Visiting Pet Planet
When I travel I am always on the lookout for pet stores that are different. There is something awesome about walking into a store and being able to actually feel that the owner and the staff have their hearts’ and heads’ in the right places.
On my travels to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, I made a stop at a pet store that caught my eye; Pet Planet in Calgary. Pet Planet is a family business, founded by a mother and daughter team with a passion foranimals. With a focus for pet longevity, they created a franchise model based on education with a health-minded approach to pet retail.
When I walked into the store I was immediately in awe of the educational quotes plastered on the walls:
“Poor quality pet foods may cost less at the register but cost more in long- term care. What you choose to feed your pet is crucial to your pet’s long & healthy life.”
I was even more impressed by their freezer and fridge section, housing various raw and fresh feeding options for affordable prices.
However, as a dedicated pet parent, passionate about educating others about pet health and wellbeing, what excited me the most was the research I did when I returned to my hotel; Pet Planet is on an absolute mission to educate pet owners through the Guardianship Movement.
What is The Guardianship Movement?
Taken directly from their website; “Pet Planet’svision is for a world where animals are treated with respect for the unique individuals they are… a world in which consideration is given for an animal’s needs and quality of life… a world void of animal exploitation, abuse, and neglect. From this dream the Guardianship Movement was born.”
Guardianship, by its definition, reflects a shift in our way of thinking. This mental change allows our behaviours and actions to follow. By changing the way we relate with our animal companions we can ultimately affect the way we communicate to the people around us, becoming examples to others and most importantly for the next generation of Guardians, known as pet parents.
There is also a FREE downloadable health manual, which I think is an excellent way to get pet parents shifting their thinking from the get go; it explains responsible pet ownership and how to appropriately choose a pet, holistic health and nutrition, and how to keep your pet safe.
So WHY Care?
Yes, so this is cool, a pet retail store that goes the extra mile, but why do I care so much? Because it means that we are changing the way we communicate and care about animals.
The average pet owner probably has no idea that nutrition plays such a major role in the longevity of their pet, or that by buying that puppy from the window with no research done could be in fact supporting an illegal puppy mill. The reality is, that as much as I can share and post blogs on social media about responsible pet ownership, the average pet owner probably will never see it. These pet owners are the EXACT demographic we are trying to encourage more education to be available to.
Pet retail stores have the ability to educate the average pet owner. And if we continue to do this, the bar for pet ownership will be raised.
