Over 22 years ago, Elyse Kuhn opened the Montecito Pet Shop in quaint Santa Barbara, CA. Over the years, her shop sold hundreds of adorable pups to many satisfied customers. Business was steady, and her customers loyal. So what made her change her business model last year?
Kuhn obtained her puppies from back-yard breeders, and was always very selective about the breeders she worked with. A few years ago, she pondered the idea of selling rescued dogs, but faced many obstacles. Rather than lose money and risk losing her store, she continued working with the back yard breeders.
A National Geographic special episode of The Dog Whisperer aired called “Inside Puppy Mills”. The show featured Last Chance for Animal’s Kim Sill, head of the LCA “Ban Puppy Mills” campaign. After the show aired, Sill received many calls from the Santa Barbara area from residents concerned about pet shops selling puppy mill dogs. Sill contacted Kuhn, and although she was not selling puppy mill dogs, the two held several meetings to discuss the possibility of re-homing shelter dogs.
According to Kuhn, “Kim is very convincing and very passionate about ending pet overpopulation and saving shelter pets. I’ve had this idea in my head for a few years, but Kim and LCA gave me the guidelines to put this business plan into action.”
Kuhn is the owner of several mixed-breed rescue dogs herself, and was eager to transform her store. On October 22rd, 2009, Montecito Pet Shop officially converted to re-homing shelter dogs and no
longer sold puppies purchased from breeders. LCA christened the shop with a litter of pups rescued from convicted hoarders Cindy Bemis and Cynthia Trapani. To see photos and a video of the pups, click here.
Kuhn’s son and shop manager Mathew Etrich was practically raised in the store, and is very excited about the change. “It is a lot of work, more than we anticipated, but it is so much more rewarding. The support within the community has been wonderful.” To date, the shop has rescued and re-homed 36 dogs, and Etrich has received numerous calls from residents congratulating them on becoming a humane pet shop. As reported in the Examiner.com, Etrich states, “In addition to actually adopting the rescued litters, customers who purchase our pet supplies aid us in helping the shelters create more space.”
MPS continues to work closely with LCA, and both are proud to announce a special “Mutts to Montecito” week-end fundraising event on February 20th and 21st that will acknowledge “Spay Day”. National Spay Day is celebrated by rescue groups across the nation on the last Tuesday in February. Saturday’s festivities will include raffles, silent auctions, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and local musician Bruce Wood on guitar. Sunday will be reserved for local rescue groups to showcase their adoptable animals. For details and directions, click here.
Also participating will be C.A.R.E.4 Paws, a group dedicated to promoting responsible pet ownership throughout Santa Barbara County. They create awareness through educational programs and provide the resources necessary to make spaying and neutering a viable option for all. C.A.R.E.4Paws has generously spayed/neutered all of MPS dogs.
The “Mutts to Montecito” event will help raise money for animal rescue, and raise awareness about pet overpopulation in America. This fundraiser is free and open to the public. If you or someone you know can make a donation (product, service, or gift certificate) for the silent auction or raffle, please contact Montecito Pet Shop at 805-965-6780. All proceeds from this event will go directly toward MPS and LCA for rescue efforts.
Photos courtesy of Montecito Pet Shop website