SIOUX CITY — A new dog boutique has opened on Hamilton Boulevard.
Urban Mutts, 1933 Hamilton Blvd., sells specialty dog food, treats, harnesses, leashes, training equipment and toys.
“Just like any other dog supply store, I really take the time to research the products I sell,” says owner Hannah Helseth, “to make sure they are not harmful to dogs or contain anything that could have an effect on them, like cancer.”
The store opened this month after Helseth operated Urban Mats as a mobile pop-up shop for several months.
“And then we decided to open a brick-and-mortar store and get the space,” she said.
Urban Muds, a new dog boutique on Hamilton Boulevard, has a variety of dog treats on display.
Urban Mats, a new dog boutique on Hamilton Boulevard, sells a variety of slow-feeder bowls, water bottles and other accessories.
Urban Mutts, a newly opened dog boutique on Hamilton Boulevard in Sioux City, Iowa, Thursday, July 18, 2024, sells natural dog food.
The amount of money American pet owners spend on their pets has been increasing for years, estimated to grow from $90.5 billion in 2018 to $150.6 billion by 2023, according to the American Pet Products Association. At the same time, dog and cat lovers are becoming increasingly picky about pet food that’s marketed for human use.
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Helseth, a Sioux City resident, works during the day as a high school counselor in Winnebago, Neb. When she returns to work in the fall, her husband, Louis Magana, will take over the store.
The couple has four dogs (two Herseth’s and two Magana’s), and Herseth says dogs have been a longtime passion, as has interacting with customers; having a French bulldog who was allergic to chicken is what inspired her to become a specialty dog food distributor.
“It’s nearly impossible to find dog food that doesn’t contain chicken,” she says, “so finding a product that I could feed my dog was one of the main things that drove me.”
Check out the 2023 Little Yellow Dog Auction being held by the Ancient and Vibrant Little Yellow Dog Society to benefit Good Fellows Charities, which provides Christmas presents for children in Siouxland.
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