Are you struggling to figure out a healthy diet for your pet? With so many options and conflicting information, it can be overwhelming! But if you’re near Lake Oswego, Oregon, you’re in luck. In this blog post, I interview the owner and the assistant manager at Healthy Pet. Read on to learn more.
Briefly introduce yourself and tell us your role.
My name is Debra Seitz-Caparis. I’m the owner of the store.
My name is Kate Bisturis (she/her). I’m the Assistant Manager. I’ve been working at Healthy Pet since 2007. I have 3 cats, 2 dogs, chickens, ducks, and often some small critters too – like geckos, frogs, or fish!
What does your business offer?
Kate says:
We carry a huge selection of healthy diets for cats and dogs. Animals are all individuals with unique needs and bodies, so there’s no one right food or solution for everyone. While we offer a lot of the highest quality kibbles on the market, we also encourage customers to look past the dry food aisle at all of the canned, freeze-dried, gently cooked, and raw diets that we offer. We believe that incorporating fresher, less processed food into the mix is a win for everyone. Animals, especially cats, really need hydration in their diet.
We also carry a wide variety of treats, chews, and toys for cats and dogs. In addition, we have tons of high quality supplies like holistic supplements, collars, leashes, beds, apparel and more! And we have the expertise to help customers dig through all the options to find what is best for them and their pet. We also have a small selection of food and supplies for birds (wild and domestic, including chickens), small animals, reptiles, and fish.
When did the business get started?
Healthy Pet opened in Lake Oswego in October 1986.
How did you get into this business? Tell us your story.
Deb says:
In 1973, while living in Eugene, we got an Irish Wolfhound named Tanya. I wanted to know how to best take care of her, so I enrolled at The Western Vocational School of Dog Grooming, which was right down the street from our house. It was there that I learned how to groom dogs and cats. When I graduated, they offered me a job as an instructor. And the rest is history. Tanya remained well-groomed while I attended college and entered the pet business.
My deceased husband and I opened Healthy Pet in Lake Oswego when we moved back to Oregon from California. It was our 5th pet store. After having 4 pet stores and 2 restaurants in California, we decided pet stores were much more fun. (We had quite the menagerie at home. We raised Schnauzers, cockapoos, Siamese cats, and Persian cats, plus all the little critters: guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and mice.) We went on to open several more stores in Oregon and California, enjoying the customers and their four-legged family members.
What is your favorite thing about the business? What makes this business special?
Deb says:
My favorite thing about the business is the community of pet lovers and their families. It’s such a fun-loving and caring community. We hear hilarious stories from the families about their pets, not to mention we have our share of stories after 52 years in the business.
What’s so special about Healthy Pet in Lake Oswego? Hands down, it’s my staff! They all care about our four-legged customers and their families. Their expertise in the business and their competency is evident as soon as you step foot in the store. I am so very grateful for them!
Kate says:
Whenever we are hiring a new employee, we like to say that working at Healthy Pet is not really a retail job, it’s actually a customer service job. And be careful, you might not ever want to leave! Yes, we sell lots of great products and we can talk all about those, but we absolutely love what we do, and care so much about our customers and their pets, that it feels a lot less like we’re trying to sell things, and a lot more like we’re just here to help. I think that’s something you find more often in small businesses, and something that makes Healthy Pet very unique.
Personally, there’s nothing I love more at work than helping a customer tackle a tough pet problem. Whether it’s a new cat that’s not using the litter box, or a dog whose tummy can’t tolerate eating kibble, or an older pet that is starting to have mobility issues – We take a lot of pride in being able to recommend products and give advice from a place of experience, that could really have a significant, positive impact on the lives of our customers and their pets.
We’ll have been in business for 40 years next year. The pet care world evolves rapidly and we have to change just as fast! We pride ourselves on staying up to date with the best and newest products, and also the latest research on animal health and nutrition. And I think what makes us special as a business is our eagerness and willingness to go above and beyond to help our customers – two-legged and four. My favorite thing is seeing a regular customer come back in after trying a food or product that we recommend, just to tell us how well it’s working. That’s a huge win, and makes our jobs worth doing. We love it here and hope to be around for another 40 years.
If you haven’t shopped in-store for your pets in a while, or haven’t visited your local pet store, stop by! You might be surprised by the new things you find and learn! We’re always happy just to chat about people’s pets and offer a snack to any that stop by with their owners!
Where can people find your products?
We’d love to see you in the store, but you can also shop with us online. Our website is healthypetlakeoswego.com and you can click on the “Shop Now” tab to place an order. If you’re a first time customer, you can use promo code FirstTime5 to get $5 off your first purchase of $25 or more.
I love shopping at Healthy Pet!
They have a great selection of pet food, and everything they stock is good quality. The staff are always friendly and ready to help when I’m looking for product recommendations.
