Bend Pet Express has been an icon in the Bend community since 1993.
This year, they are celebrating their 30th year anniversary. 30 years of helping dog guardians and beyond in Bend. 30 years helping the dog community navigate nutrition.
The Bend Pet Express origin story starts with the local Bend garage of Julie Hunter, the original founder of the Central Oregon store.
She based her business on pet nutrition, making it the most important facet of Bend Pet Express. Julie made sure to educate employees and customers about the necessity of pet nutrition. She wanted people to be able to get various kinds of food for their best friends.
“It all began in 1993. Late one evening I had to rush my dog, CJ, to my good friend, Veterinarian Dean Bolinger. After examining CJ, Dean asked me what I was feeding CJ.”
“I remember boldly stating, ‘Purina Dog Chow…you know, with the red and white checkered squares on the bag!’ I was sure it was the best. Dean very quickly pointed out to me that it was far from the best food you could feed your pet.
Dean gave me my first lesson on pet nutrition and sent me to the local feed store to buy premium pet food called ProPlan.
I filled my garage with premium dog food and I decided that my new career goal would entail educating the public and helping our four-legged friends live longer healthier lives.”
And that’s when Bend Pet Express began. Small at first, but quality was always Julie’s goal. She started the business model with at-home pet food delivery from her garage in Bend.
“It was easy, reliable, and very convenient for the consumer,’ said Julie.
“Just 3 months into the venture, sales had picked up so quickly that I needed more space for a growing inventory, and a place for customers to pick up their pets’ food if they did not want it delivered; so I had to move BPE out of my garage and into a small warehouse.”
After that small warehouse, Julie decided to open a pet food store in Sisters. This is when she was able to talk in-depth about pet nutrition to her customers. She enjoyed helping guardians find the best solutions for their pets.
After opening the smaller store in Sisters, Bend Pet Express grew and grew through word of mouth among the Bend community. BPE developed a reputation for being an incredible resource of pet nutrition.
Because of this reputation, Julie discovered that they were able to survive up against the big box pet stores.
“It is this reputation and the respect of the customers and community that has allowed BPE to grow and prosper.” Julie said.
The Bend Pet Express Westside store was opened in 2001 and then the Eastside store was opened in 2003.
When Julie retired in 2019, her nephew Ryan has been at the helm of Bend Pet Express since. A truly family-owned, Bend icon. Julie passed away in December 2021, but her legend lives on through her amazing pet-loving legacy.
Thank you Bend Pet Express for 30 years of service to this community!
We are so grateful for Bend Pet Express and their community support for Dogs & Lagers Fest – a National Dog Weekend celebration on August 25th & 26th at Crux Fermentation Project!
Author: Ely Twiggs
Ely's love for the outdoors and having first hand experience of the shortness of life was the impetus for her move from Australia into an RV to travel the US. When she got to Bend, she knew this was the place. After creating The Dog in Us, a multi-channel platform about exploring National Parks with Dogs, she wanted to bring dog-approved resources to a local community she loves. Enter The Dog Guide Bend, a resource made for the Bend Dog Community. Ely is the guardian of two rescue dogs, Alaska and Smoky Joe, and they are the center of her universe. Ely and her husband Tom run a mobile RV repair business called Meet You There RV Repair & Inspection.