A local phenomenon in the raw pet food movement, K9 Shop is building a veritable university on Long Island, where customers are educated and professors are constantly learning.
The company also added biologists and pet nutritionists to the company.
And the campus is also expanding.
In February, The K9 Shop opened its sixth Long Island location, this time in the Manor Building.
And in March, Real Dog Raw Food K9 Shop moved from a small space in Massapequa and opened its first K9 Shop Wellness Center at 1073 North Broadway in Massapequa.
Because educating pet owners and employees is paramount, the new center will host seminars, host guest speakers and provide on-site nutrition training.
A Pet Expo is also planned for this summer on June 15, 2024, with an expanded private parking lot.
Not only that, the new center boasts the largest selection in the K9 Shop portfolio, stocking many luxury brands.
“This is also our largest store,” co-founder Robert Tucker said. “It's like Whole Foods for pets.”
Transportation in Massapequa
Robert Tucker and his wife Anya opened their first brick-and-mortar store on Long Island in Massapequa in 2018, then moved to a larger space on Broadway.
It then moved to Broadway for a third time in March, opening its first retail spot and wellness center in a former party store.
This reflects not only demand but also trust and relationship building among local pet owners.
That leads to business through word of mouth. That leads to growth.
And The K9 Shop's overall growth means happier, healthier dogs and cats on Long Island and beyond.
One thing the couple always knew was that they weren't abandoning Massapequa.
“This is the original and we didn’t want to stray away from it,” Anya said. “This is our third spot on Broadway, and it was all about staying here and being a part of the community. We're committed to this community. We give back to the community. And “The community has really started to trust us.” “We want to stay in Massapequa. That's important.”
The Wellness Center is stocked with freezers stocked with rolls of ready-to-eat, raw, natural dog and cat food. This also includes unique proprietary blends, including a carbohydrate-free blend created for dogs with cancer.
And then there's what The K9 Shop calls The Raw Bar.
“We have all kinds of treats here, from cow snouts to cow ears to rabbit feet to collagen rolls to pig snouts. Everything here is natural,” said Robert, a Greater Long resident. told Island.
“There is nothing in this store or any of our stores that is 100 percent biologically inappropriate.”
We also try to keep everything as local as possible. Many of the supplements are also locally sourced, including honey from the North Fork and bee pollen to help dogs with allergies.
“They get antibodies from local pollen,” Robert says.
The rear refrigerator also has even more locally sourced ingredients like duck necks and bone marrow, most of which come from Long Island and New York area farms.
“This is what we call farm to bowl,” Robert said.
Everything about life
Feeding dogs kibble is a century-old trend.
Because it's too easy. Open the bag and pour.
“It was created for convenience, just like McDonald's was created for us,” Robert likes to say. “People wanted something they could just throw in a bowl and get started. The difference is we know full well that McDonald's is not good for us.”
(And we never eat it every day!)
But the couple say it's hard for people to understand that anything is different because generations of friends and family have grown up feeding their dogs pellets.
“Everything we do is [as humans] By cooking their food and adding colorings, fillers, and preservatives, what we're doing is killing the food itself and ultimately losing its nutritional value due to the high level of processing. is gone,” Anya added. “That's why these big dog food companies have to spray their kibble with all these flavors and vitamins and colors to make it taste better.”
As mentioned above, a top priority for all K9 Shop employees is education about the real benefits of raw, whole foods and supplements, not just the dangers and dark secrets of big-name corporate pet foods.
“The key is education,” Anya says. “That's why all dogs and cats eat this food well. They may need additional supplements or make dietary adjustments, especially if they have kidney disease, EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency), or diabetes. Sometimes you need . We just educate people very well.”
Robert added: “We believe that everything heals from the inside out, and it starts with what you eat.
elements of trust
Anya says that “trust” has been the driving force behind The K9 Shop’s success.
Also, customers who become friends. Those believers talked, and word of mouth had such an impact on the company that it started in Massapequa and later expanded to Lynbrook and Bohemia. They partnered with another loyal customer to open an East Northport franchise in 2023.We also have a store in Greenville, South Carolina
Products offered at all stores include complete, balanced meals, bones, fish, farm eggs, whole game, and DIY raw chunks from local farms.
“This is just as Mother Nature intended,” Anya likes to say.
So what builds that trust?
“People can see the results in their dog's health, coat, and behavior,” Anya says. “They're seeing changes in the dogs…the yeast problems, ear problems, hot spots are gone. Their teeth are clean…
“The important thing is to give them what they should eat.”
