Our pack is all about support. We not only strive to provide great service and products, but also to help solve issues that may arise throughout the life of each and every member of our extended furry family.
Passing the Leash
Fall of 2023 was a busy time as Phil stepped into retirement and Kelly Tynan and Beck Bookham took the leash in both hands preparing to take over Pets 1st with as much passion and commitment the company was built on. On November 1, 2023 Kelly and Becki opened the new doors to Pets 1st in Mission, BC.
With over 30 years experience in both business and the dog world, Kelly & Becki know this is the perfect fit and look forward to bringing on new products and services as time goes on.
Meet Our Team
Kelly Tynan (Operations & Business Development /Owner)
Kelly has been in business for over 27 years and when the opportunity presented itself to take over Pets 1st with her business partner Becki it was an easy decision. With over 20 years in the dog community, showing competing in a variety of dog sports and breeding purebred Golden Retrievers under the Canadian Kennel Club “Tygold”, her heart and passion for the love of dogs, speaks for itself.
Kelly’s entrepreneurial spirit, business experience and the love and passion for the dog community will give Pets 1st the opportunity to expand their products and services, bringing excellent customer service, premium quality products to a new level. As breeders, this dynamic team will continue to put their best paws forward bringing new and exciting things to better support the pet owner and breeders in your community for years to come.
Kelly is excited to make the changes as Pets 1st continues to grow offering customers products, service and support better than any other dog food company or pet store near you.
Becki Bookham (Breeder Representative/Owner)
Becki has officially come out of retirement to continue her passion and love for dogs. Becki has always grown up with dogs of varying breeds but finally got wise when her partner and her got their first 1st Golden "Cassie" in 1996 from a local CKC registered breeder. It is true what they say, “once you have a golden you will never only have one”. As the story would have it…Cassie participated in obedience, hunt, tracking and agility. In 2000 Becki and her partner decided to check out the dog show world and purchased their 2nd golden "Abby and then a 3rd "Luna" from another Lower Mainland CKC registered breeder. Sitting on the sandy shores in Kauai the kennel name of "Kulalani Goldens" was born. In 2004 Becki’s 1st set of triplets were born and they never looked back. After over 20 years in the dog community and breeding, Kulalani Goldens is proud to have over 30 Canadian Championships including Multiple group placements , 2 grand dames and a Best in Show with Kulalani's Blue on Blue " Levi . A very proud moment indeed. Kulalani dogs have earned multiple CKC/AAC titles in agility, CKC and AKC titles in hunt, obedience and tracking.
Pets1st has been the food of choice for Becki’s own dogs and puppy people for over 7 years, when the unexpected opportunity arose to consider being actively involved with the future of the company, Becki couldn't let the chance pass her by. She liked the food so much and what it has done for her dogs and when Kelly and her discussed the possibilities, they jumped in with both feet and said ...."lets buy the company" and here they are.
Becki is looking forward to what the future holds and how they can provide a high quality, Canadian manufactured pet food to your furry family members. With the combined knowledge between Becki & Kelly, they are setup to provide their customers with a quality one stop shop for your pets nutritional needs.
Tristen Stacey (Shipping)
BMX Extraordinaire. A competitive BMX rider and no doubt he is one of the top.
Tristen started with Pets 1st when we relocated to Mission, BC. Tristen is in charge of making sure your orders get out in a timely manner.
Pam Knibbs (Sales Executive)
Pam has been with the company since it began. Her experience and knowledge in the pet food industry brings a level of support to our customers that you won’t find in any pet food store.
Besides her ongoing commitment and passion for Pets 1st, Pam is happily owned by three Pugs. Yes you read it right – THREE PUGS. Norm came to Pam because her husband wanted a dog – and they chose a pug? Well Norm is the cutest, most handsome pug that exists! Then there is Theo – he is deaf ! Theo came into Pam’s life because she read that he needed a home. What a home – the puglets have their own solarium to lounge in and sleep on the bed. The latest invention is the pug-mobile. A converted contraption that allows Pam and husband Terry to go on long walks with the pugs. When one or all of them gets tired they get to ride comfortably while the humans walk. Pugs rule!
Pam spends her days educating everyone that will listen about the benefits of Earth Options by Pets 1st recipes and the companies great services.
Pam loves to talk, text, and can be found on twitter, Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram sharing pug stories or other interesting pet stories. She loves to answer pet related questions or just to chat about dogs.
The Founder
Phil Chagnon founded Pets 1st in 1994. He was active in the dog show community, carting, agility and dabbled a little in obedience. He was the proud owner of Ursamajor’s Stellar Bandit (call name “Bandit”). Bandit was the reason he developed these great recipes starting back in 1994. He was a Bernese Mountain Dog – handsome and intelligent. A show dog … and so much more. He loved to draft in his cart, play at agility, dabble in obedience and just lay around. He came to trade shows and stopped everyone … he was really handsome!
Everyone knew who Bandit was and we would explain why these recipes were better than anything else then available. In those days there was a lot of choice but very little quality. There were sometimes dangerous ingredients in pet food so we started educating the public that proper nutrition is the foundation of a healthy life. Bandit helped develop these early recipes. Our very first recipe was unique. We used two meat proteins (lamb and chicken) as our first ingredients. Imagine a dog food in 1994 with TWO meat proteins as the FIRST TWO INGREDIENTS.
Our Chicken Lite diet was introduced because it turned out that Bandit had a sensitivity to Lamb. A lower protein, lower fat, diet with chicken as the first ingredient! This was the beginning of a company with great vision and a tenacity to produce what was and is the best pet food value around.
