The idea for Pawtrero, a longtime San Francisco pet store focused on healthy, high-quality pet food and toys, was born out of a chance meeting at a dog park.
Shireen Nyden and Suzie Yannes both had dogs with health issues. "Every day, we would talk about their problems," Suzie tells us. "Then we started researching better foods and changed our dogs’ food, and saw amazing changes."
"It was like night and day," says Shireen. "And they had completely different problems. Once we understood how the animals’ bodies were digesting the food, dry food didn't make sense. It changes their entire system, just so they can try to process it."
The duo decided to start a store selling mainly raw and dehydrated foods. Pawtrero launched in Potrero Hill (199 Mississippi St.) in 2002, with the SoMa store (199 Brannan St.) following three years later. In 2008, Shireen's husband, Ray Nyden, joined Pawtrero as a co-owner. The couple met at the Potrero store, where Ray bought food for his two golden retrievers, Sundance and Cassidy.
As their SoMa neighborhood continues to grow, Pawtrero's owners say they're seeing more and more pets moving in, especially in the condos that are sprouting up nearby. Pets are allowed at the apartment building across the street, and the Rincon Hill dog park is just up the block. The increase in residential space is helping foster a budding commercial district. "What’s cool about SoMa now is there are businesses all the way down Brannan," Ray said. "[It] was hard when we were the only ones on our street."
Pawtrero has also launched a successful citywide online delivery service, and attracts in-store customers from as far away as Half Moon Bay and Davis. "You don’t have to read labels and wonder if there’s something in there that could be harmful to your dog," said SoMa resident and longtime customer Gail Cahill, who owns two Shelties, Jack and Ru'n (which means "dear one" in Gaelic). "They’re good resources and they’re good neighbors. I like having them here because they’re definitely a convenience for us, but we also know we’re getting good products.”
"We only carry a handful of dry food that we believe in," said Ray. The selection of raw and dehydrated food is larger, with 11 types available. Pawtrero's owners urge their customers to rotate through various producers, because they believe it's better for the pets. More than half of the treats they offer are locally made, and nothing in the store—not even the kibble—contains corn, wheat or soy.
Pawtrero emphasizes small producers who know exactly where their ingredients are sourced. "If they don’t know where their animal [products] have been raised or how they were treated or what they've been eating, we don’t carry them," Ray notes. Even the pet toys and grooming supplies are carefully chosen. "In 13 years, we’ve never had a food in our store be recalled," Suzie said.
The two stores contribute to the community by providing waste bags at the local dog park and hosting regular fundraisers for rescue groups. The SoMa location hosts an annual Dog Day Afternoon; on the first Sunday in November, they block off Brannan from Delancey Street to the Embarcadero and welcome throngs of pets and their owners. Last year, they raised $7,000 for seven rescue groups, and this year, they're hosting an even bigger event, with the goal of giving money to 13 groups.
For the holidays, Pawtrero hosts an annual food drive benefiting Muttville senior dog rescue and Tony’s Kitty Rescue; they also recently did a toy drive for Animal Care & Control. Every quarter, they host a "Pints & Paws" event at the dog-friendly Triple Voodoo Brewery and Tap Room. Triple Voodoo's owners donate $1 for every pint of beer sold from 1–4pm, and rescue organizations bring adoptable dogs to meet and greet patrons. The next event will be held in August; follow them on Facebook to be notified of the date.
