Family, Pets, and Perseverance: The Heart Behind Jo's Pet Deals

The Heart Behind Jo's Pet Deals 💜

Behind every small business is a story, and mine started long before Jo's Pet Deals ever existed.

Life hasn't always gone to plan. I lost my mum just before my 14th birthday, and suddenly I had to grow up far quicker than I should have. My little sister and I needed each other, and those early years taught me a lot about family, resilience and simply carrying on when life becomes difficult.

Over the years, I've faced other challenges too. An accident left me with lasting injuries and changed everyday life in ways I could never have expected. There have been times when things have been physically difficult and times when life has simply felt very heavy.

But through so many of those moments, animals have been there.

Jessie & Bernie 🐾

Jessie, my German Shepherd, and Bernie, my Labrador, weren't simply pets who happened to live in our home. They were family.

They were there for the ordinary days and the difficult ones. They brought companionship, laughter and that wonderfully uncomplicated kind of love animals seem to give us exactly when we need it most.

Jessie was the first of the two I had to say goodbye to. Then, in July 2025, we lost Bernie too.

Anyone who has loved and lost an animal will understand how strange the silence afterwards can feel. Their bed is empty. Their familiar sounds disappear. The little routines you barely thought about suddenly aren't there anymore.

But neither are all the memories.

The funny moments, the adventures, the comfort they gave us and the completely ordinary days that we would give anything to experience once more — those stay with us.

Jessie and Bernie are still very much part of the story behind Jo's Pet Deals.

Why I Built Jo's Pet Deals

My love of animals has shaped the kind of business I want Jo's Pet Deals to become.

I don't want it to be somewhere that simply lists hundreds of pet products. I want it to be a place where pet owners can find thoughtful, practical products and genuinely useful information for the animals they love.

That's why you'll find more than the usual dog and cat products here.

We care about senior pets who need a little extra comfort. Pets recovering from injury or struggling with mobility. Rabbits and guinea pigs. Backyard chickens. Pets travelling with their families. And, perhaps closest to my heart, ways of remembering the animals who are no longer beside us.

I choose and research products by asking myself a very simple question:

Would I feel comfortable choosing this for an animal I loved?

Because behind every order isn't just an order number.

There's a Jessie.

There's a Bernie.

There's somebody's much-loved cat, dog, rabbit, guinea pig or chicken.

And that's the heart behind Pet Care with Heart 💜.

🌈 Why Pet Memorials Matter

Losing a pet is something you never really understand until you've experienced it yourself.

They become woven into everyday life — greeting you at the door, following you from room to room, joining you on walks, curling up beside you or simply being there. When they're gone, it's often those smallest everyday moments that we miss the most.

After losing Jessie and then Bernie, I understood even more deeply why having something tangible to remember a beloved pet can mean so much.

A memorial doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. Sometimes it's simply a photograph you treasure, a collar you can't bring yourself to put away, a little clipping of fur, a paw print or a keepsake that reminds you of them.

It doesn't replace them.

It simply gives their memory somewhere special to live. 💜

A Collection Chosen With Understanding

That personal experience is one of the reasons I created our Pet Memorials & Keepsakes collection.

I've tried to make it a gentle place for people looking for meaningful ways to remember an animal they loved, with keepsakes including memorial jewellery, personalised tributes, urns, photo gifts and pieces designed to hold a small reminder such as fur.

Some people choose something for themselves. Others are searching for a thoughtful pet loss gift for a friend or family member and simply don't know what to say or do.

There isn't one right way to grieve a pet, and there isn't one right way to remember them either.

What matters is finding something that feels meaningful to you.

💜 [Explore our Pet Memorials & Keepsakes Collection]
Gentle remembrance gifts and keepsakes chosen with love and understanding.

More Than a Keepsake

One of the things I've learned through losing my own animals is that grief doesn't follow a timetable.

You can be absolutely fine one day and then a photograph, a familiar place or a memory catches you completely by surprise.

That's why I never want the memorial side of Jo's Pet Deals to feel gloomy or overly commercial. These products aren't really about loss.

They're about love, memories and the lives our animals shared with us.

Jessie and Bernie may no longer be physically beside me, but the years we had together haven't disappeared.

And I think that's what a meaningful pet memorial should represent:

not simply that they died, but that they lived — and that they were loved. 🌈

💜 My Mission Behind Jo's Pet Deals

When I started Jo's Pet Deals, I knew I didn't want to build just another online pet shop.

There are plenty of places where you can buy pet products. What I wanted to create was something more personal — a small independent business where care, trust and genuine love for animals are at the heart of every decision.

That's where our words Pet Care with Heart come from.

They're not simply a tagline.

They're a promise about the kind of business I want Jo's Pet Deals to be.

🐾 Choosing Products With Purpose

Every pet is different, and some need a little more help than others.

That's why you'll find products for senior pets, mobility and recovery, everyday comfort, travel, seasonal care, rabbits and guinea pigs, backyard chickens, alongside essentials for dogs and cats.

I'm particularly passionate about finding products that solve genuine everyday problems.

Sometimes that might mean helping an older dog get comfortable. Sometimes it's making travelling with a pet easier, keeping animals cooler during hot weather or finding practical products for people caring for chickens and small pets.

And sometimes it's simply finding something that makes life with our animals that little bit nicer.

I research and work on each product page carefully because I want customers to understand what they're buying — including sizing, materials, care information and how a product may fit into everyday life with their pet.

I won't always get everything perfect, but I will always care about getting things right.

💜 Customer Care That Feels Personal

Running a small independent business means there isn't a huge customer-service department sitting behind Jo's Pet Deals.

There's me.

And I actually think that's one of our strengths.

If there's a problem with an order, I don't want somebody to feel like they're just another ticket number. I want to listen, help where I can and find a fair solution.

One customer experience that has stayed with me came from Ellen, who purchased a sprinkler for her dog, Timber.

A part was missing when her order arrived, so I worked with her to get the correct replacement sent out. Afterwards, Ellen left this lovely Google review:

“Jo was amazing to work with to help resolve the missing part to the dog sprinkler I purchased from Jo's Pet Deals. She went above and beyond to send me the proper part so my dog Timber could enjoy his sprinkler. She made a real connection and made us feel like her personal friends. Hands down the best service anywhere. Jo's Pet Deals will always be the first place I look for pet products. You won't want to shop anywhere else!”

— Ellen, via Google Reviews

I could write paragraphs about the kind of customer service I want to provide, but Ellen's experience probably explains it better than I ever could.

Things occasionally go wrong when you're shopping online. What matters to me is what happens next.

🐶🐱🐰🐹🐔 Care Beyond Dogs & Cats

Something else that's become increasingly important to me is making sure Jo's Pet Deals doesn't forget the animals that aren't always given much space in mainstream pet shops.

Dogs and cats will always be a huge part of what we do, but so will rabbits, guinea pigs, small pets and backyard chickens.

Their owners love them every bit as much.

That's why I want Jo's Pet Deals to continue growing into a place where people can find useful information and thoughtfully chosen products for animals at different ages, stages and walks of life.

From a young puppy or kitten to an older pet who needs extra support — and from a tiny guinea pig to a much-loved backyard hen — they all matter here. 💜

🌱 Still Growing, Still Learning

Jo's Pet Deals is still growing, and I'm still learning.

I work on the store myself — researching products, writing guides, improving information, answering customers and finding new ways to make the experience better.

My partner Brian has also been a huge source of support and encouragement behind the scenes as I've worked to turn an idea into the business you see today.

I don't want Jo's Pet Deals to become the biggest pet store in the world.

I'd much rather it become one people trust.

A place you remember because you found genuinely helpful information, discovered something useful for your pet or simply felt that the person behind the business cared about getting things right.

Because at the end of every product, every article and every order is the reason I started all of this in the first place:

our animals deserve to be cared for like family.

💜 Pet Care with Heart

🐾 Thank You for Being Part of the Journey

If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about the person and the animals behind Jo's Pet Deals.

Every visit to the website, order, review, message and shared piece of pet advice helps this small independent business continue to grow.

But more than that, it reminds me that behind every screen is another person who loves their animals just as deeply as I have loved mine.

💜 Here When You Need Us

Whether you've come to Jo's Pet Deals looking for something practical for your pet, advice to help with a problem, a little extra comfort for an older companion, or a meaningful way to remember one you've lost, I hope you'll find something here that genuinely helps.

You can:

🐾 [Explore our Pet Collections] — discover thoughtfully chosen products for dogs, cats, small pets and chickens.

📖 [Visit Jo's Pet Blog] — find practical pet-care guides, helpful tips and advice created for real pet owners.

🌈 [Explore Pet Memorials & Keepsakes] — discover gentle ways to celebrate and remember a much-loved companion.

And if you ever have a question about one of our products, you're always welcome to [contact me].

From My Family to Yours

Jessie and Bernie will always be part of Jo's Pet Deals.

They helped shape my understanding of what it means to love an animal through every stage of their life — from the adventures and ridiculous moments to the difficult days and, eventually, saying goodbye.

This business is one of the ways I carry that love forward.

So wherever you are in the world, and whatever wonderful collection of paws, whiskers, feathers or floppy ears you share your home with, thank you for allowing Jo's Pet Deals to be a tiny part of their story too. 💜

With love,
Jo 🐾
Founder, Jo's Pet Deals

Pet Care with Heart 💜