Pet Store Feature

TEAMWORK MAKES DREAMWORK ISLAND PET SOURCE locally owned in Langford, BC

 Caring  Honest  Knowledgeable  Ethical  Responsible  In-Store Experience  Pet Grooming  Dog Walking

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED The store was opened in 2009 by the previous owner, Tim Kellington, who I began working for in 2012. I really enjoyed working with pet parents and learning all that I could about pet health and nutrition. When the opportunity came in 2014 for me to purchase the store, I was thrilled to do so. Since then, my daughter and I have been running the store together and are excited for the future of Island Pet Source. WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT OWNING A PET STORE I love engaging with other passionate pet owners like myself and being a part of their pets lives. Some of our customers have been shopping here since we opened and it’s great to see their pet(s) develop and grow. I also love being a part of the community and seeing the exponential growth happening around us. BIGGEST CHALLENGES (IF ANY)? There are so many moving parts and aspects to running a small business that it can be overwhelming at times. I have a fantastic team of staff, which makes things easier, but the days can be long and tiring depending on whether I have worked as the dog walker or sales associate that day. The COVID-19 pandemic has also brought its own set of challenges that we have

had to manage, but we have remained open throughout and I am grateful for that.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS AND WHAT ARE THEIR NAMES? Between my daughter and I, we have a full house! Our pets are: Pete (Poodle X), Doodle (Chinese Crested X), Larry (Greyhound), Puck (Schnauzer X), Eddy (Boxer X) and Tuk (Shihtzu X). WHAT MAKES YOUR STORE DIFFERENT FROM A TYPICAL PET STORE? We are proud to be one of the few independent pet specialty retailers in our area and we try to offer products that are unique and harder to find at other stores. We also offer a full-service grooming shop and recently started a dog walking service which has been an exciting new venture! WHAT AWARDS HAVE YOU WON? 2019 Top 3 finalist in the Best of the Westshore community awards for the category of “Best Business”

EVERYTHING YOU GUYS DO FOR THE COMMUNITY We have always believed in community involvement as a key part of our business model. Over the years we have hosted many fundraising events for various local pet rescue organizations. We’ve held clothing drives for local organizations that support homeless youth and adults in the community. We support the local sports teams, and donate raffle prizes to elementary schools for their events.

Here’s #socialdistancing in pet store terms! Turns out that 2 giant bully sticks is 6ft! Let’s all keep doing our part and keep our distance to stay safe!