The Natural Dog and Holistic Cat to Expand in Newburyport

By Madelaine Swymer

Green Alliance Staff Writer 

The Seacoast’s favorite pet supply store, The Natural Dog and Holistic Cat, was recently presented with an opportunity it couldn’t pass up. After opening its new Portsmouth location only a year ago, it is now in the process of expanding its Newburyport store. 

Natural Dog’s Newburyport neighbor went out of business six months ago. It took some time and convincing, but eventually owners Jeff and Dawn Price decided it would be a great opportunity for expansion. 

They’ve been in their Newburyport location for close to 10 years now. It’s a great location that offers convenient parking for their customers. But they were admittedly a little cramped. “We’ll be primarily adding new products that we’ve wanted to bring in for awhile but couldn’t because of space constraints,” Jeff Price said in a recent telephone interview. 

The Natural Dog promotes and represents holistic health and wellness for pets. Their stores offer unique products that can’t be found elsewhere in the area. The type of high quality pet supplies it offers cannot be found in a department store. “All products go through a high-end screening process — the manufacturing principles, everything is highly scrutinized,” Jeff Price said. 

But Jeff believes that what really makes their business special is their team’s knowledge of the products. His wife, Dawn, is a registered dietician who has been working in the pet food industry since 2002. During her nutrition studies, she placed special focus on animal nutrition. From her research, Dawn recognized that there was a lack of adequate pet-food options. Most pet foods on the market claimed to supply sufficient nutritional value but simply did not. Since 2005, Dawn and Jeff have strived to improve pet health through their business by providing truly nutritious and natural food.  

The Natural Dog has found much success in the Seacoast area. There is a great demand for products in this niche market. “An incredible number of people are becoming more aware of healthy habits, not only for themselves but also for their animals,” Jeff Price said. This mindset connects consumers, business owners and manufacturers and leads to the natural and eco-friendly advancements that we see at play through The Natural Dog. 

Natural Dog is already the home of the largest selection of raw foods anywhere in the Seacoast. The expansion will allow it to bring in more freezers for an even bigger raw food selection. Not only will its choices of food be expanded, but also the Prices plan to sell more hard goods. This includes supplies such as leashes, collars, organic toys and beds, to go along with the hemp and bamboo collars, American-made bowls, biodegradable waste bags, and natural shampoos the store already sells. The stores’ hypoallergenic and non-toxic hard goods are particularly beneficial to pets that have any sensitivities or allergies. All of these pet supplies fulfill the same theme of sustainability as The Natural Dog’s food line. 

Both locations will remain open during the expansion. The project is estimated to be completed by mid-February. More foods and hard goods from Natural Dog mean more eco-friendly options for you. For customers new and old, come by the Natural Dog to see its new expansion and explore the array of new products for your pets! 

The Newburyport and Portsmouth stores of Natural Dog and Holistic Cat are both green-certified members of the Green Alliance, a green business union and consumer co-op which brings sustainable entrepreneurs together with like-minded consumers.  You can read Natural Dog’s full sustainability certification documents on the Green Alliance website at www.greenalliance.biz