Once every month or so, I drove to North Bennington, Vt., to pick up my dog and cat food – Fromm’s, of course – at the Handsome Hound, the holistic pet store and grooming parlor run by Celeste O’Dowd, dog lover and her son Brendan – these are all her dogs. Celeste is a rabid Boston Red Sox Fan, but we have gotten past that. We just don’t talk about baseball. Her Boston accent is as thick as pea soup, and she only sells the best and healthiest food and treats. It is a wonderful alternative to the big pet food box stores, which feel like giant warehouses. At the Handsome Hound, Celeste’s dogs are right behind the cash register and there are various poodles and other dogs in the grooming parlor.

Celeste always has time to talk about the food you’re buying – we talk a lot about the brand of Fromm’s Red needs to keep his energy up – and most of the customers turn out to end up being  her friends as well. Dog lovers love to talk about how their dogs live when they pick a food, and  Celeste actually wants to hear it. She is careful about what she sells, there is nothing that is bad for dogs or cats to eat. Shopping local is not just an obligation to me, it is a gift, an affirmation of individuality, community and connection. She sold me three steamed antler bones today, there were expensive but she pointed out they would last forever. I caved. She reminds me every time I got there of why it is so important not to let corporations take over the earth. If you look at the growing list of pet recalls, it is easy to understand the importance of buying food from places like Fromm’s or the Handsome Hound. They are not corporate. They actually care what’s in the food. I doubt I will ever have any food I buy at the Handsome Hound recalled.