Spotlight on Naturally Dogs And Cats, LLC

It was almost a year ago (April, 2014) that I stumbled on a great little pet food and supply store in the heart of downtown Hartford, CT. I had come for a parade and due to leaving a little later than planned I was not able to park in my usual place and had to take a different route to the parade.

It turned out to be my good fortune to find Naturally Dogs and Cats, LLC. Little did I know it at the time that it would turn out to be the beginning of a wonderful friendship and the venue for one of my very first book signings. It was also my introduction to a partner organization of the store, Kenway’s Cause – a foundation set up to help the stray dogs of Hartford for which I now volunteer. As I always say, everything happens for a reason!

The owner of the store, Bob Marshall was kind enough to take time out of his day to discuss his background in the pet industry and the growth of his business over the past year.

So, without further ado, I bring you today’s guest, Bob Marshall, Owner of Naturally Dogs and Cats, LLC.

In 2006 my partner John and I were looking to adopt a dog.  John’s Beagle had passed away a few years previous and our house felt empty.  John wanted two Jack Russell Terriers.  Ironically, he gave me a Christmas gift that I didn’t care for and I returned it and put the money towards a new mattress.  When I went into the bedding store, I had a long conversation with the sales clerk and our discussion turned to dogs.  She said that she did pet rescues and I joked that she probably had two Jack Russell Terriers that she wanted to get rid of and ironically she did.  Her house was filled with Boxers, Pugs and these two Jack Russells.

We adopted Daisy and George in April of 2006.  When shopping for food for them at our local big box retailer, a sales person turned me on to Nutro Ultra.  Little did I know how this would change my life. I was soon working for Nutro as a pet nutrition specialist and then their trainer.

While with Nutro for four and a half years, I worked in all of the large retail chains and I gained a lot of knowledge. My role was interacting with customers to determine their pet food choices and needs as well as any other products. These personal interactions provided the most valuable information in determining the current and future customer market and trends.

The interactions gave me an opportunity to see what was and was not working for customers. I took this opportunity to do extensive research and find products that are manufactured in the United States and Canada. I also found that providing food and treat options that are made in privately-owned factories versus co-packing is also important to our customers.

After extensive research we started to talk to landlords downtown.  We looked at several places on Pratt Street and Trumbull Street but we were still apprehensive about jumping into this endeavor.

The in store demonstration program with Nutro ended and I found a lot of free time on my hands and at the same time an article came out in the Hartford Courant about Iconnect, an initiative to bring four new retail storefronts to downtown.  I knew in my heart that this was the opportunity that I had been looking for.

Forty different businesses applied and ultimately four were chosen and we were one of the four.  We were provided an empty storefront that was a big cement box at 100 Trumbull St.  We worked with the city to get the proper ventilation, and fire protection in place and then painted what drywall was in place.  We moved store fixtures in during a snow storm and waited for our stock to arrive a few days later.  On February 27, 2014, Naturally Dogs and Cats opened for business

We stayed in that storefront from February until August with a small space heater, no air conditioning and no running water until we found a permanent location at 10 Trumbull St., and we opened our doors on August 21, 2014.

What sets us apart from the big box stores is the individual one-on-one customer service. One of the services that we provide is home delivery to the apartment buildings within the Central Business District.

In addition to fulfilling a need for the residents of downtown Hartford, we hope to provide for those commuting to or visiting the city to obtain their pet food and pet supplies. Lastly, we are the only pet store accessible to the commuter bus lines hence bringing healthy options to anyone no matter where they commute to and from Hartford.

We offer events and socials to attract customers into the store after hours and on weekends.  We have sponsored events for Dog Star Rescue and several benefits for Kenway’s Cause.

Naturally Dogs and Cats just recently held a party to celebrate its first birthday. My foster dog Buffy and I were honored to attend! 

You can follow all of the store's upcoming events and activities on Facebook so please check out and like the store's page!

Thank you Bob for the inside look. Here at loyalpitbulllove.com we always encourage people to support local small businesses. Here’s wishing Bob and Naturally Dogs and Cats a very successful future.