At The Paw Depot, customers are greeted by a colorful talking bird—a macaw named Samba—and a black dog named Reagan that can almost always be found near her owner Giulio Ferrari, who is the store’s founder and CEO.

Ferrari is a clinical nutritionist who became involved with pet nutrition and health in the early 2000s when his Shih Tzu started losing all her fur. Ferrari said he believed he could help using his knowledge as a nutritionist.

“I fixed her just through nutrition and supplementation alone, so I decided there was something there,” he said.

Ferrari said he began educating himself about pet nutrition and how it can affect an animal’s immune system. He said he found that, at the time, there was not a lot of information available about pet nutrition except from Linda Arndt, a canine nutritional consultant based in Indiana, who became his mentor.

Through his mentorship, Ferrari said he found that the health problems that were occurring in pets, specifically dogs, were not problems for dogs in the wild.

Ferrari said he found that domesticated dogs had more health issues than those in the wild and it was primarily because the diet was so different. Ferrari also said he believes domesticated dogs tend to be over-vaccinated and are given too many antibiotics.

“Taking all of these problems into consideration is why we decided to do something different at The Paw Depot,” Ferrari said.

The store takes a holistic approach to feeding dogs and cats. Ferrari ensures that all the food at the store is locally sourced, grain-free, natural and raw for both dogs and cats. The store also carries interactive toys and grooming products. Customers can make purchases online and the store offers free delivery.

The store also has a holistic vet clinic inside where pets are treated through supplementation along rather than medication, Ferrari said.

“We try to help the body promote homeostasis, which means bringing the body back to balance—try to have the body fix itself rather than putting a Band-Aid and never fixing it,” Ferrari said. “We go to the genesis of the problem.”

By having a different approach to pet nutrition and pet health, Ferrari said The Paw Depot is seen not only as a pet store but also as a reference for pet health in the Frisco area.  And because of his mentor, who passed away four years ago, Ferrari said he also has pet owners coming to him from around the world.

Ferrari said he wants to continue to improve the customer experience. He said he plans to provide a coffee machine for customers as well as patio furniture and meals for dogs to enjoy at the moment. The store already has a frozen yogurt machine for dogs.

“I want this place to be a place people can bring their dogs and just want to stay longer,” Ferrari said. “The experience here needs to be better than the experience customers may get shopping online or at another store.”

The Paw Depot
6009 Main St., Frisco
888-477-9997
www.thepawdepot.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10a.m.- 7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sun.