About Petagogy In McMurray

About Petagogy

[pet-uh-goh-jee]

Petagogy is an independently-owned local pet supply store that is operated by five humans and their many dogs. Where did we get that name? It comes from the word “pedagogy,” which is the art or profession of teaching. We pride ourselves on learning about the best products out there, and we hope to pass that information on to our customers.

Our animals aren’t just pets—they’re our family. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure they live long, happy and healthy lives. We opened Petagogy more than ten years ago to give Pittsburgh-area pet owners access to an independent store in their community that has a knowledgeable staff and a wide selection of healthy and natural foods, treats and supplies for dogs and cats. Many of our products are not offered anywhere else in the Pittsburgh area. We know your pets will love them!

The people (and pets) behind Petagogy

Petagogy was founded in 2011 by two couples (and friends) Ben Huber, Elsie Lampl, Heather Blum and Cole Wolfson. An idea that started over beers has grown from one 600 sq ft retail store in Shadyside to two area locations! Additionally, long-time employee Allison Stetz (also the founder and President of Biggies Bullies) joined the ownership team in 2016. In 2025, we acquired local chain Healthy Pet Products and their three stores in McCandless, McMurray and Cranberry!

Our three “founding” dogs, Deeka, Jack and Bumble Bee, are the inspiration behind Petagogy; you’ll recognize them by their silhouettes on our logo!

Locations

East Liberty: 5818 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
North Hills: 165 Blazier Drive, Pittsburgh PA 15237
South Hills: 3043 Washington Road, McMurray PA 15317
Greensburg: 240 E. Pittsburgh Street, Greensburg, PA 15601
Cranberry: 8001 Rowan Road, Cranberry Township PA 16066

Our animals aren’t just pets. They’re our family.

Gift Cards

Need a gift for a friend or family member? Petagogy gift cards make great gifts for all the pet lovers in your life. Gift cards are available for purchase in our stores in any denomination.

Earn Free Pet Food

Paws Club members can earn free pet food from participating brands through Astro Loyalty. Ask us for more information!

Meet the Petagogy Team

Heather and Cole

Store Owner

Heather and Cole live in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh with their two children and two rescue dogs. In addition to operating Petagogy since it opened in 2011, Heather also serves on the Board of Directors for IndiePet, an organization whose mission is to empower independent and neighborhood pet retailers to work together as peers for the well-being of North American pets. Prior to working at Petagogy full-time, Cole spent over 15 years in Pittsburgh's tech sector, running the AlphaLab Gear hardware accelerator at Innovation Works and the xBridge innovation program at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Their first dog Deeka, a chihuahua-corgi mix rescued from Animal Friends in 2010 (and the center dog in the Petagogy logo), is the reason they first started Petagogy with good friends Ben and Elsie in 2011.

Ben and Elsie

Store Owners

Ben and Elsie live in Greensburg with their three teen daughters and a handful of animals. Throughout the years, Ben and Elsie have expanded their family of animals and currently have two dogs, two cats, a hamster, fish, backyard chickens and four bee hives. The addition of chickens and bees to the family was the inspiration behind the “Backyard” sections inside the Greensburg and Cranberry stores. Prior to opening Petagogy, Ben was a teacher, which was the motivation for the store’s name (derived from "pedagogy," the art of teaching). He has operated the stores since Petagogy opened in 2011. Elsie has been an attorney since 2008 but transitioned to working full-time for the company in 2025. Their first dogs, Jack and Bumble Bee, were part of the inspiration for Petagogy (and are the two larger dogs in the Petagogy logo).

Alli

Store Owner

Alli joined the Petagogy ownership team in 2016 after starting as the store's first employee in 2011. She is founder and president of Biggies Bullies, an all-volunteer-based nonprofit whose mission is to rescue and re-home pit bull-type dogs in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. Alli founded Biggies Bullies when she was 20 years old and in the past 14 years has helped rescue and rehome more than 300 bully breed dogs. Alli lives in Beechview with her partner Josh and four rescue dogs Matzah Ball, Squish, Colt and Billy, plus a foster dog or two!

What McMurray Customers are saying

We love our customers from McMurray areas around McMurray, Lawrence, Hendersonville, Upper St Clair, Thompsonville, Bethel Park, and South Park Township, and more.

Jeffrey Fondelier

2025-05-31

Cool place. Lots of good stuff for the pup.

R Myers

2025-04-25

I visited for the first time yesterday and absolutely loved it. I was greeted right away, and a very helpful staff member took the time to help me find exactly what I needed and explained everything thoroughly. My cat has digestive issues, and she helped me choose a food that would work for him—he loves it! Just in case he didn’t, we also picked out a second brand as a backup. The place was so nice and welcoming, and the cashier was also super friendly. Overall, a wonderful experience—I’ll definitely be back.

Renee

2025-04-15

I was amazed at the offerings in both dog and cat anything you can think of. The service was wonderful, The staff was attentive and knowledgeable. They had anything you could imagine for your pet, so many options for treats and pet care and toys. They also offer bulk items so if you wanted to get a little bit for your pet to try you could without breaking the bank. I could spend several hours in there and not see everything. I will definitely be back.

Adam C

2025-04-15

Nice locally owned pet store with large selection

Bob Miller

2025-04-02

Very helpful when looking for cat food for my dear boy cat of 13 years. He's losing weight and I'm trying to see if we can adjust his diet to help. Been to the Vet, blood tests, etc. inconclusive for cause. Bought raw Duck and beef milk on my first visit. On the second visit they comped samples of additional wet food that may help. Also offered to bring other wet food from the North Hills store. I'm eternally grateful and will be buying all the food for my cats here.

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Find Your Store

All Locations

East Liberty

North Hills

South Hills

Cranberry Twp

Greensburg

About Petagogy

[pet-uh-goh-jee]

The people (and pets) behind Petagogy

Locations

Our animals aren’t just pets. They’re our family.

Meet the Petagogy Team

Heather and Cole

Ben and Elsie

Alli

What McMurray Customers are saying

Locations

East Liberty

North Hills

South Hills

Cranberry Twp

Greensburg

Petagogy

Business Hours

Mon	10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tue	10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wed	10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thu	10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Fri	10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sat	10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sun	10:00 AM - 5:00 PM