Only Natural Pet – Boulder

So many awesome sales and perks for regular customers! I always get the emails and usually get some kind of free sample or discount when I go in to buy dog food every few weeks. Love this place and the staff is all super knowledge and willing to help.

I placed an order online and was told that I would be able to pick it up in store in 1 – 2 business days. That would be perfect, since I was planning a trip to Boulder on the 4^th business day and my order should be ready by then, right?. On the 3^rd business day, I tried calling the customer service number and held for over 20 minutes. I decided to send an email to customer service that day instead and still no response, the next day. Crickets. I called again on the 4^th Day, today, the day I will be in Boulder. The woman who finally answered my call after holding for 5 minutes, said she didn’t know where my order was and that she would get back to me once she hears back from the warehouse. What? You don’t know where my order is?
A) Do not PROMISE on your confirmation email that the order will arrive in 1 – 2 business days at your store for pick up, if it will not.
«Thank you for your order! But hold on — it’s not quite ready for pickup! There’s still more work to do on our end, and we’d hate for you to arrive at the store before your goodies. As soon as your order is received at the store, we’ll send you a delivery confirmation email. We promise to get it there in just 1 or 2 business days! So watch for that email and then you’ll have some happy furry ones!
Your order number is #1 543 570, placed on 05/​01/​2016. «
B) Answer your phones and emails. Believe me, I want a quality product, but when customer service is of poor quality, I go elsewhere. It’s the very last thing I should have to worry about when paying a premium for something.
C) I still don’t know the status of my order or when I can pick it up. 4^th Business Day.

They have a store cat named Shannon and she’s really great to pet. I go in mostly for her.
The staff is all so wonderful and they let me play with all their dogs. I wish I could remember specific names of the people because they’re rad.
I’ve only bought one thing since I don’t have animals of my own, but it was a great transaction.

OK, happy ending! Mike from shipping called and let me know today that I would be refunded the $ 6.99 shipping fee I was charged in the scenario below! So, I want to change my 2 star review to a 5 star review! This is what GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE looks like!
I spent $ 139.45 on an order, which qualified for free shipping. Another order I placed at the same time for $ 16.99 was shipped IN THE SAME BOX with the «free» shipping order.
But, because the 2^nd order did not reach $ 79 threshold for free shipping, they charged me $ 6.99! I discussed this at length on the phone with an ONP employee but she was NOT willing to refund the $ 6.99 shipping fee.
ONP made the decision to «piggyback» the 2^nd order with the 1^st order IN THE SAME BOX with the free shipping order, but felt it was a good business practice (?!) to charge me $ 6.99 for the one item in the 2^nd order?!
Does not seem right or fair to me, especially since I have been a loyal customer for over 5 years!

As others have said… I LOVE this place. I have started buying their home line of dog food and my dog Mr O digs it and he’s been healthy. It’s also the cheapest grain-​free, high quality, **Made in the USA** dog food I could find — and the friendly staff will happily tell you about the family business who manufactures it. Great selection of toys, vitamins, food, beds, and more.

Sylvia and I LOVE this place! I have never been unable to find what I’m looking for here, whatever it is: Sylvia has coats, toys, treats, a bed, and supplements from here. Even when I feel like it’s impossible they’ll have what I’m looking for, these guys come through for me – my latest request was human-​grade, antibiotic-​free, local raw goats milk and unbelievably, they had it (and here I thought I’d have to buy a goat to get it)! The staff is always friendly and attentive, and I love hanging out with all the shop dogs. A truly wonderful place!!!

This review is for their online business as I am nowhere near Boulder, Colorado to visit their flagship store. I wish I could though!
Bless online shopping because I don’t know what I would do without Only Natural Pet! My cats all had problems with allergies to Purina Kitten Chow and Royal Canin before I sat down on Doctor Google and looked up grain free alternatives. My cats are on their branded powerfood dry kibble and it is amazing. Their coats are amazing, energy is through the roof and hairballs are non existent. I’m very pleased with their house brand items like their freeze dried treats which are great for both dogs and cats. In fact, my success with my cats has lead me to swallow it up and switch from Purina One to their brand power food for dogs. Yes, it costs more but it is an amazing switch.
My only suggestion is do your research first. You can find some major branded items on other sites for cheaper out there. If you’re doing a larger order then go for it, but when you toss shipping in you may realize that there are cheaper options available elsewhere.
Great service, great products. What else is there to say?

My go-​to pet store. I love how they have events with free services for my pup. My dog recently got her first chiropractic adjustment there for free, and it was great to see if she would like it before actually having to pay for a session. Always best to go these events early, though. I once arrived to one at the tail end of a sale, and waited in line for a long time. Understandable, cause their sales are great.
Their staff is pretty knowledgeable. When i’ve had issues with ear infections or bladder control (my dog, not me) they’ve been able to give me good info on different supplements so I can make an informed decision. I also like that they have their own brand of food and treats which are grain free and otherwise healthy, at a fraction of the cost.

awesome! shipment took about 5 days

Great CS! Ordered dog food for my pup and used a coupon code unfortunately it never went through and charged my card full amount but I called them and they fixed it right away! Thanks so much! Now just waiting for my order!

My pug’s eyes area was both goopy & scabby. So we switched her to Only Natural’s own raw, freeze-​dried formula and they cleared up in a week! Her coat & weight are top-​notch, too. I trust their product selection completely — nothing will have unnecessary/​potentially harmful ingredients and it will most likely be all natural, recyclable, or otherwise non-​harmful to both pet & Earth. Their prices are just so-​so… but it is Boulder and quality is the best. The employees are just the best, and so are there dogs that roam the store. Keep an eye on sales — they’re often & pretty good.

Love love love Only Natural Pet Store! The selection is outstanding and they always have something I am looking for. My pets are better fed than myself!
There is a huge selection of homeopathic and natural medications from special arthritis support to UTI support. If a product doesn’t work, they will take it back for a full refund or exchange for another product as not everything works on first try.
There are many toys and beds that are environmentally safe and naturally made.
I love the variety of raw along with their own raw products and frozen yummy bones.
Bring your dog (s) and let them pick out a new toy while you shop for some healthy natural food whether it by dried, freeze dried, canned or raw, they have it all!!!
Lastly, the more you buy the more Pet Perks you earn quarterly that can be used to purchase more goodies. Can’t go wrong at Only Natural Pet Store, they know how to do it «Naturally» of course.

I recently ordered their store brand probiotic for cats and dogs. It arrived quickly, and even my most finicky cat cannot taste it in her food. So I’m happy again with Only Natural Pet Store.

This is my regular pet store right now, and has been since they opened so close to my home. I used to shop at another natural pet food store, but that one stop carrying the brand of cat food I wanted. So, I moved to ONP who did have it. They even price matched it for me. However, now I’ve got problems that might force me to shop elsewhere again.
My cats get bored with their food sometimes, so I’ve had to switch around every so often. Lately, I’ve gotten very discouraged about this. I took my girls off all dry kibble ’cause they are older now and are starting to have kidney problems. The dry food was too hard on them, it was rotting their teeth, they were getting fat on it, and my vet and I both were worried about them becoming diabetic too. Really, only one of them was eating it most of the time, and that wasn’t the fatter one. So, after much cat health and food research, and vet talks, I threw away the kibble.
I only fed them Newman’s Own Organic canned food, grain-​free. Yes, they lost some weight, but they were still healthy. Then they got bored with that brand. So, I switched over (slowly) to another brand. Then both my cats got sick with e-​coli infections. Was it from the new canned food? I don’t know, but I switched again; yet they both wound up on antibacterial meds for months anyway. Now, they are once again well, but I’m at a loss about what to feed them that isn’t junk ingredient laden.
I’m sure I’ve now read every cat food can in the store looking for the best, but there isn’t any other like the Newman’s Organic, and even Newman’s has changed their formulas adding in what I call junk ingredients, and ONP is phasing Newman’s out anyway.
I noticed ALL the cat food brands they carry are now adding in junk fillers, such as pea protein to boost the protein count (totally bogus as cats can’t assimilate it), various starches, fruits and veggies that cats don’t need and/​or don’t digest either, all in the name of profit, I’m sure. Cats are pure carnivorous animals and I know what they need and don’t need; so now, I’m going to have to go back to making my own cat food again, if I can find the right additives that aren’t loaded with junk too. I used to make my own many years ago, before all the great canned foods came on the market. I used a supplement called Missing Link, but I’m not sure what’s in that stuff now either.
What I liked most about ONP was the variety of excellent, all meat (not by-​products), grain-​free cat foods they used to carry, but now, they are almost like the big pet food chains. I do still like the in-​store folks, and most of the advice, but I sometimes know I know more than they do.

Other than one isolated incident with a weird employee who seems to not be around anymore over-​advising me on how to feed my dog (if I say I feel good about my choices, leave me alone), EVERYONE is always friendly here and ready to advise should I ask for it :). I’ve bought all my dog and cat food here for years and would absolutely recommend going here for a broad selection of natural foods and pricey but nice toys. They usually have a clearance bin so that’s turned up a couple of cool hemp collars. Thanks for being awesome, and for being open later than most natural-​ish places. Yeah!

Note: This is for Only Natural’s online business, not their brick and mortar presence.
My wife and I have been loyal customers of Only Natural’s online business, ordering cat food from them for years. We started when we lived in San Francisco and continued after moving to Colorado.
Things were fine until sometime in 2012, when Only Natural’s computer system kept holding our orders for pickup at their Boulder store instead of shipping them to us. This happened at least twice, and I believe three times, and was very frustrating.
«Where’s the cat food?»
«I don’t know; they said they shipped it last week.»
«Oh crap… it’s sitting in Boulder… AGAIN.»
We followed up with numerous phone calls, and the problem eventually seemed to be fixed.
Just this past week, though, we accelerated our usual cat food order to have it shipped sooner than normal since we’ll be going out of town soon, and we received an email on a Thursday saying that the order was «processing» and would be shipped soon.
Fast forward to the following Tuesday, and the order still hasn’t been shipped. Now it’s not going to get here until after we leave. They’re trying to see if the order can be canceled now, and we’ve decided to stop doing business with Only Natural (especially after we learned that we can get the same food just as cheaply at the local pet store).
The folks at Only Natural seem like good people, but their computer and shipping systems just aren’t up to snuff.

I moved to Boulder two years ago and have been shopping exclusively at ONPS during this time and every visit has been worthy of two paws up. Or is that two claws up?
Either way, I bring my border collie rescue mix, Marley, to the shop regularly to sniff around, meet employee dogs, and pick up healthy food and treats. The staff is always knowledgable and very helpful, what we need is almost always in stock, and the prices are reasonable. They have sales regularly that you can find out about through their e-​mail newsletter and they track your purchases to offer pet bucks to use as store credit, making this an affordable shop for healthy pet food. I rotate between high quality brands such as Taste of the Wild, Wellness, and Blue Wilderness, all of which they carry. I also must praise ONPS for their ‘Vital Digest’ supplement. Or as I like to call it, «fart powder» because of its magical properties that reduce fido’s flatulence to almost nada.
Like many Boulder dog guardians, I take better care of my pup than I do myself, so where we shop for food is important. Shopping at a chain without the same level of service and quality doesn’t make sense, so we’re happy to remain loyal to this fantastic local pet store.

I have a senior dog with special dietary needs and I buy all his food from ONPS.
The staff is so helpful and they know what they’re talking about. Even my vet is impressed with the suggestions they’ve made!
I feel good knowing I’m getting the best natural food and supplements for my old friend.

This review is for the Only Natural Pet brand of dehydrated raw dog food and their less than helpful telephone customer service, both from this store.
I began purchasing the Only Natural Pet brand of dehydrated raw dog food in 2 pound bags from the store and then through Vitamin Cottage in Denver a couple of years ago.
It was the most expensive dog food brand VitCot carried but it WAS of very high quality and I felt it was worth the extra $$. I bought their food, bully sticks and treats every month, all much higher priced than anything else but seemingly great quality and my dog loved it all.
Their dehydrated raw food contained big chunks of meat mixed with veggies, was easy to prepare and my dog was in heaven. I was a very happy customer.
Over time however, the meat began to shrink with every new bag and finally it became almost microscopic dust. I called their store a few times over the past several months to inquire about the shrinking meat and veggie chunks and they casually and quickly said each time, «oh the meat size varies by bag», nothing else… case closed for them.
Note here that the price is still the same, almost $ 20/​for a 2 pound bag of what was now slightly chunky-​dust.
Since there was nothing else on the market that was similar, I reluctantly bought several more bags while waiting for the «good ones» of months past to return but they never did. It felt like this was a classic bait and switch, get customers hooked on the high quality, then reduce it drastically and hope no one notices. FAIL.
A couple weeks ago I went searching for a replacement and found SOJOs brand now has the EXACT same food that Only Natural Pet started with, same dehydrated big chunks of meat+veggies and a bit of fruit… and slightly lower priced. WIN!
They used to sell a big selection of the Only Natural Pet food line in most Vitamin Cottages but all of it was removed recently apparently due to «shelf space» and «low sales»…hmmm. Quotes from VC employees.
(side note: they replaced it on the shelves with a crazy-​expensive, over-​branded, also from Boulder product called «I and Love and You» or something like that. Hipster-​ish trying to be cute-​cool packaging, in front of me availability weakness so I bought some food, a $ 10 box of treats and a $ 15 bag of liver treats. My dog wanted nothing to do with the food and got sick from the liver treats so they all went back).
SO…my (and my dogs) hard won advice, dear Unilocalers is buyer be aware and dont be afraid to return Only Natural Pet brand or any pet food if it is not the quality you think it should be. Especially when paying almost $ 20/​for a 2 pound bag.

I can’t say enough good things about ONP!
The staff is what truly makes the place special and better than any other pet store in Boulder. Everyone is so laid back, friendly, and knowledgeable.
They are also a 100% Wind Powered, Zero-​Waste Business!