How it started and how it’s going. The Mouthfuls story.

In 2001 Deb and Tonya, best friends, took a trip to Las Vegas. As they sat back and enjoyed themselves, they began brainstorming about one of life’s great mysteries – dog breath. They both had dogs with the same problem – imagine that! The conversation soon turned to job dissatisfaction and the fact that they weren’t getting any younger. 

By the time the plane landed back home in Colorado, they had a product idea, a business plan mapped out on a cocktail napkin and were ready to quit their jobs to go into business with each other. Unlike most people who do a lot of dreaming, yet rarely follow through with their plans, they were serious. 

They hired a chemist and worked for months on a breath mint formula that dogs would eat. Then they took the financial plunge, and launched Mouthfuls, a pet product business.

Like most small businesses, they toiled in their garages for the first few years and then bought a warehouse. They knew what it meant to work hard on a business that they were passionate about and loved every minute of it.

In 2005 Deb and Tonya expanded the business once again. The flagship pet supply boutique, Mouthfuls, opened in Denver, featuring their own pet products. They also brought in lots of wonderful foods, treats, toys, etc. from companies that they’d gotten to know over the years. It took less than a year to be named “Denver’s Best Pet Boutique” by the editors of Denver’s 5280 Magazine and the store has received that award year after year for years! Mouthfuls has also won Westword’s Best Pet Store and the coveted award of Best Pet Store from the Highland’s Mommies.

In 2018, after {number} years of growing and running this wildly successful business, the owner duo was ready to have more time to themselves. Deb and Tonya recognized the need to have a new energy in the store. Their search for new ownership began within the store itself. They looked to their dedicated employee and manager, Kaiti Asmussen, who had shown her passion for pet health and nutrition over the years working for Mouthfuls.

Kaiti took over Mouthfuls in 2019, with the full support and mentorship of Deb and Tonya. Kaiti has kept the same values of supporting high quality local nutrition and life-enhancing pet products. Kaiti weathered the challenges of the COVID pandemic shortly after taking over and has proven to have the tenacity and flexibility to persist in a difficult business environment. She credits this persistence to the continuing dedication and loyal support of the Mouthfuls customers and the mentorship that Deb and Tonya have graciously continued to provide. In 2021, Kaiti took over the space next to Mouthfuls and expanded her store to include a cat-centered space where feline lovers could find a plethora of fun and healthy products for kitties.

Mouthfuls is very locally minded and carries more products from Colorado companies than any other pet supply store in the state. Beyond specializing in pet nutrition, Mouthfuls is a community gathering space, with a patio behind the store, where neighbors can gather to socialize with their dogs. Need a vet, a dog walker, non-anesthetic teeth cleaning? Mouthfuls has all the best local recommendations.

Cheers to the fabulous dogs and cats of Denver and the humans that love them! Thanks for supporting this small business.

 

Our Vision

Our vision is simple.

At Mouthfuls, we believe that all dogs and cats deserve to be happy, healthy and loved. While pets are the cornerstone of our business, our two-legged customers are paramount to our success. We certainly sell all the necessities and frivolities for your pets but we are also Berkeley’s original community resource and gathering space for pet lovers. Simply put, we offer extraordinary service, valuable knowledge and are invitingly priced.

 

 

Awards & Accolades

We’re blushing.  It took us less than a year after we opened to win our first award and they just keep coming.  Although, we have to admit, our favorite award is seeing your face walk into our store time after time!

5280 Top of the Town (multiple year winner)

 2006 – Editor’s Choice– “There’s something about Mouthfuls that balances the ridiculous (tutus?) with the practical-yet-specialized (healthy pet food and house-made gourmet greats). This sweet shop in the Tennyson Street district sits just blocks from one of the city’s most hopping dog parks (Sheridan and 46th) and makes the perfect prepark stop for stuff like Power Bones.”

 

 

2008 – Editor’s Choice – “For the second time in three years, this Berkeley neighborhood pet shop has garnered high praise from our readers. And we know why: the store is full of its own delightful products Doggone Fresh Breath Mints for dogs), as well as a variety of other pet paraphernalia. We like the treat tasting bar (think candy store for animals), the loaded bakery case, and the Barker’s Dozen Food program, which gives you a free bag of food for every 12 you purchase”.

 

2009 – Reader’s Choice – “In the bowwow business for almost 10 years, Mouthfuls’ menu of decadent treats—doggie pizza slices, canine caviar, and peanut butter cookies—could make a human salivate. What’s more, the boutique is well-stocked in fashionable and weather-conscious threads by Ruffwear for every puppy’s personality. Next time you stop by, bring Fifi along—the shop welcomes canine visitors with open arms and goodies to boot”.

 

2009 – “Deb Dempsey and Tonya Payne have created a place where the eats are all natural, unprocessed and delish. New restaurant, you might ask? Not exactly: Mouthfuls is where Berkeley Park denizens and their pets try out a smorgasbord of doggie munchies, from hand-baked cookies and scrumptious training treats to bags of chow from makers like California Natural, Candidae and Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets. Canine or feline, pets all inhale the store’s exclusive dehydrated chicken chunks, and the toy selection would fill many a doghouse with hours of indestructible fun.”

 

2010 – Reader’s Choice – “Everyone agrees about this Top of the Town regular: It kicks tail when it comes to keeping your four-legged friends well fed, groomed, and entertained at all times. The happily cluttered Berkeley shop manages to provide all the extras your pooch could ever want—sweet embroidered collars, super-luxe beds, slow-roasted ostrich bones for gnawing—while still maintaining a down-to-earth vibe that lets you shop for Buster without feeling like an overindulgent parent.”

 

2011 – Reader’s Choice – “Our readers flock to this shop for its adorable merchandise, all-natural food, and owners with a refreshing attention to their pets’ well-being.”

 

2016 – Editor’s Choice – “When our puppy chewed through (yet another) harness, we called Mouthfuls. The sales associate immediately offered to order a new one and have it delivered to the store in less than a week. (They’ll deliver straight to you if you live within a two-mile radius of the Berkeley store.) It’s this level of customer service that sets the longtime business apart, along with the vast selection of high-quality products, including Smart Cookie Bakery treats from Denver, the Honest Kitchen food, and Ruffwear toys, that fill the pleasantly crowded shop. More important, the employees are experts in everything from how to choose the right food to teeth cleaning (the shop offers anesthesia-free cleanings by certified techs every six weeks). And if you—or Fido—aren’t satisfied, no-receipt-needed returns are easy.”

 

2016 – Best Buffet for Four-Legged Gourmets – “Just up the street from the home base of Animal Planet’s Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet is one of the city’s best-stocked boutiques for pampered pets. At Mouthfuls, one of the main attractions is the signature “bone bar” that allows Chumley (or Rufus or Bella) to sample and approve exotic treats — cheese-and-liver stars, dinner-mint bones, you name it — before their owners shovel heftier portions into bags for purchase. You can also order mix-and-match samplers from a virtual bone bar online. Your canine companion may be leading a dog’s life, but that doesn’t mean it has to be ruff.”

 

National Geographic’s award for “one of the most pet friendly establishments in America!”

“Mouthfuls, in the trendy Berkeley neighborhood, not only carries its own products like Doggone Fresh Breath Mints for dogs, but specializes in nutritious and safe foods for dogs and cats, and is known for its treat-tasting bone bar and bakery case full of homemade goodies.”

 

Highland Mommies Best Pet Store

 

Community Giving

Mouthfuls is a pet store that strongly believes in giving back to our community.   Obviously, the pet community is near and dear to our hearts but we also regularly donate to all kinds of other organizations because our community isn’t just made up of dogs and cats!  We’re happy to put our money where our mouth is and donate to just about anyone who comes in and asks.  While we’ve never really wanted to blow our own horn on this, we finally decided that perhaps it’s time for all of you to know just what we’re capable of doing because of your support!

 

This year’s donations in no particular order….

The Conflict Center 

Kyle Brake Memorial Sports Scholarship Fund

Open World Learning (OWL)

Outpaws Animal Rescue

Family Tree

Denver Animal Shelter

KUVO/KVJZ Public Radio

Colorado Pet Pantry

Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Art Center

And Toto Too Theatre Company

Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies

Brown International Academy

Regis School of Pharmacy

Conservation Colorado

Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School

Centennial – A School for Expeditionary Learning

Children’s Museum of Denver

Airedale Terrier Rescue & Adoption

Friends of Broomfield

Humane Society of the South Platte Valley

American Heart Association

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America

Happiness Through Horses & The Leg Up Foundation

Denver kids, Inc

Freedom Service Dogs of America

Micah V. Classic Golf Tournament

The Center (Advancing LGBT Colorado)

and on, and on, and on…..