3 Dogs and a Chick

3 Dogs and a Chick started in 2008 in the kitchen of a Fort Walton Beach apartment, where owner Nicole began baking dog treats alongside her three dogs, Saber, Tayte, and Zara, and her horse, Chick. That household menagerie gave the shop its name, and the business grew from a home kitchen operation into a full storefront on Miracle Strip Parkway, in the stretch of Fort Walton Beach known locally as the Miracle Strip Corridor. Nearly two decades later, the shop is still locally owned and still run on the same premise: feed dogs and cats the way you would feed your own family.

Inside, the shelves lean toward the kind of pet nutrition you will not find at a big-box chain. The store stocks frozen raw diets, freeze-dried food, and premium kibble, along with natural cat food, and it carries recognized holistic brands such as Orijen, Farmina, Fromm, and Primal. A bakery case holds treats and custom doggie cakes made fresh in the store every day, and the guiding rule painted across the business is simple: if the staff would not eat an ingredient themselves, it does not go into a treat sold to a customer’s dog. Owners shopping for a dog with allergies, a sensitive stomach, or a picky appetite can talk through options on the spot rather than guessing from a bag label.

Beyond the retail floor, the shop offers nutritional counseling for owners sorting through the sheer number of diet choices on the market, and it partners with a local trainer, The Inner Wag, for dog training services. Curbside pickup and an online store extend the shopping options for anyone who cannot make it inside during open hours, which matters during the busy summer stretch when Miracle Strip Parkway traffic backs up with beach visitors.

The store also functions as a hub for the local rescue community. It supports several Okaloosa County rescue and welfare groups, including PAWS, Save Underdogs, SOCKS, Pet Welfare, and Saving With Soul, and staff regularly point customers toward adoptable animals instead of treating rescue support as a side note. That community focus, paired with a staff that clearly knows every product on the shelf, explains why the shop has built a loyal following well beyond casual foot traffic.

The shop sits at 130 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, an easy stop for anyone exploring the Miracle Strip Corridor’s stretch of local shops between the beach and downtown Fort Walton Beach. Hours run Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM, but the doors stay closed on Saturday, so plan a weekday or Sunday trip if a specific food order or bakery item is the goal. Calling ahead at 850-243-7297 is worth doing if a particular frozen raw or freeze-dried line needs to be set aside, since those items tend to move fast. Travelers without a dog along for the trip still tend to find a reason to stop in. The bakery case alone draws plenty of visitors off Miracle Strip Parkway during a Fort Walton Beach vacation, and a bag of handmade treats makes a fitting souvenir for a dog waiting back home.