By Howard Koplowitz
Igor Kalantarov, owner of newly opened Dogs Cats & Beyond in Bellerose, said his store goes the extra mile in grooming your pet without charging extra.
Kalantarov, 24, said other grooming places will tack on additional charges for using special shampoos and conditioners, but at Dogs Cats & Beyond, at 248-05 Union Tpke. in Bellerose, those treatments for your pet come standard.
“We think that a full groom should be a full groom,” he said.
Kalantarov, a native of Russia who immigrated to Queens in 1993, said he always had his eyes set on owning his own business from a young age.
“When I was old enough to do this stuff, I always knew I wanted to own my own business but I didn’t know what that business would be,” he said. “I have a dog. I’ve had animals my whole life and I knew I wanted to do something with animals. It just came natural that I wanted to work with animals.”
After taking dog training and dog grooming classes, Kalantarov opened Dogs Cats & Beyond on Feb. 14.
“After I did dog training, I knew I wanted to get my own shop,” he said. “I knew grooming was a huge industry, so I wanted to learn to do it myself.”
Grooming is not limited to dogs — the shop also provides the service for cats.
The Rego Park resident said he chose Bellerose for his business’ location because he noticed many pet owners in the area.
“I saw that there’s a lot of dogs here. In this area, there doesn’t seem to be too many shops catering to dogs and cats, so this seemed like the perfect fit,” he said.
The business provides more than just training and grooming for dogs and cats. There is doggy day care, baths for your pets and a variety of holistic food choices and pet supplies.
Dogs Cats & Beyond is Kalantarov’s first business and his long-term goal is to make enough money to open an animal sanctuary.
Kalantarov said training can be applied to dogs of any temperament or age.
“Some people think a dog is too old to be trained,” he said. “A dog is never too old to be trained.”
Kalantarov said his business focuses on customer service, not how much money he can rake in.
“The bottom line is not the profit,” he said. “The bottom line is to provide good service.”
The food available at Dogs Cats & Beyond is mostly from health-conscious brands, Kalantarov said.
“The commercial foods, they have a lot of corn, a lot of by-products,” he said. “We believe that pets’ diets will basically determine their health. A diet can, I believe, add years to a dog’s life.”
The business also has free pickup and delivery of pets attending doggy day care and free delivery of pet food with no minimum charge.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
