A boutique pet supply store that opened recently in the Somerset West area has introduced a product range for dogs and cats that a local resident, pausing in front of the display with an expression of genuine philosophical difficulty, described as “a lot to take in first thing in a morning.”
The range includes a grain-free, cold-pressed salmon and sweet potato biscuit for dogs at R185 for 200 grams, a range of “mindfully sourced” chicken strips described on the packaging as “free-range, air-dried and humanely processed” at R220 for 150 grams, a selection of organic catnip products starting at R95 for what appears to be approximately one tablespoon of material and a beef chew described as “pasture-raised, single-ingredient, slow-dried” for R145 per piece that is the size of a finger.
For comparison, a full free-range chicken from the Pick n Pay three hundred metres away costs R89.99. It is a whole chicken. It is sufficient for a family of four and, relevantly, for most medium-to-large dogs for several days. It has not been cold-pressed or mindfully sourced, or at least its packaging does not claim these things, but its basic composition is chicken, which is the same as the R220 strips except it is considerably more of it.
“I bought one of the salmon biscuits,” admitted one dog owner, a woman with a golden retriever who expressed mild self-reproach even as she reached for a second box. “He ate it in about four seconds and then looked at me the same way he looks at me after regular biscuits that cost a quarter of the price. I’m not sure he’s noticed the difference. I think I’m buying them for me at this point.”
The store is well-lit and smells very pleasant and the staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and speak about the products with the conviction of people who genuinely believe in what they are selling, which helps. Somerset West, which takes its pet ownership seriously and is not entirely immune to packaging that uses words like “artisan” and “thoughtfully curated,” is supporting the store well. A cat in Stellenbosch who was gifted one of the organic catnip products by an owner who is a lecturer and considers the choice ideologically consistent was reportedly appreciative, though cats are not reliable witnesses.
Be the first to comment