About Us
Photo By Jon Abrahams
Hi, I’m Bobby Clarke, the president of Care-A-Lot® Pet Supply. Thank you for visiting our website!
Since our family began the business nearly three decades ago, we have dedicated ourselves to pampering pets and treating them like family. Our motto is “Your pets are our babies too,” and we bring that level of care to every customer, every day. That means belly rubs in our store are 100% acceptable and don’t be surprised if the cashier has a special treat waiting below the counter!
How did it all begin? As a family, our passion and hobby was proudly showing dogs together both locally and in neighboring states. My father, Alfred, originally hatched the idea for Care-A-Lot® while we were participating in these dog shows with his award-winning Airedale Terrier, Tuey, and my Labrador Retriever, Woo.
We found we had to stock up on specialty pet items at the shows as it was the only place we could find them. We realized quickly how difficult it was to find the necessary supplies to maintain show-quality dogs. Local pet stores didn’t always carry the right products, and we found catalog-based providers unreliable. We saw an opportunity to turn our passion into a business.
My father, a former warrant officer in the Navy and owner of an industrial supply company, combined his knowledge and expertise with a passion for pets. With the assistance of my mom, Mary, we established a catalog company known as Care-A- Lot® Pet Supply to specialize in hard-to-find items while also providing excellent customer service.
Care-A-Lot Pet Supply began in 1988 inside of an empty warehouse space on Diamond Springs Road in Virginia Beach with an initial focus on show, training and grooming items. We later included aquatic and small animal supplies in our product selection, eventually adding dog and cat food. Not only is nutrition important for humans, it is key to the health and wellbeing of our pets. With this new expansion in our product lines and our involvement in the community, we soon realized the need to grow beyond our warehouse space. It was our vision to be an authority on the products we sell and the services we provide, making us a one-stop shop for the pet care needs of our customers.
I played an integral role in those early days as I took the reins from my parents and grew the company to what it is today. My wife, Denise, was by my side as we grew our family and our business. With her background in business and accounting, and our amazing team of employees, we proudly run Care-A-Lot Pet Supply together as President and Vice-President of the company.
Together we have evolved from a mostly catalog-based supplier to an e-commerce destination for pet lovers across the U.S. We also have four brick-and-mortar stores, two in Virginia Beach, VA, one in Newport News, VA and one in Moyock, NC. In our stores and online you can expect to engage with knowledgeable associates whose priority is your pet. We thrive on educating our team with as much information as possible about the items we carry so we can inform you, our customer, to make the best decision for your pets.
We believe every pet deserves a loving home and a family to call their own, which is why we are committed to supporting our local shelters and rescue organizations to make sure this can happen. We know that there is nothing like the love and joy pets provide to their owners and we are so happy we get to play a part in it.
Yes, we have grown since my father put his passion to work. But we are still committed to providing our customers with the best quality products and services. Give us a call or come into one of our stores and a friendly knowledgeable associate will gladly assist you.
After all, my family began Care-A-Lot® Pet Supply with a singular mission: to go the extra mile for pet owners. We thank you for trusting us with all of your pet care needs.
Bobby Clarke
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