Chesterfield animal lover expands natural pet treats business to high street shop in Derbyshire town

Shay Tipler, who keeps three miniature dachshunds with his partner, says his Happy Hounds Value Box started “selling like hot cakes” during Covid.

After ploughing all of his profits back into his online shop over the last few years, he is now ready to take on a walk-in store.

Obsessive Recessive, on Market Street, Clay Cross opens to the public on Saturday (May 18), selling natural foods for “everything with paws and claws”.

As well as food the new shop also caters for all-natural healthy supplements, medicines and toys.

Speaking about the origins of the business, former welder fabricator Shay, 32, says: “We’ve always tried to feed our dogs the best quality food that we can.

"So the business is based on an environmentally-friendly, nutritionally beneficial ethos – what we sell is not manufactured, there are no preservatives and no rawhides.”

Shay’s online shop, Obsessive Recessive supplies natural products for dogs and cats, small and exotic animals, aquatic and amphibian and reptiles.

His best-selling 25-piece Happy Hounds Value Box of natural dog treats includes chicken feet, duck feet, cow ear, tripe sticks, pig snout, hairy rabbit ear, rabbit feet with fur, venison, fish sausage, pigs ear, lamb ears, lung, liver and more, for £10.

Speaking about the new shop opening on Saturday, Shay said: "We have a lot of loyal customers anyway and there will be a plethora of people coming.

"I imagine it being a mental day and think the place will be ransacked, I’ve got so many people coming.

"In Clay Cross there’s a good community between shop and business owners – we already sponsor a dog trainer with puppy bags and she advertises with us and sends dog-owners our way too.”

Obsessive Recessive – which will be supplying reptiles in the coming months – will be open for business Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

During the opening on Saturday Shay will be offering “puppuccinos” to all waggy-tailed visitors and surprise gifts for customers who drop by.