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Chillicothe Native Opens Pop-up, Online Pet Supplies Shop
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Get Your Pet Supplies Ready For Hurricane SeasonPet Peeves
Hurricane season officially started June 1 and ends Nov. 30. While we don't know what the season holds for the Gulf Coast, we do know there are some things we can do to prepare for any hurricanes that may hit our area.
Here is a little bit of savings for your hurricane pet prep: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the largest tax-relief plan in Florida's history. Florida is having a Hurricane Sales Tax Holiday from Aug. 26 through Sept. 8 that includes a lot of the things we are talking about today. Collapsible or travel-sized food and water bowls are tax-free if they cost less than $15. Potty pads, leashes, collars and muzzles that cost less than $20 are tax-free. Cat litter pans are on the list, as are pet-waste-disposal bags that cost less than $15. I did not see cat litter on the list. Hamster or rabbit substrate that costs less than $15 is tax-free. Bags of dry pet food weighing 50 pounds or less as long as it costs less than $100, and canned food as long as it costs less than $10 a can also make the cut. Pet beds are tax-free if they cost less than $40. Pet carriers that cost $100 or less are on the list. You can get the direct information by going to floridarevenue.Com and look for the Florida Sales Tax Holiday information.
Let's say you are a cat owner and want to be prepared for the worst. Definitely make sure you have plenty of cat litter. Stock up! It is easy to store and will never go bad. Dry cat food doesn't store as easily. Canned food will keep longer on the shelf. Two weeks' worth should do it.
Be sure you have a carrier to transport your cat in if you have to evacuate. If you have a very large (or fat) cat, don't force him into a small carrier. For traveling any length of time, you need a carrier that is twice the size of your pet.
Also, don't jam two cats into one carrier with little to no extra space. Cats can get cranky and fight when forced together into a small space. Potty pads, which are sold in the pet section of the store, are great liners for carriers when going on long trips. They soak up everything and are easy to change out. Dogs need a carrier, too. They travel better, and often the destination will require a place for the dog to be confined at least part of the time. Also, have a good leash and harness so you can keep your pet under control and walk him safely.
Look for it now and keep your pet's rabies tag or certificate where you can find it in case it's needed for boarding or to get into a hurricane shelter. Dogs will usually need proof of a bordetella vaccine as well as rabies. While they might wave it in an emergency, get it anyway so you are prepared.
If your pet is on any medications, make sure you have a two- to three-week supply in case you have to evacuate or your veterinarian's clinic is affected. Take a picture with your phone of all of your pet's medicines to have as a record.
Drinking water is needed for pets as well as people. Clean and fill your bathtubs so if water supplies become contaminated you have some fresh water. Bottled water also is an option.
Be ready to evacuate. If your pet does not travel well, there are medications available from your veterinarian. There are two types of car sickness — does your pet get anxious and whine, or does it get nauseous and vomit? There are different medications to address each one. Talk to your veterinarian about having something on hand if you know your pet gets car sick. Do it now, not when everyone is calling the vet's office at the last minute.
There are still a few days left on the tax-free holiday. It may be just the encouragement you need to get ahead of the hurricane season.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Get your pet supplies ready for hurricane seasonPet Peeves
Sustainably Driven CT Pet Supply Store Opening New Location, Where You 'get To See Dogs All Day Long'
The pitter patter of paws in West Hartford Center is about to get a bit louder this fall.
Local pet supply shop Green Tails Market will be opening a second location on LaSalle Road around early September.
Stationed next to Bridgewater Chocolate, Green Tails owners Paul and Ann Fryer said they have secured a 525 square foot storefront to bring their signature blend of mindful pet supplies and food to West Hartford Center. With a love of pets and the environment, the husband and wife team ditched their project management job and speech therapy careers years ago to open an animal-friendly store with an eco-friendly approach.
"We had just lost one of our goldens (retrievers) to cancer and, in the process of trying to extend her life, we realized what a monumental role diet plays in the health and longevity of pets," Ann Fryer said. "Environmental sustainability has always been important to us as well."
After being at 1085 Farmington Ave. For six years and in West Hartford previously for five years, the couple recently moved their first shop to a smaller 750 square foot location that used to be Claudia's Grinder Shop.
Contributed
Ann and Paul Fryey to open new location of pet supply shop Green Tails Market on LaSalle Road in early September. Contributed photo."It is smaller than (the 1085 Farmington Ave. Location), so we felt a natural next move would be a second small shop in West Hartford," Ann Fryer said.
The shop in Farmington offers a variety of dog and cat supplies, including dry food, wet meat, raw to lightly cooked food, supplements, grooming supplies, healthful treats, eco-friendly toys and garden supplies. While the new West Hartford location will carry a similar selection of pet supplies, Paul Fryer says the "cool garden supplies" most likely will not be carried there.
With the couple's planet-friendly values echoed in the name of their shop, which was once named Green Dog Market, they said they have incorporated their sustainable values into their new and cozy satellite shop, such as with their delivery service via bike, their initiative to donate to the West Hartford Tree Project and their joint-effort to plant a tree with One Tree Planted when every 100 pounds of kibble is sold.
This CT town is a popular place to visit and live. It's no surprise when you learn the reasons.
"Because we strive to minimize our carbon footprint, we have focused on sourcing and using reclaimed wood for our product fixtures and shelving that is made from regional, sustainably managed forests. We reuse and repurpose wherever possible," Ann Fryer said. "Paul is building the fixtures for the West Hartford space to include bulk displays to reduce single use plastic in our store."
Paul Fryer said the West Hartford store is being designed with reclaimed and sustainable sourced materials. "Our shelving units are made from sustainably sourced wood from New Hampshire, and the rest of the store fixtures are custom made by myself using all reclaimed wood, including some barn wood from an old barn in Darien, Connecticut."
Green Tails Market specializes in dog and cat supplies and also offer special order items for other pets. The Fryers said they carry minimally processed animal based protein, which they say is a priority.
"We love raw as well as gently cooked diets as they are well metabolized. We also are fans of high quality kibble, especially with added moisture (like bone broth, goats milk, or just warm water) and whole food toppers," Ann Fryer said. "Most importantly, we realize that there is not one food for all pets. Each pet has unique needs and may respond differently than another to any given food."
Before the Fryers moved to Connecticut and opened their soon-to-be-two small storefronts, they met at a little bar in the Virginia Highlands section of Atlanta, Georgia. After Ann Fryer bought her now-husband a beer, which was actually paid for by her sister at the tiny tavern, the Florida native decided to follow her spouse up to Connecticut where he grew up in West Hartford.
"After 11 years, the rhythm of running our business has become part of the fabric of our daily lives. We truly are a family operation," Ann Fryer said.
"We know each other very well, so we understand each other's strengths, weaknesses, work preferences, and communication styles, which leads to smoother collaboration," Paul Fryer added.
From feeding their son his first bite of solid food on the cash desk, to entering a pandemic when the phone was ringing off the hook and pounds of kibble was consistently carried out to cars, the couple has developed strong relationships over the years with their customers, who have become more like friends, Ann Fryer said.
"Plus, it's great to be in a business where we get to see dogs all day long," Paul Fryer noted.
"The thing that surprised me the most about opening the store is how strong of a connection we make with our customers," he said. "When you see someone come back month after month you start to genuinely understand and empathize with their needs."
Besides the husband and wife team, they are helped by two employees and their fluffy "floor manager" Chester, a 12-year-old golden rescue. For their second location, the couple will be looking to hire two more people to work with Chester and greet customers.
As the couple continues to post store updates and other pet-oriented content on their Instagram @greentailsmarket, they say that sometimes it is unbelieve how much they have grown and built over the last decade.
"I love that we can help create positive change. We are able to do good things in line with our core values that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to achieve," Ann Fryer said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the adjacent business.
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