The Hounds Tooth

A boutique for both dogs and humans, The Hounds Tooth impressed me with their selection of quality dog products. I would recommend to local residents and visitors who are looking for some premium supplies above the huge chain pet stores.
More geared to premium supplies for your dog and a smaller sections for cats, it’s a neat store that aims to an unfulfilled niche in Iowa City. They carry a fairly diverse selection of just about any premium supply you could need for your dog. Collars/​leads/​harnesses as well as dog bowls/​feeders are particularly good selections. They also have a display case with sparkly dog collars and rhinestone letters to spell out your dogs name. Nice to see a store here in Iowa that can go head to head with some LA pet boutiques. Additionally they have the usual suspects of toys, jackets, beds, and grooming products. They carry two kinds of premium dog kibble — Wellness and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Treat wise, they also carry wellness and old mother hubbards among others and they have a baked goods section for dogs. I saw a triple peanut butter cookie which resembled a triple tier ritz and peanuts cracker sandwich. Bought two of those as well as a couple of peanut butter bone treats for about $ 3.50. The woman at the counter (I assume the owner) greeted me right away and made sure I was doing well while shopping. The human products looked nice as well and I imagine this would be a great place to put together a gift basket for humans or dogs. Parking is ample in the mini-​mall location and there is a nice coffeehouse next door with free wifi and they have outdoor seating for you and your dog when it’s warm. If I was a local, I’d be frequenting this place for my supply needs.
Nothing really negative to say. It’s probably a 3.5 star place compared to places in LA, but that’s unfair. I wish they could stock more premium varieties of kibble and treats since wellness, chicken soup for the soul, old mother hubbards, etc are common for mid range mass appeal pet chain stores, but I think distributor criteria factors a large role in that decision. Prices are run of the mill for a pet boutique where I come from, but I imagine locals may think of it as expensive.