Animalerie Little Bear

Hippocrates said, “let food be thy medicine” It’s a credo that Chuck Altman, the owner of Animalerie Little Bear in Westmount, and his staff take to heart. This pet supply store’s primary focus is nutrition. “We start with what’s in the food, not what the food is supposed to do,” Chuck says. “You wouldn’t go into the grocery store and buy cereal that claims to make your hair shiny or your teeth clean, you buy foods that have good ingredients and are balanced. We take the same approach with pets.”

In addition to 12 retail freezers, Little Bear has a large walk-in freezer in the back, making it the first Montreal pet supply store, and possibly the first in Quebec, to have one. “Dogs are descendants of wolves and cats are obligate carnivores, so we start with the fact that they both need meat,” Chuck says. “At Little Bear, we carry and sell more raw diets and bones than most other pet supply stores for that reason.”

In addition to raw food, Little Bear carries freeze-dried, dehydrated, kibble and canned foods – but you won’t find big brands, fillers or by-products and the store remains ingredient-driven.