By Cedric Dent, Williamson Homepage

Dee-O-Gee, a Midwestern rapid-growth pet supply franchise, announced Tuesday its plans to open its first Tennessee location with a store in Franklin.

The Montana chain will set up shop at Town Center in the mixed-use, 600-acre Berry Farms development off Interstate 65’s Peytsonsville Road exit. Dee-O-Gee focuses on holistic, natural products and total well-being for pets from its retail pet foods to its American-made toys. It provides services like dog grooming and doggy daycare in addition to related supplies like do-it-yourself washtubs.

This comes just shy of a year after a merger executed between Dee-O-Gee and Bentley’s Pet Stuff, which added 60 locations to Dee-O-Gee’s portfolio. The resultant rebrand, Pet Stuff Franchising, now offers store franchising opportunities all over the country under both original brands as well as others. Now, one such store has emerged as the brand’s first foray into the state.

The brand markets itself as committed to educating customers on canine and feline nutrition and supplements. Personnel on staff — including certified pet dietitians — are highly trained in pet nutrition. They are available onsite to develop custom nutrition plans for pets with their pet parents, per the release.

“We are ecstatic to move into the beautiful and thriving Berry Farms area,” said Shawn Day, owner of the Dee-O-Gee Berry Farms franchise. “We love connecting with our customers and educating the community on pet health and nourishment. Our focus is to keep pets healthy and around for as long as possible, and branching into Tennessee will allow us to bring nutritious products to a new market of pet lovers.”

Boyle Investment Company’s Berry Farms development is a master-planned community home to the likes of Aetna Insurance, Crestmark Bank, CrossFit Goose Creek, Ramsey Solutions, and Trellis Insurance Corp. The development also features retail shopping and residential units with dog-friendly, open green spaces and historic parks. The community boasts of connectivity via walkable, green pathways. Dee-O-Gee is positioned within walking distance of the Berry Farms dog park and community garden — amenities accessible to residents of the luxury apartments in Berry Farms.

Dee-O-Gee is slated to hold a grand opening in summer 2022. The pet supply store said in a release that it will join more than 40 other retail, restaurant and service tenants at Berry Farms and specifically cited, among others, Berry Farms Animal Hospital & Pet Spa, F-45 Training, FirstBank, and Tito’s Mexican Restaurant.

“We’re thrilled to have Dee-O-Gee open its first Tennessee location at Berry Farms,” said Phil Fawcett, managing partner at Boyle. “Pets are a big part of our community, and being able to bring emerging leaders from the pet industry to Franklin provides another sought-after amenity that caters to the needs of families.”

The chain began with its 2008 establishment by Josh and Holly Allen in Bozeman, Mont. It has since expanded to include nine locally owned stores under the umbrella of the EarthWise Pet corporate family, which consists of over 150 locations nationwide. Their certified pet dietitians and nutrition specialists enable them to provide quality grooming, nutrition, dog daycare and domain area experience.