The loss of a pet prompted Anya Tucker and her husband, Robert, to open a one-of-a-kind doggy grocery store. After their English bulldog Georgia died at the age of 7 in 2016, due to several health issues, the couple embarked on a journey to better pet health.
They discussed the quality of the pet food with the neighbors, who began replacing their dogs’ kibble and wet food with raw diets – a balance of meat, bones and other ingredients tailored for dogs. Seeing what she says were positive results, the Tuckers opened The K9 Shop as a home business in 2017, selling raw meat pet food brands with human-grade meat from a massive freezer in their Bay Shore garage. . When the Tuckers got two new dogs, Ginger, now 10, and Ember, 8, they were put on raw diets.
Only 25¢ for 5 months
Unlimited Digital Access. Cancel anytime.
The loss of a pet prompted Anya Tucker and her husband, Robert, to open a one-of-a-kind doggy grocery store. After their English bulldog Georgia died at the age of 7 in 2016, due to several health issues, the couple embarked on a journey to better pet health.
They discussed the quality of the pet food with the neighbors, who began replacing their dogs’ kibble and wet food with raw diets – a balance of meat, bones and other ingredients tailored for dogs. Seeing what she says were positive results, the Tuckers opened The K9 Shop as a home business in 2017, selling raw meat pet food brands with human-grade meat from a massive freezer in their Bay Shore garage. . When the Tuckers got two new dogs, Ginger, now 10, and Ember, 8, they were put on raw diets.
Tuckers now has Massapequa and Bohemia stores and independent franchisee locations in East Northport, Lynbrook, Manorville and Greenville, South Carolina. In March, they moved their Massapequa operation to a new storefront. The store has doubled in size, allowing them to hold seminars and carry more brands of raw meat mixes, bones and treats like yak milk chews.
“Who would have thought that I was just looking for better food for my dogs, and it would snowball,” said Tucker, who also works as an art teacher in Brooklyn. “It makes me feel good to know that my work benefits the health of so many dogs and cats.”
The stores also carry raw cat food, a growing part of his business.
“Mother Nature provides what an animal has to eat on its own,” Tucker said.
Tucker spends afternoons and weekends in his stores listening to customers’ descriptions of their pets’ ailments and recommending foods that might help.
Nutrition-wise, Tucker follows his mother, who grinds his own meat instead of buying pre-ground meat so he knows what’s in his food.
“I always try to eat clean,” she says. “What has changed is that I want to feed my pets the same way we eat.”
The K9 Shop, 1073 N. Broadway, Massapequa, thek9shop.com, 516-400-3729.
