Former Minnesota cop opens pet wellness stores
foxbusiness.com – Rian Thiele, co-founder of Pet Evolution, explains why it’s important to focus on your pet’s wellness.
In fact, that’s what motivated the 39-year-old of Woodbury, Minnesota, to leave his dream career as a police officer and co-found a pet wellness store, Pet Evolution, 10 years ago.
“I loved being a police officer. I was very involved with the community,” Thiele told FOX Business. “I really learned so much about the community and what I wanted to do was somehow bring that community feel into Pet Evolution and into the pet industry.”
‘I want to bring this to market’
Thiele told FOX Business that his childhood pets – two West Highland White Terriers named Sprinkles and Sprite – were his original inspiration to start Pet Evolution.
“They had allergies… and the allergies were so severe that they would bite at their paws and their legs, they just itched so bad,” Thiele said.
Rian Thiele, 39, of Woodbury, Minnesota, co-founded the pet wellness store, Pet Evolution, 10 years ago.  (Pet Evolution / Fox News)
Today, Thiele has four dogs: an Australian shepherd named Oliver, a whippet named Louie, a Siberian Husky-American Eskimo mix named Heather and a Rottweiler-chocolate lab mix named Tigger.
When Thiele started to give them higher quality food, he noticed how much healthier and energetic they were
“I saw that transition happen and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so amazing. I want to bring this to market. I want to open a store and only have the best,’” Thiele said.
Thiele has four dogs. Pictured left to right: Louie, Heather, Oliver and Tigger. (Rian Thiele / Fox News)
“That’s really what gave us the encouragement to really start a store focused on only the best quality pet nutrition,” he added.
In 2012, Thiele and his friend Mike Osborn, decided to make their dream a reality and opened Pet Evolution, which caters to dogs, cats and smaller animals like hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs.
Leaving the ‘ultimate dream’ job
When he started Pet Evolution, Thiele was a detective for the Carver County Sherriff’s Department, where he had been since he graduated from college in 2005.
“Being a police officer had been my ultimate dream when I was a child,” Thiele said.
As an officer, Thiele said he most loved that he could be there for people in their most difficult moments.
Thiele was a police officer with the Carver County Sherriff’s Department from 2005 until 2012. Thiele told FOX Business that being a police officer was his “ultimate dream.” (Courtesy Rian Thiele / Fox News)
Thiele maintained that connection to his community when he and Osborn started Pet Evolution.