About Us
At Holistic for Pets, our mission is to enlighten and educate pet lovers everywhere and give them the means to act on their new-found knowledge about the importance of quality food in their pets' diets. We all love our pets and our pets give us unconditional love in return. We want our pets to live long and happy lives. It is just as true for our pets as it is for us: they are what they eat and good health starts from the inside.

It is our earnest desire to help you find the food and/or supplements that work best for your pet's unique needs. But we go further than just nutrition; we also want to help you find the best and safest ways to transport your pet, to protect your pet from pests and parasites, and to offer holistic and homeopathic solutions for behavioral and health conditions.

In addition to owning the store in Sarasota and the on-line store, Val is a co-founder of Southwest Great Dane Rescue and an avid agility competitor. Her Great Dane, Ross, who was a rescue, was one of the top Dane agility competitors in the country.

Kaleka, her Smooth Fox Terrier, is also multi-titled in Agility. During a long career in dogs, Val has titled Danes and Fox Terriers in Obedience and Conformation. She loves the Great Dane breed and currently owns three: Zoe (who turned 12 in 2007), Ross and Payton, in addition to Kaleka, her Fox Terrier. In addition, she is usually fostering several rescued Danes at her home.

Val is passionate about holistic health, both for pets and for herself (although she is just as prone to chocolate attacks as the rest of us mortals).

Angie Oakes - Sarasota Store
Angie first came to Holistic for Pets in 2003 with a wealth of knowledge from working at a health food store and from her quest to read every book available about health and nutrition. Over the years, Angie has become an expert in holistic pet food and knows the protein-to-fat ratios of every food in the store! Angie is the manager of the Sarasota store. In addition to her vast knowledge of holistic food and supplements, she is especially talented at designing displays of everything from pet food to toys and gifts.

Angie lives with a beautiful white Pit Bull named Pearl and a black and white domestic short-hair cat named Cleo. Her passions include reading, hiking, fishing, swimming and sunbathing on the beautiful Sarasota beaches.

Elizabeth Chandler - Bradenton Store, Manager
Elizabeth came to Holistic for Pets in July 2006, bringing with her computer skills, both creative and technical writing experience, an acute ability for detail and organization, and bundles and bundles of energy. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, but also has years and years of dog and cat experience from the large number of pets living with her as well as several years of experience running her own pet sitting business.

Elizabeth was a customer at Holistic for Pets long before joining our team, so she already had considerable knowledge of holistic pet products when she started here. She lives with 7 rescued dogs (Casey, Sheena-Beana-da-Vacuum-Cleana, Cory, Cassie, Eddie, Beezer, and Lil Dog) and 7 rescued cats (Buttermilk, Elmo, Sophie, Brutus, Midget, Hannah-Banana-Nutbread, and Buford T. Pusser) that keep her very busy. Her passions include dog agility training and competition, running and working out with weights, eating healthy (but sometimes not), and puttering around the house with all of her furry children.