“Who doesn’t love their pets and love to spoil ‘em?”
It’s in that spirit Humboldt native Janelle (Sigler) Aikins was inspired to start Alpha Dog Supply, her new business just off the southeast corner of the Iola square.
“Pets bring so much joy,” she said, and they also make great listeners.
“I’m a very type-A personality,” Aikins noted. “I don’t relax or give myself a break, but then they’re standing there, waiting.”
“They make me relaxed. They’re therapy. It’s unbelievable.”
The journey to open Alpha Dog Supply began last October, when Aikins popped inside another shop and was inspired.
“I went into a dog boutique and thought: ‘I could totally do that,’” Aikins said. “It’s something that I’m passionate about.”
She was already stopping at all the other shops she was seeing, so why not start her own?
Husband Matt, who works at B&W Trailer Hitches, was supportive of the idea, so after they finished their house and moved to Iola, she shifted gears and started to work.
(The crew also contains sons Dillon, 23, and Jackson Aikins, 19, along with 17-year-old Ashtyn Ansley.)
Now after several months of loving labor, especially on the part of Matt inside the store, everything is ready to roll.
Alpha Dog Supply carries a wide variety of products, including mugs, shirts, food, treats, leashes, toys, bowls, coffee and much more.
Hence Aikins is optimistic about filling a niche market, especially since, as she noted, the demand for pet products is high right now.
In one sense, her method for purchasing is simple: shop for her own dogs, Stella the shih tzu and Gabe the American mastiff, and see what works.
(Given his size, Gabe is not only the shop’s eponymous “alpha dog,” but also the primary “product-tester.”)
