TUESDAY’S NATURAL DOG COMPANY Tremenda Discs, $3.57 to $7.99. They’re a unique chew for dogs that always catches people’s interest. — Karen Komisar, Sea Dog Pet Boutique, Annapolis, MD
- We did a 10% off promo on SOLUTIONS PET PRODUCTS and sampled out the milk. It was a huge success with our raw and our kibble feeders. — Ruth Sturgis, Dog Daze, North Syracuse, NY
- The new ZIPPYCLAWS cat toy collection was a huge hit! People love that the plush toys that attach to the ZippyStick wand are interchangeable, and all of the toys are fun with or without the wand. I offered 10% off the toy set with the purchase of a wand, which sells for $8.99. I sold half of my stock before the month ended! — Pamela Holbert, Powell Pet Food and Supply, Powell, TN
- 30-pound FROMM Classic. As the economy slows, customers have been looking for a quality food with a lower price point, and Fromm Classic has filled that bill. — Keith Henline, Asheville Pet Supply, Asheville, NC
- Wild bird houses always do well in March. Migrating birds are returning, and love is in the air. We sell locally handcrafted houses as well as mass-produced ones. $21 to $70. — Shelly Nicastro, Essex Bird & Pet Supply, Essex, MA
- 40-pound bag of nature’s bedding, a pine-based pellet used as cat litter or in livestock stalls. $8.19. — Diana Hardy, The Feed Bin, Rochester, WA
- Snuffle balls! I saw a TikTok of a rubber cage ball with fleece rolls, but couldn’t find them anywhere. I ended up ordering direct from Alibaba. When the order came in, our PRIMAL rep was in the store and offered to do a pairing: “Buy a Snuffle Ball, Get a Free Bag of Primal Treats.” The balls are such a hit that I immediately placed a double order. Ordering direct allowed us to sell them for a competitive price, $19.99, while making a really good margin. — Ashley Lancaster, Hot Diggity, Hyannis, MA
- Big increase in fish antibiotic sales. Laws taking effect soon will remove over-the-counter antibiotics, and as word spreads we’re seeing more and more customers trying to stock up. — Joanna Shaw, All Pet & Equine Supply, Mountain Home, AR
- Timothy hay. We started offering it in bulk. $12/$15.50. — Austin Strader, Westside Feed & Merchantile, Loveland, CO
- Toys from red dingo. They’re tough for dogs to destroy and retail for $20. — Pam Alerine, Style Mutt, Cleveland, OH
- Wild bird seed was a big hit for us. Our winter was pretty warm, so a lot of the native foods were eaten early, and the birds were hungry! — Cassie Nilsson, The Mill Stores, Whiteford, MD
- We sold over 100 TALL TAIL toys, up about 75%. We built a hitwall full of their toys, a crossover in dental of some of the dental type toys, and we tied in some of the ocean toys with our Icelandic fish display. Tall Tails adds new styles often, so it’s nice to see it change up. — Jennifer Larsen, Firehouse Pet Shop, Wenatchee, WA
- St. Patrick’s Day treats and toys, also baseball/ Phillies treats, etc. — Stephanie Rossino, Giggybites Bakery & Marketplace, Chadds Ford, PA
- Harnesses. I think folks are gearing up for the outdoors with their pups, even though the weather here isn’t spring yet. No specific promotions. Many manufacturers with price points. $24 to $60. — Dawn Hanner, Eastside Dog, Redmond, WA
- TALL TAILS toys were the bestseller for us in March. I did not do any promos for them. People seem to like their new toys a lot. People see them as a nice, plush toy that won’t be immediately destroyed. — Randy Walker, Lakeshore Pet Boutique, Douglas, MI
Services
- Feathers have molted a bit over the winter, and many people are hesitant to take their birds out in cold weather, so we’ll groom 50 to 75 birds by appointment a week until fall. We are booked out four to six weeks. — Paul Lewis, Birds Unlimited, Webster, NY
- Individual playtime! We were pretty busy over Spring Break for boarding, so we had a lot of one-on-one playtime sessions scheduled. Our individual playtime service is offered once a day for a small fee for dogs who don’t enjoy playgroup activities with other dogs. — Natalie Kramer, Albany Pet Hotel, Albany, OR
- Dog walking was our biggest service in March. We had a lot of clients enrolling for individual walks for dogs who don’t do well in group play settings. — Jennifer Frankavitz, Four Leggers Pet Supplies & Services, Beverly, MA
- Dog boarding for us is way up. Cruise season is upon us. At $48 a night. — Paul Lewis, The Green K9, Eustis, FL
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