What are we all about?
Natural Pawz is not like your typical Pet store. We are a resource to the Houston & Austin pet communities for natural pet foods and supplies. After conducting a multitude of research and personally testing out many products, we have compiled a wide variety of products that will make a difference in your pet’s life.
Our story, like so many good ones, starts with a dog. A very, very itchy dog. When our founders, Nadine Joli-Coeur and Biff Picone, adopted Callie (a chocolate lab) in 2001, she started to display classic allergy symptoms such as generalized itchiness, constant licking of paw pads and musty-smelling ears. The vet didn’t have good news — Callie was prescribed with shots every 3 months or her symptoms would re-appear and require even more shots.
This didn’t sit well with Nadine, who hated the thought of her sweet little rescue getting poked like a pincushion. She did a lot of research and to her surprise she found that other pet owners were having the same problem, but had discovered a solution: switching to all-natural pet food. Within a month of putting Callie on a natural diet, a switch flipped. All her symptoms were gone for good. Changing Callie’s food had literally changed her life. And, it changed Nadine’s too. She made it her personal mission to seek out great products and spread the news about natural and less processed foods to other pet owners, in hopes of helping other animals.
Sourcing natural pet food for their dog turned into a hobby, which turned into a delivery business, until a year later when Nadine came home from work and told Biff she felt God wanted her to open a pet store. Biff responded with "Did you tell God we know nothing about retail?” But the couple’s passion for helping others keep their pets healthy substituted for their lack of experience, and they opened the first Natural Pawz location in 2005 at The Woodlands, Texas.
The couple decided in 2018 that is time to elevate the Natural Pawz brand in a way that two first-time entrepreneurs couldn’t have. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. When IPP announced bankruptcy in Feburary 2023, Biff and Nadine quickly jumped into action. Coming out of retirement was an easy decision for the couple when they thought of the Natural Pawz employees who could lose their jobs, customers who could no longer depend on the stores for service and products, and, of course, the pets. So the couple bought back the Texas stores IPP planned to close, and reinstated the Natural Pawz identity as a Texas-owned and Texas-run small business.
Today, all their locations not only carry 100% natural pet food but also a wide variety of wellness products, treats, bedding, collars and leads. Plus, everything is sourced with the goal of offering the very best solutions for their customers. Nadine, still a big believer in research, makes sure every product they offer is thoroughly tested and vetted. And when you ask for help in a Natural Pawz store, you can trust that you’re getting an expert opinion. Our employees are extensively trained on all the products we offer, so they’re like walking encyclopedias of pet knowledge. As a company that’s Texas born and bred, y’all know y’all will get the friendliest customer service around. We’re not just committed to getting to know our customers and their pets, we’re committed to our community too. For us, it’s about the personal touch.