Business offers high-end canine cuisine

Jay Kwok says he started off as a dog lover and as a naive consumer of pet products.

The Plumas Lake resident, 26, owns three German shepherds, a golden retriever and two Chihuahuas. Now, he also owns two pet supply stores and is somewhat obsessed about the brands he sells.

His VIP Pets in Marysville opened in October. A smaller version opened off North Beale Road in February.

The shops feature a variety of high-end dog foods, treats and nutritional supplements, most of which are not available at chain stores.

"Most people think it's more expensive to buy from a small store, but we want to beat that idea," said Kwok, standing in front of an 8-foot-tall comparison chart that hangs in the cavernous storefront he rents on D Street.

The giant chart offers information about the ingredients of 45 different dog food brands, including the most popular premium brands, and what each one costs at local box stores like Walmart, PetSmart and Petco.

"You're paying more for marketing than ingredients," Kwok said. "And the food is mostly junk fillers like corn, soy and wheat. They're not supposed to be eating that stuff."

A smaller but similar chart on the other side of the store compares cat foods, which, like the dog food chart, including brands he won't sell.

The idea for the stores came a few years ago when Kwok's previous line of work in the mortgage industry began to slide.

At the same time, he said, he became frustrated by what he suspected was a series of skin allergies some of his dogs developed. He began to do research.

Most of the companies would not divulge precisely how much actual meat was in the pet food they sold — a fact which frustrated and irritated him, he said.

Kwok's girlfriend, Emma Chan, 24, said their own dogs have been the guinea pigs for most of what they sell in the store.

Prior to what they learned about pet food, she said, the dogs "were overeating and their poop was giant."

"They're much healthier now, and you can see the difference in their coats," said Kwok.

His 20,000-square-foot space on D Street includes an upstairs warehouse and office, which the couple is trying to fill.

Kwok encourages dog owners to look at consumer guides in a publication called Whole Dog Journal or to check dogfoodanalysis.com.

"Anybody can do the research," he said. "It's just a matter of taking the time."