Pet Set, Part II: Bone Appetit Lets the Dogs In

A few weeks ago, two shops opened in the same small retail center on the west edge of Wauwatosa, neither knowing the other was coming. One, Purr Tosa, is all about cats. The other, Bone Appetit, is gone to the dogs.

Thursday, we featured Purr Tosa – only because it was slightly first. Today, we bring you... Bone Appetit.

Amy and Luke Crow do love their pugs. And Amy had been experimenting with all-natural treats for her pets for some time.

But when their pugs became overweight and began to sicken, they really began to focus on their dogs' diets.

"One of our pugs got overweight and started to have an eye issue," Luke said, "and we started feeding it a natural, holistic diet, and it cleared up in about a week."

"There's so much filler in most of the store brands," Luke said, "and there are additives that just aren't healthy for anyone or any animal.

"So we had gone looking for an all-natural food, and then we decided to try making a small business of it. Because we know how much people love their dogs, and hey, just like us, they are what they eat."

Their business, Bone Appetit, at 12201 W. North Ave., carries Amy's homemade treats as well as brands they've researched and approved for a full daily diet for your pet.

"It's mostly for dogs," Luke said, "but we do carry some cat food, too. I have a friend who has bunnies, and I found her some all-natural bunny food."

One catalyst was the news that huge quantities of commercial pet food from China was found to be contaminated with toxins and was sickening and killing pets — and some of it was "prescription" food sold only through veterinarians.

"We try to source everything we sell locally or as produced in the United States," Luke said. "We want everyone to have healthy pets."

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Luke and Amy Crow are both employed full-time, Luke as a special education teacher in the Elmbrook Schools, and Amy as an X-Ray technologist. Store hours change weekly depending on their schedules.

Check the Bone Appetit Facebook page for hours.