DAVIS COUNTY—Most dog owners consider their pet as a family member – so why not feed them like one? Husband and wife team Preston and Kassitty Knight wanted something healthier than regular dog food for their five miniature schnauzers and started looking for options. They found Pet Wants, a pet-health-centric concept that provides quality healthy dog food and opened Pet Wants Layton, a mobile unit serving Davis County. 

“I was in the Air Force and worked as an air traffic controller at Hill Air Force Base,” said Preston. “After five and a half years I decided to leave the military and we decided we wanted to stay in Utah. I went to law school and became an attorney. We said, ‘let’s open a business’ and we decided to dive in.”

They opened MaidPro in 2018. “I was a stay-at-home mom and we wanted something family focused,” said Kassitty. “We wanted to spend time together and make a difference in the community by creating jobs and home cleaning services in the area and to provide a healthy lifestyle.”

Preston said they found Pet Wants then but it wasn’t the right time for them to do it but now it is. 

The Knights are no strangers to the business world. “I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was in the third grade,” said Preston. “I sold popsicles and when I was on the student council I had a treat stand. My undergrad was business focused.”

 Preston said coming from no control of where they lived, etc. owning their own business gives them the chance to live on their own terms.

Pet Wants is a family affair, said the Knights. “Both of our kids (16 and 17) are shareholders,” said Kassitty. “It is a family endeavor.”

The kids helped at their Kiosk at the mall, she said. “My daughter does sales and marketing and my son is a delivery driver and handles inventory. We’re trying to teach them how to run a successful business. That’s what they want to do.”

The food has the highest nutritional value, said Preston. “Everything that goes into it improves the health and well-being of your pet. There’s no soy, corn or wheat. There’s nothing in it that dogs can’t eat.”

“Our dog had really bad urinary issues so the vet put him on a prescription there,” said Kassitty. “We looked at the label and compared it to Pet Wants and we didn’t see any progress so we switched to Pet Wants. The swelling went down and he didn’t bite his paws as much. We have seen a difference in our dogs, even more than a vet-prescribed food.”

The Knights haven’t been to veterinarian school but received in depth training from the national franchise that has more than 90 locations, Preston said. “They have nutritionists that analyze all the pieces that go into the food. They train all of the owners about protein sources and different byproducts.”

The food is cooked in small batches at a low temperature over a period of time, he said. “That prevents it from destroying all of the vitamins and minerals. It’s specifically designed to keep nutrients in, not burn them out.”

Pet Wants is currently a mobile unit but the Knights plan to have a brick-and-mortar location soon. “Our passion for our animals drove us to it,” said Kassitty. “We wanted to do a family business to help our kids grow up and know how to run a business.”

For more information about Pet Wants visit petwantslayton.com.