TruthaboutPetFood.com

Purchasing your pet food from an Independent Pet Food Store IS worth the effort.  The following is a series of articles (all titled 'Meet an Independent Pet Store Owner' if you do a search to 'meet' them all) to show everyone the differences between the Big Box Stores and the personal touch of an Indepent Pet Food Store. 

Each Independent Pet Food Pro listed on the "Find Healthy Pet Food" page on TruthaboutPetFood.com answers the same questions...Here is Brehon's Pet Supply's answers...

How/why did you open a pet food store?  (Is there a personal story of a pet food harming one of your own pets?...Motivations of you starting this business?)                                        

Well, We had been showing and breeding dogs for about 35 years. We believed all the hype from the big pet food companies and accepted all the gifts and coupons they gave at the shows and fed our animals religiously according to their information. As our babies aged, we began to see skin issues and organ problems and our vet bills kept climbing higher and higher.  When I retired I began to search for information on how to minimize the issues with health.  Everything pointed to diet, so I searched for Good Foods to feed along with vitamins and essential minerals to help them age properly.  The Big Box Stores weren't very helpful it seemed they basically fell for the same hype the industry seemed to spew forth in large quantities. So I decided to start a place where people could come for good information about food for pets, and studied everything I could get my hands on concerning nutrition for animals.

What do you see as the difference between your store and a Big Box Pet Store?  What advantages to you provide to Pet Owners?

Here we stock only the top rated commercial foods and provide samples to prospective customers so they can evaluate the products before they buy.  We offer 24 hour 7 day support for problems and concerns. Our customers deal directly with the owners here, no minimum wage place holders in the store. We distribute a monthly newsletter with current issues for discussion, answer questions of general interest to our clients, and provide the latest info on re-calls, and problems in the industry. The main advantage is that we stock small quantities so our products all always as fresh as possible.  We custom order for clients too, if we don't stock it we will order it in for them, and deliver usually within a week.

What are some of the frustrations you have about the (mis)information your customers have been exposed to about pet food and nutrition?

You can sum this up in one sentence, ALL pet food manufacturers LIE!

How much of your job is nutritional education and counseling? Do you offer seminars or other continuing education opportunities through your store?

I speak at Dog shows and Club meetings, but the bulk of the education is ONE on ONE in the store with people who have heard about us and want to do things differently.  We take the time to make sure they are buying the right food for their special animals.

Do you have some success stories to share about how good nutrition has helped customers to eliminate health problems?

Over and over we hear from the folks who trusted us and bought the foods we recommended to them. Shiny coats, more energy and a myriad of changes the never thought would happen. On lady had a dog that was almost completely deaf from ear infection. She spent hundreds of dollars at vets without any luck.  We put her on a grain free food.

How did you choose your foods, or what defines foods that you will agree to carry, and what makes you decide against a certain food? Would you be willing to eliminate a certain popular food if something changed about it that you didn't like? What sort of thing would that be that would make you do this? How would you handle it with your customers?

We read websites and ingredient lists and make choices based on the grain content, the palatability, and other decisions based on information from websites like yours.  I have stopped selling several brands based on changes in the formula, but mostly from changes in ownership, and re-call information. WE counsel our clients and they usually listen to us and will gladly change products on our recommendations.

Have any of your foods been affected by a recall? Of so, how did you handle it?

We just went through the Diamond re-call with Premium Edge cat food.  I just sent the stock back to the distributor and WILL NOT trust the food again.

How do you go about choosing and training your employees?

I have one part time guy who fills in for us when we have other commitments. The first 6 weeks, I worked with him and he listened to what we tell customers and and read everything I told him to and I watched him at work with our clients and helped him to get polished and educated in the product lines and why we sell certain things to some an certain other things to others   

How do you stay educated about food and news in the industry, and what are some of the challenges to this?

Constantly searching for information on the internet, reading insider websites, and industry news.  The problem is sorting the chaff from the wheat and knowing full well that it might be fluff or lies.

Why should a pet owner purchase their products from your store?  (Anything other that above.)

We treat customers with respect and truly care about their pets, profit is last on our list the welleing of the animals is our priority.

For more information visit http://www.brehonpetsupply.com

Support your local Independent Pet Food Store!  These folks are the best!

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Truth about Pet Food
Petsumer Report
www.TruthaboutPetFood.com

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