O’Brien Pet Foods first opened its doors in Squamish, BC over 30 years ago, and to this day is still the only locally owned and operated pet food store in town. What began as a feed store for the rural community eventually transitioned into a pet shop, and it remains dedicated to providing care and high-quality nutrition for pets. “Our mission is to provide and supply healthy, nutritious food to all animals,” says Lin Smith, who owns the store with her husband Brent. “We specialize in diet, and one of our core values is taking care of your pets and the families’ needs.”
When Lin and Brent originally moved to Squamish as part of their work in the hospitality industry, they fell in love with the community and the people - and when the opportunity came up to buy O’Brien Pet Foods, they took it. “My background is in biology, so I always had the dream of being a vet,” says Lin. “Brent and I always knew we wanted to work together, have a business together, and have it dedicated to dogs and pets. It checked off two things we wanted to do to move forward in our lives.” Four years have passed since they made that decision, and things are going from strength to strength. As a family-owned business in Squamish, part of O’Brien’s mission is to support other small, local businesses in the area. “We’re a family shop too,” Lin explains. “Any opportunity there is to find somebody local or a family-run business or venture, we’ll bring them in - that’s what we want to do.”
When it comes to nutrition for dogs and other pets, O’Brien’s recognizes the importance of feeding animals the right thing. “In general, dogs are so different,” says Lin. “They have their own personalities and that’s why we love them. But there’s something we can control, and it’s what we put into them. What you put into your dogs, what they eat, it helps them in the long run - it’s fundamental. So that’s what’s important to us, finding the perfect food for them.” With a dedication to highly nutritious Canadian pet foods, and a focus on locally and regionally sourced products, O’Brien’s core values are perfectly aligned with what Smack Pet Food has to offer. “Smack’s values, their philosophy, kind of lines up with what we are,” says Lin. “They’re a small, family-run business out of Winnipeg, and they care about what goes into pet food. When we talk with them, ask them questions, we’re talking to somebody who cares about the company and they follow through with everything they do. We love that about them.”
Read more at https://www.obrienpets.com/