Tru Pet Is Now Global Pet Foods Mill Pond: A New Name, the Same Local Store You Know

For more than 13 years, Tru Pet has been part of the Richmond Hill community.

It has been a place where pet parents come for food, treats, supplies, advice, and answers. Just as importantly, it has been a place where relationships have formed. We have watched puppies grow into adults, met new cats as they settled into their homes, celebrated milestones with longtime customers, and gotten to know many pets by name along the way.

Now, the store is entering a new chapter.

Tru Pet is now Global Pet Foods Mill Pond.

The name on the storefront has changed, but the heart of the business has not. Michael Taggart remains the owner. The team you know is still here. The store remains locally operated in Richmond Hill, and the community-first approach that has shaped the business from the beginning will continue.

For longtime Tru Pet customers, that continuity matters. This is not about replacing what made the store special. It is about building on it.

A Full-Circle Moment for Owner Michael Taggart

For Michael, joining the Global Pet Foods family has a personal connection that goes back much further than Tru Pet itself.

His career in the pet industry began when he was just 14 years old, working at a Global Pet Foods location in Keswick. It was there that he first developed an interest in pet nutrition, learned the value of knowledgeable local service, and discovered the kind of work that would eventually become his career.

Years later, he opened Tru Pet and built that same philosophy into his own Richmond Hill pet store.

The focus was never simply on filling shelves with pet products. It was about helping people make better choices for the animals they care about. That meant asking questions, learning about individual pets, recommending products thoughtfully, and creating an environment where customers felt comfortable asking for guidance.

Becoming Global Pet Foods Mill Pond brings that story full circle.

It connects the locally owned store Michael has spent more than a decade building with the company where his journey in the pet industry first began.

Why Global Pet Foods Was a Natural Fit

The transition makes sense because the two businesses share many of the same priorities.

Global Pet Foods has a long history in the Canadian pet industry, with independently operated stores serving communities across the country. The model places local owners and knowledgeable store teams at the centre of the customer experience.

That local ownership was important.

Global Pet Foods Mill Pond is not becoming a faceless store run from somewhere else. Michael remains the owner, and the people who have built relationships with Richmond Hill pet parents continue to be the people customers see when they walk through the door.

That means the experience will still feel familiar.

You can still come in with questions about a picky eater, a sensitive stomach, seasonal allergies, senior nutrition, enrichment, or whether a new food is worth trying. You can still expect recommendations based on your pet, rather than a one-size-fits-all answer.

The name may be new, but the approach is not.

What Is Staying the Same?

For existing Tru Pet customers, “what is staying the same?” is probably the most important question.

The short answer is: a lot.

Michael is still the owner. The existing staff is staying. The store remains in the Mill Pond area of Richmond Hill. The team will continue helping customers with nutrition, products, everyday pet care questions, and the individual needs that make every dog, cat, and small animal different.

Operationally, the store is continuing as the neighbourhood pet shop customers already know.

That continuity also extends beyond the sales floor.

The store's commitment to local events, community partnerships, and rescue support will remain an important part of Global Pet Foods Mill Pond.

For years, that community connection has been part of the store's identity, not an occasional marketing campaign. Joining a larger pet retail family does not change that.

Continuing Our Work with Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue

One of the relationships we are especially proud to continue is our support of Forgotten Ones Cat Rescue.

Over the years, the store has worked with Forgotten Ones through fundraisers, events, adoption awareness, and other community initiatives designed to help cats in need.

That partnership reflects something we have always believed: a local pet store should be part of the community it serves.

Pet ownership does not begin and end at the checkout counter. It includes supporting responsible adoption, helping new pet parents prepare for life with a new companion, sharing useful information, and giving local organizations a place to connect with the people who care about their work.

As Global Pet Foods Mill Pond, those relationships will continue.

You can expect to keep seeing community events, rescue support, educational opportunities, and plenty of reasons to stop by even when you are not simply picking up a bag of food.

More Than a New Sign

It would be easy to describe this as a rebrand.

Technically, it is.

But that does not fully capture what is happening.

For Michael and the team, becoming Global Pet Foods Mill Pond is about joining a wider network while preserving the local business customers already trust.

There is value in having access to a larger family of independent pet retailers across Canada. There is also tremendous value in maintaining the familiarity of a neighbourhood store where the staff understands the customers walking through the door.

The goal is to bring those two things together.

A broader network.

A familiar local team.

More resources behind the store, without losing the personal service that built it.

Still Your Local Pet Store in Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill has changed over the past 13 years, and so has the pet industry.

Pet parents have more choices than ever. There are more foods, more feeding styles, more supplements, more products, and considerably more information to sort through.

That abundance can be helpful, but it can also make caring for a pet feel more complicated.

That is why knowledgeable local guidance still matters.

Sometimes the question is simple: Which treat is best for training?

Other times it is more complicated. Maybe your dog has become a picky eater. Your cat's nutritional needs are changing with age. You are curious about raw feeding. You are trying to understand digestive sensitivities or seasonal paw licking.

You can research all of those things online, and we encourage pet parents to learn as much as they can. But there is still something valuable about having a real conversation with someone who can help you sort through the options.

That has always been part of the Tru Pet experience.

It will remain part of the Global Pet Foods Mill Pond experience too.

A New Chapter, Built on 13 Years of Trust

Changing a familiar name can feel significant, especially when that name has been part of the community for more than a decade.

We understand that.

Tru Pet represents 13 years of relationships, conversations, events, pets, families, and memories. Becoming Global Pet Foods Mill Pond does not erase any of that history.

It carries it forward.

The team is still here. Michael is still here. The commitment to knowledgeable service, quality pet products, and supporting the Richmond Hill community remains firmly in place.

What changes is the name.

What continues is everything that made the store worth visiting in the first place.

We are grateful to every customer who helped build Tru Pet into what it has become, and we are excited to welcome you to this next chapter as Global Pet Foods Mill Pond.

Whether you have been shopping with us for years or are discovering the store for the first time, stop in and say hello.

Same owner. Same team. Same community.

A new name, and plenty more ahead.