Paul Brown, pet nut extraordinaire

I’ll bet you a bag of dog treats that if you were to stop in at Wally Pets once a month for a year, you wouldn’t hear Paul Brown tell you the same story twice.

And these aren’t just your ordinary run of the mill stories either. He’ll tell you all about his worldwide travels–from running with the bulls in Pamplona to camping in Africa and watching a baby elephant befriend a giraffe right outside of his tent. Plus, you’ll see pictures along the walls and in photo albums that National Geographic would positively swoon over.

Brown, or “Brownie”, took over ownership of Wally Pets on August 1 when the previous owners were ready to call it quits and close up shop. “I didn’t want that to happen,” he said, citing his love of Wallingford and the pets in the neighborhood; and Wally Pets customers have been “amazingly supportive” with his decision. Not only does he run the shop seven days a week from 10 am – 7 pm (sometimes opening earlier, sometimes staying later), he’s a pet and house sitter who’s booked solid with jobs through January and has only seen his West Seattle home twice since April 23.

You’d think running the store solo and pet sitting would be a full load for Brownie, but nope–this is what he loves doing outside of traveling, and he only hopes he can still travel at least once a year. “My sister is a Pastor in Chicago, and she’s retiring next year, so maybe she’ll come out to help out with the store,” he mused. Brownie loves to travel so much that before he assumed ownership of the store, he’d work about 5 – 6 different jobs for a few months just to save up and go.

Wally Pets has over 1300 items for sale for cats and dogs, and Brownie strives to keep each item’s price point equal to, or in some cases, slightly lower, than other stores. He’ll always have a treat for your dog, an extra poop bag to spare, recommend helpful services like the WoofConnect free dog sitter and plenty of great stories to share with you. It’s worth it to just stop by to say “hello” because before you know it, you’ll have a 30 minute conversation with Brownie and never realize how much time has passed. I’m certain his 36 years of tending bar (with 20 of them at Wild Ginger) has helped him with that gift.

If you do stop by, ask him about his first run with the bulls in Pamplona–six months after his hip replacement. It’s a story that would wake Hemingway from the dead just to write about it.

Wally Pets is open daily from 10 am – 7 pm. It’s located on Wallingford Avenue at 4411 C Wallingford Avenue North. Phone: 206-547-0301. Website: www.wally-pets.com. Click here for the Wally Pets Facebook page.