Health Mutt to Offer Holistic Pet Food, Dog Wash and Portraits

Kendra Bailey sees a lot of dogs, and a lot crazy-about-dogs people, in Seminole Heights, so she figures it’s a natural for Health Mutt, a holistic pet food store with attached portrait studio and self-serve dog wash.

Renovations are under way at 6116 N. Central Ave. in preparation for a mid-September—possibly early October—opening.

“I just love Seminole Heights; I love the sense of community,” says the 23-year-old, who graduated from the University of South Florida last year with a fine art degree focusing on photography. “There are a lot of rescue dogs here, and I think it’s a place (where) the community will help me out.”

Bailey, a neighborhood resident, worked part-time at Groovy Cats & Dogs in Carrollwood while she was in school. There, she says, she learned about the benefits of holistic pet foods—foods that contain only ingredients with a purpose.

“It’s bad to have wheat, corn, soy and by-products,” she says. “They’re hard to digest and they lack nutrition.”

Her own pet-since-childhood, a Shetland sheepdog named Max, was in kidney failure when she started working at the store, she says. “The vets gave up on him,” she says, so she tried switching him to a holistic diet, which is rich in raw frozen or dehydrated meats. That was about four years ago.

Max is 16 now, growing blind and deaf and on medication for joint pain. But otherwise, he’s in such good health, he can undergo general anesthesia to get his teeth cleaned. And he isn’t being treated for kidney problems.

“In the shop, my focus is nutrition,” Bailey says, adding she plans to offer seminars on acupuncture, massage and other alternative veterinary-care options. “I’m pretty good at finding a diet that works if a dog has a problem. Getting a dog’s health in check is important to me.”

The shop will also offer holistic cat food.

At her self-service dog wash, customers will find raised tubs with pre-set water temperature. Towels, shampoo, eye and ear wipes, and even after-wash clean-up will all be provided for less than $15.

“It’s great for people who don’t need a groomer—for dogs with short hair that don’t need frou-frou cuts,” she says.

Once dogs are looking smart, they can book an appointment with Bailey in the photo studio. She did pet photography while in school, so she has backdrops and props for all kinds of portraits. She plans to offer Christmas portraits for greeting cards, and this year’s customers will get discounts if they allow her to use the shots for marketing.

Bailey’s parents, Brenda and Brett, are helping her out with the venture; Brenda recently retired from nursing to provide hands-on support.

You can follow Bailey’s progress as she documents a young adult’s first business venture at her blog or give her your own ideas at on the Health Mutt Facebook Facebook page.