Join us for Our Basic Intro to Dog Massage Class at Mouthfuls

Dogs have muscles too! Massage is not just for humans - dogs can benefit just as much as we can. Come learn how to help your dog feel better with massage, acupressure and essential oils.

Meg Wittenmyer will be joining us on Sunday, October 4th from 1:30-3:00 for this hands-on class.

Class topics include:

-Benefits of massage for dogs.
-How to do a simple relaxing massage for your dog.
-How massage helps improve your dog's wellness.
-Acupressure points that provide specific benefits.
-Some key essential oils for common ailments.

Bring your dog to class along with a blanket or pad large enough for you to sit and your dog to lie down. Only dogs who are fairly calm and quiet around other dogs should be brought to class.

Instructor: Meg Wittenmyer, Certified Canine Massage Therapist
Registration: Advance registration is recommended as space is limited. $35.00 registration fee.
Call or visit our store to sign up at 720-855-7505 or email info@peaceful-paws.net for paypal registration.

Mouthfuls' Co-Owner Publishes Another American Dog Magazine Article

Do you know about our customer loyalty program?

Mouthfuls has long-since offered a fantastic customer loyalty program for pet food and we plan on continuing it for years to come! If you're not familiar with the program.... keep reading and please share this information with anyone interested in saving money!

For every 12 bags of kibble or frozen pet food or 12 cases of canned dog or cat food, you purchase, you'll receive the 13th ABSOLUTELY FREE! Every food in our store qualifies for this bonus and all you need to do is keep track of your punch card. Our only restriction, and this is going to be a tough one, we know.... you have to actually come into the store and purchase the food to receive a punch on your card.

We want you to know that we appreciate your loyalty and want to thank you profusely! If you're not already purchasing food from us and would like nutritional suggestions and samples, just let us know. We love that subject and in fact, one of our owners is a nutritional contributor to The American Dog Magazine and the Denver Examiner nutrition writer. We know our stuff!

Non-Anesthetic Teeth Cleaning, Thursday, Sept. 3rd

We are once again offering a non-anesthetic teeth cleaning clinic at our store this week! Absolutely no anesthesia is used to clean your pets' teeth so there is no recovery time afterwards! All plaque and tartar is removed by thoroughly cleaning the inner and outer surfaces of the teeth. A licensed holistic veterinarian joins Cindy from Natural Pet for this kind and gentle technique. They use a method of hand scaling and hand polishing when performing the teeth cleaning.

Your pet sits in their lap and they reassure and comfort them with continual praise. Due to their expertise in handling pets, only a small percentage of dogs or cats cannot be cleaned. There is no charge if they are not able to clean your pet's teeth.

Our clinic generally fills up rather fast but we have several openings still available. Please call the store at 720-855-7505 to schedule or ask questions!

Please Read This Article Before You Buy a Puppy

We've all seen the cute, furry little bundles of joy in the windows of fancy pet stores in the mall. They're darling! We feel sorry for them and almost feel as if we're rescuing that puppy by purchasing him/her and getting them out of the store. But please hold onto your credit card and keep reading...

Yesterday I adopted two toy poodles that were "retired" breeders from a puppy mill in the middle of Iowa. This particular mill generally disposed of their out-of-date "breeding stock" by taking the older dogs out behind the chicken coop (where they were confined to for their entire life) and shooting them. A kind-hearted couple, Chris and Angela decided years ago to bite their tongue and struck up an agreement with the woman who ran the mill. Instead of killing the dogs, she called the couple on a regular basis and relinquished the dogs to them for future adoption. It's worth noting that Chris and Angela fund all the vet bills (spay/neuter, vaccinations, tumor removal, oral surgery, etc.) and feed/shelter them entirely on their own dime.

Last winter the monster who ran this puppy mill died suddenly and her son agreed to relinquish all but two dogs (presumably so he could start up again later) to Chris and Angela. Chihuahua lovers at heart, the couple found themselves up to their elbows in chihuahuas and poodles. Two of the poodles they rescued that day were Thelma and Stanley.

Thelma is an 11 year-old black toy poodle weighing in at around 4 pounds. Thelma sports a wild, gray (wig-like) head of hair. The breeder's son actually thought she was a male because she had a large (benign) mammary tumor, which has since been removed. What teeth she had from years of calcium depletion due to over breeding were rotten to the core and she has only two teeth left in her head. She's a spry "young" lady and was the first of the group to approach me.

Stanley is an 8-year-old black toy poodle who weighs only 5 pounds. He was one of the few males used for frequent breeding. Stanley is also toothless because he had never been groomed. You see, his hair grew into his mouth and between his teeth, rotting every one them at the gum line. As the Chris and Angela's vet tried to remove this hair from his mouth, his teeth fell out and I'm told the stench was indescribable. His penis was so wrapped so tightly with matted hair that it was a wonder he could breed at all. Stanley is a very sweet little boy and has become my shadow in the last 12 hours.

Last night the two had their first taste of raw food, which they happily gummed. They curled up and slept all night long with me in my soft, warm bed. Today we all went on a road trip to purchase a pair of harnesses and their first leashes. It took several stops to find a pet supply store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that didn't sell puppies. I refused to support any store that sold puppies by purchasing anything from them. They are now happily snuggling in my lap, worn out from the day's activities as I write this post and I'm already head-over-heels in love with them.

Two more poodles from this group are still available - Polly (a sweet black toy poodle) and Gertrude (a more outgoing black toy poodle/dachshund? mix). These gals are still slowly coming out of their shells and will require a quieter environment to rehabilitate in. Chris and Angela think that it would be helpful for another dog to be present in their forever home to aid in that recovery. They also have several chihuahuas available for adoption.

I found Chris and Angela through the rescue network, Baxter's Buddies, out of Iowa City, IA. Baxter's Buddies is run by an amazing young woman named Heather who deserves Sainthood. She spends countless hours transporting dogs, arranging for foster homes and scrutinizing adoption inquiries, yet has a full-time job as a vet-tech. She's passionate about rescuing from puppy mills - who produce stock for unsuspecting pet store customers. If you buy a puppy from a pet store, you are buying a puppy that was created in a puppy mill for profit. End of story.

If you're interested in donating to Baxter's Buddies or Chris and Angela's rescue group, you can do so through our store. I find myself in Iowa every 6-8 weeks and I am more than happy to transport food, supplies and monetary donations to them. I am also able to bring dogs back for Denver pet parents if you are interested in adopting from this rescue group. You'll be so amazed to see how much love one of these incredibly grateful dogs can give to your family.

Mouthfuls Tours the Raw Facility of Nature's Variety

My business partner Tonya and I had the good fortune of being invited to tour the raw facility of Nature's Variety this week in Lincoln, NE. I feed raw to most of my dogs and we were anxious to see where the food was being manufactured as well as meet those who are responsible for making my pets' and our customers' pets' food.

Mouthfuls was part of a very small group of retailers chosen from throughout the country and we were warmly greeted at their first-ever organized tour by the whole team at Nature's Variety including the CEO - Reed Howlett, CFO -Aaron Grimm and Chairman - Bob Milligan.

Dr. Doug Kneuven, D.V.M., a passionate raw-food advocate and author of two holistic pet books, spoke with us at length about pet nutrition. We especially appreciated his tips on transitioning cats to raw food! (Be sure to ask us for help on this as we've had great success with lots of kitties.) Dr. Doug (as he is known by everyone at Nature's Variety) enlightened us on his clinical nutrition training at his vet school - a one hour course. No wonder vets aren't usually as helpful as we'd like them to be when it comes to dog and cat nutrition!

The tour of their raw facility and distribution facility was the highlight of our trip. We pictured a large factory prior to our arrival and instead were pleasantly surprised to discover an extremely clean, odor-free, compact facility - complete with dogs greeting us in the office with their tails wagging. The facility houses a lab used for testing surfaces and ingredients for bacterial contaminants as well as individual customer complaints on particular batches. The production room itself was freezing (as you'd imagine and hope!) and clean enough to eat off the chilly floor. We were particularly impressed with the care and individual attention they took to keep the ingredients as well as the final product at the perfect temperature. As you're separating those frozen patties on your kitchen counter next time, keep in mind that those papers are placed individually by real people and not machines!

We were particularly impressed with the openness and honesty of all the Nature's Variety team, especially Mary Helen Carty - their Western Regional Sales Manager. There was not a question we asked that she couldn't/wouldn't answer and that is impressive and incredibly rare. Their customer service "staff" consists of one delightful woman who actually answers the phone and passionately researches questions and concerns with her dog at her feet.

Essentially, we left Omaha feeling secure in our choice to highly recommend Nature's Variety Raw to our customers and to feed it to our own pets. Raw really is the healthiest way to feed most dogs and cats and their easy-to-use, complete diets are the most convenient way we've found to feed our four-legged babies. If you are curious about feeding raw but have questions, definitely stop into our store to pick our brains and ask for a sample. We love to help our customers transition to healthier diets and have years of experience feeding raw to our own animals. We're even hoping to help Aaron Grimm and his family learn how to feed this to his darling dog someday - right Aaron?

Mouthfuls Goes to Hollywood with The American Dog Magazine!

Talk about a dream weekend! Saturday I was invited to attend Much Love's 3rd Annual Bow Wow Wow Howlywood Celebrity Fundraiser in Hollywood with the publisher of The American Dog Magazine (which I write for).

Much Love is a no-kill organization run entirely by volunteers that rescues companion animals from death row at Los Angeles shelters. The animals are spayed/neutered and vaccinated before being placed with loving, grateful owners, often through their foster network. They do not yet have a shelter of their own but it's a goal they've put in place for 2010.

As you can see from the photos, this organization has a huge celebrity following and media support. The American Dog Magazine was a sponsor of the event this year, and it's worth mentioning that it is the only magazine that donated/sponsored the event, despite the amazing media coverage at the Gala. The American Dog Magazine is committed to animal rescue and the publisher, Jamie Downey puts her money where her mouth is!

A special thanks to Carole Raphaelle Davis (who was honored at the event for her work against puppy mills) and Kevin Rooney for hosting us over the weekend. It was so nice to spend time with such passionate animal lovers who work tirelessly for those with no voice.