Welcoming Chow Hound Pet Supply Store
Article by Andy Barrand | KPC News | January 6, 2022
AUBURN — A one-stop shop for all the needs of man’s best friend, those furry felines and other creatures, can now be found in Auburn.
Chow Hound Pet Supplies opened its doors on Monday in the Kroger Plaza — next to Kroger —bringing a wide variety of pet foods, supplies and more to the community. It is the first full-service pet store in Auburn in a number of years.
Heather Vitale, store manager, said the reception from the community has been tremendous in the first few days.
“It has been amazing,” she said. “Everyone has been warm and welcoming. Our team is amazing.”
Before making the move to Auburn, Vitale served as assistant manager at a Chow Hound location in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is looking forward to the day when her family can join her in Auburn.
In the coming weeks, the store will also have a selection of fish, birds, small animals and reptiles. Vitale said she is looking forward to working with area rescue groups to try to find homes for cats and dogs.
The corporation doesn’t sell cats and dogs as they focus on working with rescue organizations to find good homes for those animals who are in need.
“There are far too many dogs and cats who need homes,” she said.
The store is a pet-friendly store, welcoming all kinds of pets to shop with their owners. It offers a wide variety of specialty dog and cat foods along with name brands. It also carries aquarium supplies, reptile food, bird food and food for your small creatures.
In the coming weeks, the store will also have a line of refrigerated and frozen food available for dogs as the new healthier trend is feeding pets a raw diet.
She said the store’s employees are continually going through training to keep up on the latest science and best practices for pets. This gives them the knowledge to find just what you need to make your pet happy and healthy.
Three in-store dog grooming bays give patrons the opportunity to bath their dog away from the confinements of their home. The store supplies all of the needed necessities and cleans up the mess when patrons are done. The dog-washing stations are available for a flat rate and are first come, first serve.
She said it is a nice way to bathe your animal over the hassle of doing it in the family bath tub.
The store will also feature an on-site groomer in the coming months.
She said the corporation is also big on providing enrichment for the animals it sells. Employees are encouraged to work with the animals to socialize them to make them well adjusted when they are purchased.
“All of our animals get time out of their cages,” she said. “Patrons are adding a member of their family, not just something that is going to sit in a cage all day.”
It is that philosophy that is stressed to patrons when they come into the shop. The knowledgeable staff helps new pet owners make the best decision for their family.
“We are an experience, not just a store,” Vitale said.
In the coming weeks, the store will adopt a store pet, which will be on hand to greet visitors, something that is done corporation wide. Vitale said most stores adopt a cat as their store pet, but her staff is pushing her to think outside of the box.
The store has a staff of 15 employees and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Delivery and online ordering is also available at chowhoundpetsupplies.com
The store will hold a grand opening on Jan. 29-30.
Article source: https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_d242a5b2-bd73-5b4c-8eb2-35659138c425.html