so they knew their dog wouldn’t like it either.”
37. “‘My friend’s dog didn’t like it, so I’m returning it because I doubt my dog will like it.’ Uhh … this isn’t a high school popularity contest. How someone else’s dog feels about the product has no bearing on if YOUR dog will like it!”
38. “I bought the wrong food at Petco.”
39. “Bad energy.”
40. “My dog won’t eat this because she just prefers to eat hot dogs, so that’s just what I’m going to feed her.”
41. “Customer opened the dog wipes in front of me after paying and complaining about the price, then smelled them and said, ‘Are these flea wipes? They smell like flea wipes,’ then hands two to her daughter, wipes her hands. I said, ‘No. They’re deodorizing and cleansing wipes.” The reply: ‘Oh, well I’m allergic to flea wipes. Can you return them.'”
42. “A toy was returned because their dog was scared of it. It did not move or make noise on its own, nor did it have a squeaker or crinkle.”
43. “A customer bagged her own purchases before the clerk had the chance and placed a 32-ounce spray bottle on its side in the same bag as a plush toy, then left it in the car overnight and wanted us to cover the spray product and the toy because the bottle leaked. It did not leak on the store shelf, nor on the counter when it was being rung up.”
44. “The kids wouldn’t take care of the dog, so the parents returned the puppy. Like a sweater.”
45. “Husband didn’t like how the food tasted.”
46. “A cone after the dog used it and didn’t need it anymore.”
47. “A lady’s cat TOLD her what it needed in its kibble, so she needed to return what she got so she could buy what the cat TOLD her it needed.”
48. “I need to return this freeze-dried food because of the date. I want my emergency pet food storage to be fresh.”
49. “Their dog grew out of their harnesses too quickly, and they demanded a refund”
50. “A customer accidentally purchased frozen food instead of freeze-dried food. Imagine the look on the cashier’s face when the customer brings the bag back asking why the food looked so weird this time!?”
51. “A CBD calming treat that immediately caused the dog to shed. Absolutely could not have been stress shedding, had to be the CBD.”
52. “Well, we obviously denied it, but we did have someone try to return cans of cat food they had bought off of Amazon, and they didn’t see why we couldn’t issue them a refund since we sold the same brand.”
53. “A customer brought back a bag of dog food because their dog ‘didn’t like the color of the kibble.’ It definitely gave our team a good laugh, and it’s a reminder that customers — and pets — can have very particular tastes!”
54. “A customer said a product made her dog act funny. We asked in what way. She stated that his penis got big and white stuff was on the tip. My staff just about died. She took the product and informed the customer that it was normal if they really LIKE something!”
55. “Customer returned a lamp that was physically broken, stating they received it as a gift in that condition, but it turned out it wasn’t even our product.”
56. “I had a customer claim the chew was making their dog sick. They would return it, then turn around and buy more. I finally realized he only liked to eat the chicken jerky off the top. I called them out and told them they were not allowed any more returns/refunds. They still buy them.”
57. “Wife didn’t like the blue poop bags. She only likes the green ones!”
58. “Could not snuffle the snuffle mat.”
59. “Her husband could not stand the smell of the bully stick.”
60. “Their online purchase had finally arrived.”
61. “A dog collar because the dog did not like the color.”
62. “Food makes poop stink!”
63. “A customer returned treats that had fish in them because she didn’t want her dog to have fish. They feed chicken and salmon. She couldn’t understand that salmon was fish. I just said, “OK no problem, we will return these treats.”
64. “A holiday hat returned in July! Didn’t fit the dog, and they wanted a full return!”
65. “‘My dog keeps eating it.’ In relation to a dry cat food.”
66. “Someone brought back two bags of raw food last week because her cat would not touch it after she, get this, ‘Left it for an hour in the car thawing out.'”
67. “I used the crate while I was traveling and no longer need it.”

See the full 2025 Big Survey results package.