Hi, my name is Sara!
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I’m new around here, so let me tell you a little bit about who I am and what I’ve learned so far about my new family and what they do.
First off, I’m the newest addition to the family. Let’s see…I’m a Royal Bahamian Potcake, about 3 years old and was found and brought to The Humane Society of Grand Bahama with terrible burns and 9 puppies in tow. All of my babies found homes but I stayed for about a year. The nice people there were determined to find me a family so I was flown over to Florida where the kind people of the American Belgian Malinois Rescue (ABMC) helped me find my new forever home.
My new Mommies, Marcia Sundberg and Melissa Gosik, both come from the corporate world.
Marcia grew up on a farm in Minnesota and has always been around animals. Beekeeping is her family’s business. She has lived in Florida for over 20 years now and her background is in accounting and photography.
Melissa is a true Florida native and has always had animals in her life. With over 20 years of contract engineering under her belt she felt it was time for a change.
I’m going to turn it over to Melissa now and she can fill you in on the rest of the story…I need a treat, sharing is hard work.
Thanks Sara, a treat well deserved.
Marcia and I share a common love of animals and wanted to do something that not only we enjoy but would benefit our furry kids and others as well.
We found our opportunity to make a dream come true when we bought Pookie’s Bow Wow Bakery in April of 2002. Not only was the idea of a bakery for pets exciting to us, but also the broader purpose the store serves with its extensive line of wholesome and natural pet foods, treats, and supplements.
2002-2004 – As our business starts to grow, we had to deal with an extremely small space and limited parking for our customers.
2003 – With increasing Orlando metro traffic and wanting to better serve our customers home delivery becomes an option for our customers.
2004 – We find a larger space just a few buildings down and across the street about half a block away from the original location and relocate.
January 2006 - A loyal and expanding customer base gives us the confidence to open a second location on the west side of town between Ocoee and Windermere.
2007 – Pookie’s was awarded ‘Best Pet Supplies in Orlando’ under the category ‘Shopping’ by WESH 2/ CW18’s A-List. The honor goes to all of our wonderful and loyal customers who make us who we are. Thank you Pookie’s Family!
April 2007 - Our dedication to only stocking high quality products enables us to provide ample safe choices of food during the pet food recall.
June 2007 - We re-name the stores Pookie’s Pet Nutrition & Bow Wow Bakery to better signify the scope of products and services we offer.
November 2007 – The new Pookie’s outdoor sign arrives making the Winter Park store easier to find.
January 2008 – Waiting patiently while bursting at the seams in Winter Park, the remaining third of the building became available and the store gets a much needed re-model.
On a typical visit to Pookie’s our customers first experience the aroma of the bakery as they walk in the door, and then are greeted by our experienced, friendly staff. Our objective is to provide excellent customer service for all of our customers - whether they come to us in-store, over the phone, through the Internet, or if we provide home delivery to them.
Pookie’s supports various local rescue groups and pet related organizations and participates in educational community outreach programs on pet safety and pet nutrition.
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Last year (2007) was a very difficult time in that we lost all three of our long time companions:
Bentley, our Boston pet store rescue of 16 years
Sasha, our Chow Mix animal shelter rescue of 13 years &
Louise, our Shepard Mix animal shelter rescue of 13 years.
We love and miss them. We definitively saw the positive effects of a healthy, nutritious diet and the difference it made in their lives. Our motto- “Your Pet’s Nutrition is Our Mission”, was developed as a result of our care and concern for our four-legged children as well as all of our customers’ companions in the “Pookie’s family”. We are always open to comments and suggestions and we welcome your feedback to improve our stores and our website.
Sara has a few more friends she would like to introduce to you. Take it away Little Potcake…
Yogurt Pookie cookies are my favorite (thanks Uncle Brad). Just a few more chomps and I’ll be ready. Okay here we go.
This is Ziggy
When I first arrived Ziggy didn’t want anything to do with me, at all! I’ve managed to win him over with my charming personality and now we even play. Ziggy has told me all about himself, and how he was rescued from the wilds of Christmas, Florida 14 years ago. He loves laps, talking, and treats (me too)! Most of all, he is in charge. Well, what cat isn’t?
I have one more very important family member to introduce.
Here’s Ethel (aka Miss Mouth)
Ethel has a huge family, which includes everyone at Pookie’s. People living in a nearby house moved away and left her behind back in 2004. Everyone at Pookie’s took her in and gave her lots of love and whatever she wanted (mostly because she has a lot to say). Now she thinks she runs the place and her schedule is very busy. She lives in the office at night and plays outside during the day. Sometimes she decides that she will work in the store for an hour or so or she’ll do a little administrative report on the computer
(example: oP$#D3&jh”ik7). She’s a very silly girl!
Now that you have met everyone, we invite you to visit us and hope to see you soon!
CHOW, Sara (I love saying that!)
