The Organic Paw

Tried calling to check if they carry my pet’s food while we were in town. Phone number was disconnected and I wasn’t about to just drive over there without knowing if they are still there.

I have been coming here for over a year and have always had very informative and caring customer service. Everything they have is for the well being for your pets. I have a Maltipoo and a Malshi, and my boys love coming to the shop. Carrie and everyone in the store are so knowledgeable and want you to leave satisfied. I have learned so so much from Carrie and my dogs are healthier for it. And from my research I think the prices are still competitive. GREAT STORE!

This is a great place to buy high quality dog food. My dog use to itch and scratch all the time on the normal supermarket (pedigree) diet but once I changed it to Acana and Oriji, she stopped the scratching. Meaning less worry for me. The Organic Paw is the only pet store near Irvine/​Tustin that sells these specialty goods.
The girls that work there are always friendly and gives my Neener Beans a treat every time she comes in.
Only –1 is that the prices are much higher than your normal supermarket dog food but quality food always cost more.

There is nothing my husband won’t do for our Weezer.
He loves that spoiled little curmudgeon.
Weezer’s always been a picky eater.
It took him years to start eating dog food on a regular basis.
He acted like it was a big embarrassment to be eating that stuff. He’d take a few kibbles at a time, slink behind something and quietly crunch the food. Over and over. This routine drives me nuts.
We were at the Tustin Chili Cook-​off and received a bag with four samples from Organic Paw.
Out of the four, Weezer went nuts for the Timberwolf Ocean Blue kibble.
For the first time, he stayed at his chawan bowl and ate most of it right then and there!
Thing is, Tustin’s kind of far for us.
We looked at Timberwolf’s site and found 4 local stores listed as carriers.
Called and none of them had it in stock.
Aw well, back to Weezer’s regular dog food then.
But, poor Weezer’s allergies started acting up and we had to cone him.
He was so pitiful that my husband drove all the way to Tustin just to take away some of Weezer’s misery.
Organic Paw’s a nice little pet store.
Being that their food inventory is organic, we expected high prices. Nice surprise that the cost wasn’t as bad as expected.
Seeing how happy our dog is makes the drive worthwhile.

I have been a long time client of Carrie’s other business, The Spaw. She is the most caring and knowledgable person when it comes to dogs and their health and well being. My dog became very sick one day, and after several trips to the vet we discovered that he was allergic to his food. Carrie helped us find the right food for our dog that he wasn’t sensitive to. It took a couple months and Carrie was there every time I had a question or concern. They truly care about your dog!
They carry the highest quality pet foods at great prices. I know she tries to keep her prices low to make the food more accessible to everyone. I have recommend the Organic Paw and Carrie’s other business the Spaw to everyone I know. I think it’s the only place to take your furry family members.

Ok so I read ALL of my fellow Unilocalers reviews and tried it out. I have to agree that the customer service isn’t the best. I walked in without my dog on a slow Saturday afternoon and was ignored. It’s a small shop and no one there but I had to ask for help and for a few different things. All she did was point. No additional info, not friendly, nothing. Sooooo DISAPPOINTED after all the great reviews I read I was sure the bad ones were wrong.
Bottom line, ok to bad customer service but good quality organic food. I’ll probably come back until I find somewhere else that sells the same food.

Very nice small shop. Owners are very nice and helpful. Only problem was that they didnt have too many things. The place is kinda hidden. Needs more light.

I have been shopping here for a year and a half and have to say this is my favorite specialty pet store. I have always fed my dogs the high quality food that’s not typically available at the chain pet stores. It’s nice having this store in my own backyard, plus having the confidence in the owner and employee’s knowledge of their products… well that seals the deal.
I heard about this store after taking my sheltie to the sister business, The Spaw, for grooming (cage free, btw). I struck up a conversation with the owner, Carrie, about pet nutrition and was impressed with her level of knowledge and caring for our pets health.
Every time I have had a question regarding nutrition, supplements or general pet health, Carrie and the other employees always make the time to answer my questions and ensure I’m equipped to make the right decisions for my pets. Their pet food selection is limited to very high end kibble, wet, dehydrated and frozen/​raw foods. Nothing is sold that the owners would not feed their own pets. They take pride in their store and it very clearly shows.
Carrie is very concerned with quality control and I’ve often heard her mention the research she does regarding the products they sell, her communications with manufacturers and distributers and constant evaluation of new products. As a pet parent, this is very comforting to me, especially since the pet food recalls that had occurred a few years ago. I believe (please correct me if I’m wrong) that food sold in this store is only manufactured in the United States (maybe Canada too?) from legitimate plants that are transparent regarding their manufacturing operations.
They also have a lot of cute stuff for your pets, leashes, beds, etc. There’s even a doggy treadmill that you can ask staff to help you teach your pet how to use. As others have mentioned, samples are available of certain products so you can «try before you buy». Check them out, your dog/​cat will thank you!

My wife and I have two small malteses and have been a loyal customer to this business from the beginning, also to another business, Spaw, for more than 5 years now, run by the same owner, Carry.
Being as a loyal customer for five years, I can simply say this. «CARRY REALLY LOVES ANIMALS.» what would be more important than that?
She has never been hesitant to pass her knowledge to the customers if it were for the love of animals, even thou it sometimes benefits less to her businesses.
That’s the most important business mind in this industry and she has it.
Keep up the good work, Carry!!!

I have been here twice now and I have to say that this pet store has the absolute best, most informative people that really do care about your pet. They give you tons and tons of samples to try out and you leave there with a better understanding of all the natural products for your dog or cat.
They have an assortment of all types of food to feed your dog including kibble, frozen raw meats, and canned wet food. The whole time we were there we were given a plethora of information and left content and happy knowing more about the products we are feeding our dogs. Go check them out especially if your dog or cat has allergies, Whole Pets will help you to find the route of the problem and work with you to eliminate whatever is causing it by giving you very good suggestions.
Thank you Whole Pets!

What a great little store!
I spent my entire lunch hour just talking to one of the owners about the different types of food, why grain free is important, etc. It was wonderful! I learned so much. I could have talked to her all day.
It really comes across that the owners are passionate about their products. I will definitely come back there and give them my business.
THANK YOU!!!

Where do I start? This place is probably the best pet store I have ever gone to. Whole Pets is a very small store, but it is filled with all the stuff you’ll need to keep your pet happy and healthy.
I have never owned my own dog before until a few months ago and I did so much research on my own about the different kinds of foods there are for dogs. Even though I had done my own research Carrie & Pat are always there to answer any questions I may come across with the different brands of foods.
With the Natura pet foods buy out from P&G (owners of Eukanuba, Iams, etc) Carrie & Pat have decided to no longer sell those products in their store. They keep themselves up to date on what is going on so they can provide their customers with the best food and knowledge about nutrition as possible.
Not only are these ladies informative and very helpful, they genuinely care about each and every one of the pets that comes through their door. They remember my puppy and they always give her treats and give me free samples of different foods. I think it’s safe to say I’ll be one of their customers for a long time. :)

So you might wonder if it’s «Whole Petz» or «Whole Pets»…there are signs contradicting each other here. Doesn’t matter either way I guess.
This is a cool little store, a hole in the wall. They mostly sell all natural types of dog food, which in my opinion is not as expensive as you might think. I can afford $ 30 for a bag of food that lasts my dog 2 months, that is not expensive to me…
Anyway they have a small selection of leashes, harnesses, toys etc. It would be nice to see more of that. We did pick up a nice harness for only $ 10. The girl working there was very friendly and helpful and gave us a bunch of free samples of different dog food which was cool.

We’ve been clients of The Spaw for many years and due to the advancing age of our dog, we needed to explore dietary changes.
Carrie was so patient and explained how Bailey’s diet could be changed in an effort to avoid resorting to medication to treat a recent medical condition. We’ve been working together to make the dietary changes and so far, the progress has been very positive.
While time will determine whether the dietary change will yield the desired results, we continue to see improvement and are very optimistic.
We appreciate the advice and support from Carrie @ Whole Pets and recommend them highly.

My martial arts club is next door and I just walked in to check this place out. I was looking for a treat for my girl friends pup and I walked out with much more than that!
I only paid for a treat but Pat gave me samples of other products and they worked out great. I went back recently and got outstanding customer service again.
To the negative review, i mean c’mon she gave in n out a 2 stars.
I will keep coming back!

I found this shop because I was looking for a brand of dog food that does not carry in major retails like Petco or Petsmar. Just by searching that particular dog food I found whole Pets is their reseller so I went there to pick up the dog food I was looking for.
I think the owner name is Carry and she is just a sweety and lovely lady. She gave me some advises for the dog food and tells me that her goal is to promote healthy dog food and other supplements… very friendly and helpful…
This is my first time writing a review on Unilocal and the reason I created this account because I wanted to write a review for this sweet little shop…
If you are looking for healthy dog food that usually they don’t carry in the retails like Petco or Petsmart… you should be able to find some real dog foods in Whole Pets… I mean… Healthy one !!
I believe Carry also operates a grooming and dog hotel or day care services… I truly think her passion on dog healthy will also be extended to other services too.
I will go back to this shop again to buy my dog food and will try her grooming service too…
Jo

If you love your dog or cat and genuinely care about their diet and health, then you need to visit this store. The owner, Carry, is one of the most knowledgeable pet store owners ive ever met and after 5 minutes of being with her and my dog, its easy to see how much she cares for animals that arent even hers.
I heard about this store because i am a customer at her doggie day care, the SPAW in tustin. i figured my dog loves it there so much and Carry does such a great job with the dogs there that coming to her store was a no brainer, she proved me right!!!
In a world where instant gratification is the goal, Carry Whole Pets reminds us that sometimes its good to slow down and really pay attention and learn about what might be best for our 4 legged friends.
customer service — 10 stars, she knows my name and remembers my dog’s name out of the hundreds she must have met.
knowledge — 10 stars!!! after being a vet tec for 12 years and researching different theories of pet nutrition/​health, she still advised me to do my own research and not just take her word as law…
It is easy to come on to a site like this, with no information or research on a specific topic or any background information on the owner of the store, and criticize the location and owner for some insignificant reason, but thats the problem with a site like this, ANYONE can write a review, wether they are qualified to do so or not.

I am in love with this store and the owner. She is extremely sweet and knowledgeable about pets and their nutrition. She takes the time out to listen to her customers and to asses what the dog needs are.
I also love her dog grooming/​doggie day care location, the spaw.
To the person who wrote a negative review, don’t judge an owner and their store without going in. A person opens a store to help the community and yes it is a tough economy and maybe 1 or 2 people are in the store, but beside PETCO and PETSMART has there been more and 1 or 2 people working in a small pet store. What where you expecting?
Even as you can see that Carry emails back every person that has an experience with Whole Pets. That takes pride in your business.
if my puppy, Mochi, could speak he would say he loves Whole Pets.

Let’s face facts: it’s a rookie mistake to pay more attention to a phone call giving out free unqualified advice than to any customers in the store. Please, if you have vital health questions or concerns about your pets, seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian or certified pet nutritionist.
Below is the response I received as a PM from the owner Carry H.:
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Hi Judi, I am sorry your experience was not what you would have hoped. Some people say that if you respond you sound defensive, others say you have to respond or it just looks bad. I am at a loss for what is the right thing to do. I am told to not take it personal, but I do and I hope you will understand that my intentions are purely out of love for cats and dogs and so I write this response to you in the hopes that you will understand the need for a place like Whole Pets.
I will begin with the story of Bogart and Dillon. Bogart was a beautiful Cocker spaniel who died at the age of five and Dillon was an amazing, loving and compassionate dog that died from cancer at the age of 6 Both these dogs were clients of mine at a grooming shop that I own in Tustin. They came in every time and entertained us with their tricks and antics that they would pull. Dillon would sit straight up in the day care room like a human and everyone would just be amazed that a dog could sit like this, I wish you could have seen it. Bogart loved carrots and would do anything for them. These dogs were not mine but I loved them just the same and the death of both these dogs are just a small example of why I opened whole pets.
I was a vet tech for twelve years and I watched both cats and dogs come through the doors looking for help for various ailments. I watched as cats died from sarcomas from Vaccinations. I saw dogs die because of cancer, diabetes, liver disease and kidney failure. I saw the numbers increase year after year until it became obvious that vets were treating symptoms and not solving problems.
I began to do my own research and found that diet was a big cause, next to the over vaccination of pets, and the toxic spot on treatments that people put on their pets every month.
I was shocked to see that pet food companies were legally allowed to put BHT, BHA and ethoxoquine in pet food, a known Carcinogenic used as a preservative. I was amazed that the FDA stated that spot on treatments caused caner in animals but still allowed it to be sold. AND VETS SELL IT
I found research that admits that vaccinations, if given in the frequency that pets are given it, will cause the break down of the entire system causing Liver disease, kidney failure and a long list of other medical problems.
So I decided to give people a place to come, sit and educate themselves on nutrition and holistic alternatives. I picked Tustin because so many of my clients from the Spaw wanted it close to home. I chose that location because it was all I could afford. My partner and I put our entire life savings in to this and so it is VERY small. I do not carry a lot of products because it is hard to find ones that do not have wheat, corn, By-​products, gluten, sugar additives, BHT, BHA, or Ethoxoquine. all of which is harmful to pets. I also search for products that the meat is not coming from China, another hard task
I can not explain why our customer service was poor that day I am sure I was the one there because I remember the mastif, I can only say that I remember getting a call from my other business about a dog that had a seizure, her name is belle a little Maltese and I was very worried about her. As far as not acknowledging you that is so out of my character and i apologize. I was a little distracted with the Mastif perhaps I should think of getting more help but money is tight.
Our cat collection is very small right now but we are going to a show in March just for cats we are waiting for this so we can look at the products and then research them.
So why am I telling you all of this… well because I care about your cat and hope that this will prompt you to do some research. Our pets are only with us for a short time and when it comes to the end of their lives I want people to be able to say they made decisions that were educated and the best ones for their pets. I wish you and your pet all the best and hope this was not offensive or defensive in anyway.
Take care, Carry

I came to the opening of Whole Pets and was impressed with the effort they put behind their opening. They had a couple of vendors there with samples of organic food and treats and a big blow up doggie.
I was particularly impressed with their customer service. My little Jack Russell Terrier is a hyper beast, especially around other dogs, and they were very accommodating. The employees gave him plenty of attention and even let Mochi run on the treadmill but the treadmill just wouldn’t go fast enough for Moch!
As for the products, it was a bit too crazy for me opening day to really check it out but there are a ton of different varieties of (I’m guessing holistic) dog food, medicines, treats, etc. They had an awesome selection of dog Halloween costumes so I picked one of those up there. There’s a couch in the back with books to read on dogs and pet parenting. It’s a really small store but filled with a ton of different products.
I hope to return when it’s less crazy and take a better look around, but I liked what I saw when I went!