As organic foods become more popular with consumers, many pet owners are extending their health-conscious decisions to their pets.

Walk down the aisles of local grocery stores. Pet food bags with labels stating "natural" and "organic" abound.

Yet navigating and understanding the labels can be a daunting task. That's why siblings Adrian and Natalia Moreno opened Canine Affinity, a Schererville business that only sells healthy pet food.

"We chose a name that would reflect the depth of our passion as well as evoke people to think a little about what we are about," Natalia Moreno said.

Adrian founded the store, which opened in May, and his sister serves as general manager. Her brother's "life–long passion and commitment to overall pet health fueled my decision to join his crusade to give people and pets here in Northwest Indiana a healthy option to feeding," Moreno said.

Their goal is to educate pet owners on proper pet nutrition by offering only eco–friendly, health–conscious products that meet their ethical standards. Popular brands include Acana, Orijen and Fromm, Sojo and Grandma Lucy.

There are even "green" chew toys for sale. "We don't have (organic) catnip, not yet," Natalia Moreno said.

"We won't carry any foods that have corn, wheat, by–products and artificial anything, which is common practice with most mainstream dog food brands," she added.

Even grooming products such as shampoos are human grade and cruelty-free, guaranteeing manufacturers do not test products on animals.

"This is a very important issue to us," she said.

Although Moreno says selling only organic and natural pet foods makes them unique to the region, their interests reflect a national trend.

According to the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic pet food are growing almost three times as fast as organic human food. Sales of "green" kibbles and snacks received a boost when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in 2007 that several brands of dog and cat food contained melamine. The contaminant led to the death and illnesses of hundreds of cats and dogs.

"Since then, many owners affected have searched out better and safe ways to feed their dogs," Moreno said. "From an ethical stand point, we have chosen to dedicate ourselves to providing nothing but high-quality foods from wholesome companies to supply to our clients and their dogs."

Canine Affinity also offers other services, such as a pet "spaw" and training.

"It is our belief that a well trained dog is a happy dog, and happy dogs have happy owners," Moreno said.

Canine Affinity is located at 1104–B W. Lincoln Hwy. in Schererville. For more information, call (219) 440–7138.