Skagit Valley Herald: Retired Engineer Pursues Passion in Animal Health with Pet Wants

Six-year retiree Susan Hughes had a former career as a Boeing engineer. After her husband passed, she decided to pursue a new project involving one of her passions: animal health.

“You can’t mourn forever,” Hughes told the Skagit Valley Herald. “You have to find something.”

Hughes, an animal lover and pet health enthusiast, decided to look into various pet food franchises, coming across a brand called Pet Wants in December of 2022. The pet nutrition brand creates and delivers fresh dog food. Its dry dog food, which is made in small batches every 45 days, is a popular option among its customers.

With only a little retail experience from her teenage years, Hughes started with Pet Wants in Skagit County, Washington, in June of 2023.

“It was like, ‘If we’re going to do it, let’s do it. It’s time to go,’” said Hughes.

Pet Wants provides new franchisees a business model that makes it easy to scale: franchisees start with a mobile business, which allows customers to order food and pet supplies online to be delivered, and then most franchises open a physical store in addition to continuing the mobile operation within their first year.

She looks forward to being able to provide free delivery to various Washington areas, including Bow, Burlington, Clear Lake, Conway, Hamilton, Lyman and Mount Vernon. Concrete and Anacortes can also receive deliveries for a small fee.

“I like the area and I like the people,” explained Hughes. “I know people here love their dogs and cats like we do.”

That “we” includes Hughes' daughter and granddaughter, who are also involved in the business.

“I’m so excited about the combination,” Pet Wants president DeNita Carani told the Skagit Valley Herald. “They were so in touch with what resonates with what the community needs.”

Hughes plans to introduce herself to a larger community by participating in farmers markets, where she will set up a Pet Wants products booth throughout the holidays. In the new year, she’ll pursue opening a storefront, potentially in Sedro-Woolley, Burlington and Mount Vernon.

The total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Pet Wants Franchise is between $131,350 to $202,000, including a $42,500 franchise fee that can be earned back through the brand’s Winner’s Circle program. For more information, visit petwantsfranchise.com.