Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Raupers.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Greg. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I spent most of my career working in large High Tech and Telecommunication companies so breaking off and creating a nutrition store for dogs was not the natural career progression after Telecom Director but I knew opening a dog store was something I had to do. A few years earlier I had transitioned my dog off a big box store food to something more nutritious and immediately saw a change his health and mobility. After that I noticed more and more dogs with similar issues and thought if only some store would educate the public that there are better products available. After a little while, I started looking into how Whole Foods and Central Market were able to change the buying habits of what people were eating and made the decision that I was going to do the same for our canine companions.
One of my best friends, Susan Strough, owned a respected Park Cities dog training business called Canines First. They always spoke to clients about nutrition during the training sessions so when I started putting the store together I asked her for help selecting the high-quality products she recommended to her customers. While my new store would carry great toys and treats, I wanted it to have its foundation in food. We weren’t going to sell the over processes grain based foods found in the big box stores. We would carry the top brands of grain free kibble and dehydrated food and it would be apparent when you walked into the store that frozen and freeze dried raw food was our top recommendation. When deciding on the name of the store I wanted everyone to know that we were a different type of pet store. We were going to be thought leaders. We were going to be RAW…
A couple years into running RAW, my passion for premium products took RAW in a new direction. I wasn’t able to find certain high-quality products so I started manufacturing locally made bones, chews and supplements in our store under the name Harbor Hound. Customers would return with stories that they had bought an identical product in another pet boutique and the dog refused to eat anything other than Harbor Hound. Those stories continued to cement my belief that dogs are just as interested in quality as their human owners.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
RAW has grown to carry more selections of treats, chews and toys but our food and customer services is still what separates us from every other pet store. So when we started noticing that when some of our customers came in they were only buying treats and chews. We had always kept our dog food prices even with the big box stores so I didn’t know why they weren’t buying their food with us anymore. I finally asked a couple of them if they needed dog food and found out that we were losing satisfied customers to the convenience of internet delivery. That’s when we made the decision to offer free dog food delivery South of 635. Once people heard about the delivery service we saw them return to us along with a few more of their friends. In the end, our customers like supporting local businesses over big chains especially when they don’t give up anything on price or convenience. Now they can get all their food, chews and toys delivered right to their door by a Dallas company. Everyone wins.
RAW by Canines First – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
RAW by Canines First is a holistic dog food store that features grain free foods and high-quality treats, chews and toys. It’s not uncommon to find a lot of the same products in other pet stores but it is our staff members that make shopping at RAW something different. Our employees are well trained on all of our products which allows them to listen to customers and present several options that meet their goals. Our staff does a great job educating customers without drowning them in information. Part of education is gaining the trust of the customers and our customers have come to depend on our recommendations because they see the difference it makes in their dogs. We also encourage owners to bring their dogs shopping so they can learn try out some of our products before making a purchase. The dogs especially like our treat table where there are over 40 treats samples to try.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
RAW has created a unique place where I am humbled on a daily basis. I’m just a guy talking about dog food for a living so I forget the impact a healthy pet has on a family but on any given day someone can walk back into my store level me with a compliment.
One of my proudest moments was when we were able to help a one year old pit bull named Blue. Blue had terrible skin irritations all over his body. The local no kill animal shelter had taken him to the vet for several different treatments but nothing was clearing up the redness and puffiness. We had donated food to the shelter and helped get new parents setup with great food in the past so the shelter asked if we had any ideas.
After talking with several members about Blue’s history and what the potential owners would be willing to spend on dog food we got to work. Food sensitivities can have significant impacts on dogs just as they can on humans. We evaluated our different brands and donated one months’ worth of free food. Within a month, the redness around his neck and under his arms was gone, the puffiness in his face and shoulders significantly reduced and the light in his eyes came out like he was smiling at us. Blue’s dramatic change surprised even the RAW team. On that day, I felt I had made a small difference in the world. (see before/after photo below for results)
Contact Info:
- Address: 5460 W Lovers Ln STE 232
Dallas, TX 75209 - Website: https://rawbycaninesfirst.com/
- Phone: 214-350-0808
- Email: info@rawbycaninesfirst.com
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