Q: What is your dogs' names?

A: Bowie’s (our Boston Terrier) nickname is Bortis! We almost call her Bortis more than her own name! It truly suits her personality. Rupert (our Chinese Crested) we call Rupert Boy, and sometimes Balki. Balki was actually his original name, but we ended up naming him Rupert instead! 

Q: How would you describe both pups' personalities? 

A: Bowie is very lazy and very loving. She loves everyone and will show that with a teethy smile when she greets you! For a Boston Terrier, she is actually not a super high energy gal, although she does get random bursts of zoomies.  Rupert thinks he’s a big dog and he’s more confident and sassy than Bowie. They balance each other out perfectly and get along very well. 

 Q: Do your pups have any funny quirks or habits?

A: Bowie’s laziness is hilarious sometimes. When we ask her to go for walks she often pretends she can’t hear us... and will continue sleeping or walk to bed instead. If we let her, she’d sleep all day under the blankets for sure. Rupert is a guy who loves his routine. He lets us know exactly when dinner time, walk time, play time is - and If he thinks we forgot, he will sometimes chase his tail for attention and nudge us with his nose until he gets what he needs! He also has an irrational fear of cardboard... we honestly don’t know why! 

Q: What is your favorite activity to do with your dogs?

A: Anything and everything! They’re my whole life. 

Q: Tell us about Good Boy Collective- Why did you start your business?  Include a sentence describing your mission.

A: There are lots of great smaller brands that make beautiful and ethical products, they are just far less represented in the dog industry. In the pet industry we see a lot of mass produced products of poor quality and the food side of the industry is highly unregulated. When shopping for my own dogs, I discovered lots of excellent brands! Along with my previous work experience, I decided it would be great to open a retail store. I wanted to represent these great smaller brands and do things a little differently than your typical pet store. Good Boy Collective focuses on modern and ethical dog supply that you can feel good about. 

Q: We love the low waste/zero waste food program. Can you tell us about it?

A: We offer quality local kibble and single ingredient treats in bulk so that our customers have the option to go plastic free! The company we have partnered with for our kibble has the same values and works hard to have a sustainable business model, including having their bags properly recycled to keep them out of landfills. 

Q: 2020 was an especially challenging year for brick & mortar retailers. We’d love to hear your experience this year as a business owner. 

A: When the pandemic first hit, it was super terrifying for everyone and quite stressful. We tried to maintain a positive attitude for our customers and show that we’re all in this together. We adapted by offering new services, like curbside pickup, and support wherever we could.