Southport Magazine

Johnna Jalot, owner of Four Legs Good Pet Boutique in Southport, has had a lifelong love for animals. Her shop offers fun and functional wares for dogs, cats and their owners. Photo by Kris Beasley

One of my favorite stores in Southport sits right underneath our iconic, royal blue water tower. With a mural of a canine and a cat with the encouraging phrase, “Adopt!”, Four Legs Good Pet Boutique beckons animal lovers to step inside and discover unique, quirky, and adorable items for our pets.

My cat, Beau, goes crazy for the Tickle Pickle organic catnip toy, and my two retrievers devour the handmade peanut butter treats. I always manage to find something for myself or a human loved one, too, while in store.

Owner Johnna Jalot has three pups of her own, so her products are tried and true. As Southport’s resident animal lover, Jalot revealed how Four Legs Good got its start in an interview with Southport Magazine. For more info, visit the shop at 310 N. Howe St. in Southport, call (910) 457-0115, or visit www.fourlegsgoodboutique.com.

Southport Magazine (SM): Tell us about your love for animals,  and describe the pets you have at home (or sometimes in the store!).

Johnna Jalot (JJ): I’m no different than most animal-oriented people in that my love for them started in childhood—from doing things like sneaking a frog family into my room (because I was worried they’d be cold at night…) or hugging a stray dog that wandered into our yard while my mother yelled not to touch that stray dog. (Bandit became a member of our family for the next 17 years.)Animals are a gift. They give us so much yet ask for little in return. They’re little comedians, teachers, guardians, and therapists all rolled into one, and they work for snacks.

My current fur family consists of three adopted mutts: Foose and Captain Spriggs came from a rescue while we lived out west, and Dilly was found as a stray here. We’ve fostered two dogs through the shop and a three-legged cat named Lucky this past summer.

SM: What inspired you to open a pet boutique in Southport? What do you enjoy most about owning Four Legs Good?

JJ: You know that quote about building your own dream or being hired to work for someone else’s? Well, there was a perfect moment where news of the previous shop moving coincided with me realizing it was time to work on my dream. A lifelong need to help make animals’ lives better decided the type of shop, and the desire to return home to North Carolina decided the location.

What do I enjoy most about owning the shop? There’s a joyful bond between animals and their people, and I get to be a part of that on a daily basis.

SM: What are some of your best-selling items, and what are a few things you carry that people may not realize you have?

JJ: We sell a ton of collars because we are known for having such a large selection of fun ones. New customers are usually surprised by the large amount of two-legged goods we carry like jewelry, pillows, and picture frames.

SM: Four Legs Good frequently offers events—what kind of affairs do you host?

JJ: We host adoption fairs about four times a month and plan on continuing organizing fundraisers for our local shelters in 2015.

SM: Finally, what is the best thing about being a pet owner?

JJ: Unconditional love.

Favorite food: I have a special relationship with cheese.

Favorite book: Just one? “Breakfast of Champions” by Vonnegut, and I have to give a shout out to “Animal Farm” for obvious reasons. For those who forgot a book they read in eighth grade, the name of the shop is from an “Animal Farm” quote.

Favorite musician/band: Any band of which Steve Winwood has been a member.

Favorite place to travel: Tie between Chicago and Charleston

Favorite thing about Southport: I’ve got the nicest neighbors a girl could ask for.