A selection of meats and treats at The Dog Grocer.
In an ideal world, Fido would live forever — perhaps not infinitely so (that would be genetically bizarre) but long enough to justify the lengths humans go for their pets in the name of love. There has to be a way to explain purchasing a $4,000 Hermès dog bag, a $600 Moncler Mondog puffer coat or Fido’s weekly organic herbal wraps that are bound to set the owner back $75.
However, it can often be said that over-enthusiastic pet owners seem to forget their pet’s genetic makeup in a bid to personify said pet (“My dog is an Aries Rising and has a Mercury in Leo!”). Simply put, dogs are descended from wolves — their teeth structure, gut layout and internal physiology prove they are omnivores. They were born to hunt in packs for small animals as they are equally programmed to dig up vegetables, herbs and grasses.
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What does one feed the domesticated wolf cavorting about his abode then? The answer can be found at The Dog Grocer, a sustainable pet grocer. “The pet food and treats range offered in supermarkets are very limited and do not reflect the range and quality offered in boutique pet stores. Anything chicken, beef or ‘xxx’-flavoured, wheat-based or containing peas, potatoes, rice and most things that you have difficulty pronouncing can be bad for your dogs. Essentially, knowing how to read ingredient labels would be a much better guide than relying on the marketing claims on the package by the seller.”
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“Technically, you can eat our ready-made meals at The Dog Grocer because we use human-grade ingredients which are usually sourced from grass-fed, free-range sources. My pet eats better than me! However, the meals made for pets ideally consist of various cuts of the animal like the spleens, kidneys and even brains — great in nutrition (in calculated amounts) for the pets, but probably not great on the human’s palate. The products offered at The Dog Grocer are meant to be versatile as a single protein for pets with sensitivities or as a mix of proteins for those who are not — including dogs on cooked or raw diets. However, I am currently working on more recipes that cater to other dietary requirements. We think, question sources and curate them by making checks on the farms and/or sources. We also make all the treats in-house and do not simply purchase wholesale to repack and resell. This gives us greater control on the food quality — from supplier to cleaning and processing, and production of the final product,” shares founder, Ming Hui.
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What about the green that goes with the grub? The concept of bringing one’s own doggy bag is not new. Encouraging a millennial population to take baby steps in their Balenciaga Triple S sneakers towards sustainability is not a considerable feat either. In Ming Hui’s words, the problem requires some finicking. “Right now, my team is working hard on advocating the use of BYO containers when customers purchase treats in store. We do provide paper bags when they forget, but while eliminating plastic packaging, we end up with a lot of paper packaging waste and we sometimes question if we’re doing enough. Changing mindsets, nudging people towards lifestyle changes and yet, trying not to appear overbearing and obnoxious imposing my principles on others — this would probably be the biggest challenge thus far. And yes, I do practice this in my daily life, from the smallest things like avoiding the use of disposables to keeping a vermicompost bin at home. I sometimes get vaguely judgemental looks from friends when I share (a little too enthusiastically) about my worms eating up leftover scraps.”
“The biggest trouble I have would be educating the people around me, sometimes including customers at The Dog Grocer. It’s the little steps really, and there is no real trouble embarking on a minimal waste lifestyle. It’s really about working towards less waste as much as we can, even if completely zero waste is not plausible.”
This story about The Dog Grocer first appeared in our May 2021 issue!
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