As an impassioned animal lover, Laura Leah English spent much of the early 1990s scouring Western Canadian retail stores in search of the kind of quality pet health foods, products and information she wanted to help her family dog get the most out of life.

More often than not, the search ended in frustration.

Then a light dawned. Spotting a large gap in the retail marketplace, English joined forces with her mother and opened the first Pet Planet store in Calgary.

Within a few months, pet lovers were pouring through the doors in increasing numbers. Before long, English realized she had a retail tiger by the tail.

Pet Planet has access to a quality line of products unsurpassed in North America.

Today, 18 Pet Planet stores are flourishing throughout the West, with five more due to come on stream by year's end.

As it happens, Laura Leah wasn't the only one who was seeking a community-based retail store that stocks high-end, specialty products developed solely to enhance the health and well-being of beloved pets everywhere.

She's been the beneficiary of an enormous wave of interest in the pet food and health industry across North America.

"We could never have imagined how much this sector would take off since the day we first opened our doors in 1996," says English. "Recent industry projections indicate that Canadians will spend more than $4 billion on their pets during the current year."

In response to such encouraging trends, the operators of Pet Planet have been fielding dozens of requests to begin franchising these wonderful specialty stores. At the moment, 10 of the company's 18 stores are operated by franchisees and fresh inquiries are always welcome.

"Our franchisees really have a passion for pets. They go to work each morning knowing they're going to make a real difference in the lives of their customers and communities," says English. "It's not work, it's fun."

Better still, it pays.

"The performance of all our franchisees has exceeded our expectations," confirms English.

For the price of a $30,000 franchise fee, operators of these high-volume retail outlets gain access to a quality line of pet-supply products that is unsurpassed in the North American market.

Apart from the right to apply the Pet Planet trademark, franchisees are welcome to take advantage of one of the most extensive and effective operating systems in Canadian retail.

"We thoroughly train each of our franchisees and lend support wherever and whenever we can," English adds. "We only make money if each of our franchisees is doing well."

Pet Planet is proud of the stringent qualification standards it applies to potential franchisees. So, if you love pets and aren't afraid to work hard to realize a healthy return as well as the utmost in job satisfaction, please take the time to access the Pet Planet website (www.petplanet.ca) and fill out the contact form you'll find under Franchise Information.