A pet store the latest step in this animal lover's journey

A genuine love of animals has led Jindera’s Sharryn Verity on a ”pawsome” career of caring for, catering to and cuddling many a cute creature of the furry variety.

For the owner of the Jindera Pet Company, the new pet supplies store in the village town 15 kilometres north of Albury is the latest incarnation in her theriomorphic journey.

In the past, she’s pampered pooches and operated a boarding kennel, and now she finds herself barely able to keep up with the slow-cooked chicken casseroles (pet variety) that are in hot demand at her store.

“I’m not sure how many I prepare every week now, probably at least 50 or more, they have become very popular,” she said.

Healthy pet food is just one of the specialties on offer. There are always freshly made meals and meat mince in the fridge, backed up by a freezer packed with all sorts of goodies sure to tempt even the fussy eater.

Sharryn knows a thing or two about looking after animals. She’s had dogs and horses all her life and breeds miniature fox terriers and rottweilers – yes, quite the opposite ends of the scale.

She operated Riverina Boarding Kennels for 10 years and before that was a dog groomer.

“Actually, I started out as a beautician in the 1990s and had my own beauty business. When I had had enough of talking to people, I turned to dog grooming instead,” she laughed.

After selling the boarding kennels in 2022, Sharryn took a well-deserved break from animal care but always had the thought that her next project would be a store selling products for dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, chickens, fish, guinea pigs, goats, sheep … and the list goes on.

She has been happy with the response since opening in May 2023.

“It has been really good and I’ve already got a lot of regular customers,” she said. ”People are coming in from all over the place – Walla Walla, Walbundrie, Culcairn, Henty and Albury-Wodonga.

“My product range keeps developing and changing in response to what customers are inquiring about but I try to stock a good range that caters for a lot of different animals.

“I also keep the prices competitive and the feedback I’ve had is that I’m on par with some of the bigger chain stores and that some of my products are actually a lower price.”

As a dog breeder of 20 years and former competitor in the equine industry, Sharryn is happy to share her knowledge.

“I really enjoy talking to customers about feeding, breeding and weaning advice and I have a lot of lovely families that come in regularly who we also help with their aged, arthritic or chubby dogs, or dogs needing to put on weight.

“I’ve also found there are a lot of bird lovers in the area so I stock a lot of bird seeds.”

Sharryn is also developing her range of giftware and will have plenty in store for Christmas.

“I’ve just ordered a bundle of Christmas-themed bows and bandanas, which are very cute, and I’ve always got plenty of different treats that can be wrapped up and put under the tree.”

Sharryn says it’s her family that has inspired her throughout her working life. Her parents were hard workers and animal lovers and it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“One of our children started as a kennel attendant when she was 15 and still at school and she has progressed on to be a veterinary nurse. She has been an accredited vet nurse for 10 years now.”

The Jindera Pet Company is in the main street of Jindera and is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. You can chat with Sharryn about what she has in store by calling 0429 496 950 during business hours, or follow Jindera Pet Company on Facebook.