Five Years of Doing Right by Summit Pets

It's a cutesy pun and it looks good on the sign, but don't believe it. You won't find anything artificial at Faux Paws. 

The Summit pet supply mainstay has been providing all-natural, organic and holistic options to pet years for five years now, ditching conventional - often less expensive and of lesser quality - pet food and treats in favor of stuff with the kind of ingredients you'd actually feed your own kids.

For those who consider their pets family, there's really no other choice.

"I think people in general are more conscious about their health and the health of their family," Faux Paws owner Nikki Tongg said. "Pets are family members, too. If I'm buying organic meats and veggies for my family, I want my dog to have the same quality, too."

Tongg began providing pet sitting and dog walking services in Summit a decade ago, but the interest in pet food alternatives, and eventually opening up her own shop, was the result of the loss of one of her own family members.

When her pet Boxer, a female named Yogi, was diagnosed with cancer, Tongg set about researching dog food, and subsequently discovered the proliferation of cheap filler and animal byproducts that fill most major brands.

It all led to the realization that she needed to offer something better.

"We have a very strict criteria," Tongg said about her shop's offerings. At Faux Paws you won't find any corn, wheat or soy, and no animal byproducts. "We always try to bring in cool new stuff. I think that's what separates us."

It's the since of pets as family that pervades Faux Paws. Not only are pets welcome - Tongg actually encourages visitors to bring their dogs in - but a board in a window just outside of the shop is covered with pictures of dogs and cats, posted by their loving owners.

Faux Paws isn't alone in its treatment of pets. Competition is growing, of course, and some of it from big box pet suppliers. The kind of awareness that has fueled her own success as a small, independent pet store has caught the attention of corporations hoping to tap into the growing market.

But, it's more than knowledge about the products they're selling that they lack. It's the guarantee. A guarantee that they would feed their pets the very food they sell. 

And then there are doggy birthday cakes and fresh-baked cupcakes for cats, too.

"You want good quality products and you want the same for your pets," Faux Paws shopper Sue Gerhardt said. "People buy nice things for their kids, they buy just as nice things for their pets."