This month, Healthy Pets Northwest celebrates a milestone we’re incredibly proud of: 25 years of helping pets live their best lives! It has been an amazing journey—full of twists, turns, and lessons learned—and our eyes are still firmly on the future.
As a small, independent family business, we’ve navigated sudden challenges that tested our resolve and embraced opportunities that propelled us forward faster than we imagined. Through it all, three commitments have never wavered:
- Quality foods from manufacturers who share our values.
- Exceptional customer service for every person and pet who walks through our doors.
- Community connection through active local involvement.
One of the earliest—and toughest—tests of our commitment to quality came in 2007 during the “great pet food recall,” one of the most expansive in U.S. history. Shelves at many pet supply stores were emptied overnight. At HPNW, only a few specialty canned foods and one dry cat food were affected. The rest of our shelves stayed stocked because we had already chosen to work with reputable producers who avoided cheap, risky ingredients from overseas. That experience cemented for us how critical it is to thoroughly vet every product we sell.
Course Corrections-Past and Present
Over the years, we’ve had to part ways with beloved brands—sometimes because they were sold to large corporations, other times because they began cutting corners. The most difficult of these decisions came when Natura, the maker of Evo, Innova, and California Natural, was sold to Procter & Gamble. At the time, Natura represented nearly 40% of our pet food sales. Walking away from that was daunting, but our trust in the brand had been broken. Within a year, P&G recalled all three lines—affirming that we had made the right call.
We never make these choices lightly. We know they can disrupt your pets’ routines. But our guiding question remains simple: Would we feed this to our own pets? If the answer is “no,” it won’t be on our shelves.
The good news? We’re seeing exciting shifts in the industry—especially the rise of whole food nutrition. This approach sources essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes from real, whole foods—not synthetic additives. It takes more effort, planning, and integrity to produce, but we believe it’s worth every step for the health of your pets.
Adapting, Serving, and Thriving—Together
Meeting our own high standards for customer service has never been easy. Keeping up with new products, changing pet health trends, and evolving customer needs is a constant challenge. No time tested us more than the pandemic.
As an essential service, we faced the question: How do we keep customers and staff safe while still providing the necessities? Supply chain disruptions, shifting safety guidelines, and sudden changes meant we were adapting daily—sometimes hourly. It was a time of twists, turns, starts, stops, and backtracks. Somehow, we made it through, even as many small businesses sadly could not.
Since then, shopping habits and customer expectations have shifted. We continue to adapt by:
- Partnering with manufacturers to give our staff in-depth product knowledge.
- Updating our computer systems for smoother rewards, specials, and frequent buyer redemption.
- Providing customer experience training to ensure every visit feels welcoming and personal.
Community has always been at the heart of what we do. We actively participate in local business associations, working to make our commercial districts vibrant community gathering spaces. As a member of the Multnomah Village Business Association (MVBA), Barb has donated many hours helping organize the annual Multnomah Days Street Festival and Parade—a beloved summer tradition that draws around 10,000 visitors to Multnomah Village.
Over the years, we’ve contributed time, money and products by hosting events, raffles, and fundraisers for local charities and nonprofits. This year, our spotlight is on the Portland Animal Welfare Team (PAW Team), a volunteer-powered nonprofit providing vital veterinary care, supplies, and support for more than 3,000 Portland-area families each year.
We also regularly donate to Animal Aid and the Animal Rescue & Care Fund, helping ensure more pets get the homes and care they deserve.
Our 25th Anniversary celebration is another chance for us to give back. Look for raffle tickets to win a year’s worth of dog food—every dollar raised goes directly to our nonprofit partners. Together, we can make a real difference for animals in need.
Here’s to 25 years of learning, adapting, and staying true to our values—and to the many more ahead. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for trusting us to help your pets live their best lives.