Shaggy Dog Stories

When was the last time you actually heard someone say, “Gee, my life is so much less hectic nowadays”? When was the last time you said something similar yourself? Are you already halfway to yelling, “Mommy, make it stop!” at the sight of all the Christmas decorations going up in the stores?

Even the retired people I know admit to being busier than they were when they were holding down a regular 40-hour work week. With all this busy-busy-busy going on around you, wouldn’t it be nice to just take one errand off your list?

Enter Mr. Chewy, a new online retailer of pet food and supplies based in Florida. You might have seen online ads on Infodog, Yahoo, and other places around the web, featuring the slogan “Delivering Pet Happiness.” We were invited to try the service for ourselves.

Mr. Chewy currently stocks more than 70 brands of dog and cat food, treats, flea and tick remedies, pee pads, cat litter, and so on. The brands range from the standard grocery-store fare to some of the best boutique dog food suppliers, including Halo, Weruva, Native, and Tiki Dog. I checked; they carry my brand (Nature’s Variety) in the dry, canned, and freeze-dried formulas. The prices aren’t entirely out of line with what I pay at the local supply shop, and some are cheaper. I picked my test items and clicked Checkout.

Here’s what arrived in my “test package” the very next day!

Mr. Chewy carries all the brands we use, including some hard-to-find formulas. We have never been able to find the Instinct freeze-dried food, but they carry it.

Mr. Chewy ships via Fed Ex or UPS, and can get your order to you within 1-2 days anywhere in the continental US. (Unfortunately, they can’t do international orders or orders outside the lower 48 at the moment.) Shipping is free if you spend over $49 — and I don’t know about you, but rarely do my purchases add up to anything below that nowadays.

The entire process of searching, ordering, and purchasing was as speedy and seamless as any I can remember. Of course they can’t carry every single thing, but of the items they do stock, you’ll get yours almost as soon as you check out!

The only possible thing I could ding these nice folks for is their well-meaning, but entirely wrong-headed, support of the Humane Society of the United States. I do encourage the kind folks at Mr. Chewy to read up on this obscenely over-wealthy and largely self-serving animal rights group and find a more worthy charity to support — one that actually does something to help the at-risk animals that Mr. Chewy wants to help. Supporting the local shelters in West Palm and Tampa would make for a nice start, and the shelters have actual animals in need of homes, fosters, and love. I know I would certainly order from Mr. Chewy again once they dropped support of that organization.

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