Whiskers at Ninth Street and Second Avenue was something of a novelty when it opened back in 1988. Its approach to pet care was an idea Phil and Randy Klein seized on after a holistic veterinarian treated their cancer-stricken dog. The couple became convinced that raw foods and natural supplements were the way to help anxious city animals. The shop is now three times the size it used to be and their philosophy is so popular that similar stores have sprung up. In Mr. Klein’s words, “it’s become the wave.”
Most days you can find him holding court in the supplements corner of the store. Owners approach him like a soothsayer for advice about their pets.
NYU Journalism’s Meredith Hoffman reports.
