Born and raised in New Jersey, you can say that Robert Walling isn’t one to stray too far from home. He is a man dedicated to the township where he grew up, got married and raised his children. Part of that dedication was to open a pet food store where his neighbors could get exceptional products, and he, in turn, could support his local community.
Robert opened his business on January 25th of this year. The Healthy Animal is part of a franchise founded by Diane Dewberry, a well-respected pet store owner and entrepreneur in Pembroke, Massachusetts (see our May 2019 Retailer Spotlight article.) Robert had managed a big-box pet food store for years, but “the more I learned about pet nutrition,” he said, “the more I realized there were better products out there for dogs than what big-box stores carry.” Robert began taking a serious look into pet nutrition and appreciated Diane’s approach to healthier pet food. His store is the first franchise opened in New Jersey, and he believes that Diane’s philosophy and The Healthy Animal concept “aligned with my feeding my own pets healthier food and what I wanted to offer at my pet store.”
From the get-go, D.O.G. was on the shelves at The Healthy Animal in Robbinsville. He appreciated the recipes contain healthy ingredients, are single-sourced proteins, and manufactured in the U.S. “This is what I love about your company – the rotational feeding system allows my customers to switch it up and that the food is for all life stages. It is great wholesome food. I recommend my customers find good wholesome food that their dogs like, and make it interesting for them by switching proteins.”
Beyond providing superior pet nutrition and excellent advice to his customers, Robert gives back to his community. All police, firefighters, military, and teachers (his wife teaches second grade) get a discount at The Healthy Animal. Robert says, “it is the least we can do for the sacrifices they make.” He also has the Trenton Cat Rescue/Adoption onsite, with an adoption room for potential pet parents. He recently adopted another cat himself. “I now have two cats and a dog. I cannot imagine a life without pets at home.”
We at D.O.G. cannot imagine a more worthy local retailer for this New Jersey community to support. The Healthy Animal Robbinsville is located at 1049 Washington Boulevard. The store is open daily: Monday – Saturday, 10 am-7 pm and Sunday 9 am-3 pm, and you can reach them by phone at (609) 570-5889.
