Born from Wanting Better 
We Started with a Passion for Pet Wellness 

Pet Wants began with pet parents experiencing a frustrating problem. 

In 2010, founders Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton were searching for answers to persistent skin and coat issues affecting their dog, Jackson. After repeated veterinary visits, significant expense, and little improvement, they began asking a simple question: ‘Could Jackson’s food be part of the problem?’ 

That question changed everything. 

Michele and Amanda began looking more closely at pet food; reading labels, researching ingredients, and learning more about how it was produced and how long it could take to move through the traditional supply chain before reaching a pet’s bowl. 

What they found surprised them. 

They realized that words like “premium” on the front of a bag did not tell them everything they wanted to know about the food inside. And they began thinking about Jackson’s nutrition in the same way they thought about their own: quality ingredients matter, how the food is prepared matters, and food freshness matters. 

They wanted better for Jackson – he’s family. So, they set out to create it. 

Pet Wants began with wanting better for the pets who depend on us. This continues to inspire how we nourish pets and support pet parents, one community at a time. 

They developed food that met the standards they were looking for, and as friends began to see the impact their food was having on Jackson, they started asking for it too. Friends told friends. Demand grew. Michele approached a family-owned Ohio pet food manufacturer and persuaded them to produce the formula in small batches. The first production sold quickly, and what began as a solution for their own pets was becoming something their community wanted too. 

Later that year, Pet Wants opened at Cincinnati’s historic Findlay Market. This showed Michele and Amanda the importance of face-to-face relationships with their customers and their pets. It’s why every Pet Wants is locally owned by members of the business community. 

Pet parents could talk directly with people who cared about what went into their pets’ bowls. Food was produced in small batches and moved directly from production to Pet Wants rather than spending extended periods sitting within a traditional warehouse and distribution system. Local delivery made it easier to fit better nutrition into everyday life. And it was sold by the pound to make sure pets weren’t faced with stale food that didn’t taste good — or deliver the nutrition promised. 

Pet Wants was not simply giving people another pet food option. Something even bigger was taking shape. It was giving pet parents someone to talk to. Someone who would listen, ask questions, explain nutrition in understandable terms, and help them feel more confident about the choices they were making for the pets they loved. 

That local idea has grown. Pet Wants started franchising in 2015, bringing the same combination of fresh nutrition, education, personal service, and community connection to pet parents beyond Cincinnati. Today, local Pet Wants owners continue to build those relationships in communities across the country. 

The brand has grown. The ways we support pets and pet parents continue to grow too. But the idea that started Pet Wants remains remarkably simple: 

• Pay attention. 
• Ask better questions. 
• Make better choices. 
• We should always want better for the pets who depend on us.

That is where Pet Wants began. And it continues to guide how we nourish pets, support pet parents, and build connections, one community at a time. 

Visit your nearest Pet Wants location and, with just a few simple questions, our team can help identify exactly what your pet needs to thrive.