Totally Pawsome Pet Shop Opens in Chehalis

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Totally Pawsome is the brainchild of two women who truly could be classified as dogs’ best friends.

“We had a list of 300 names,” said Sarah Coffman, who owns the store with Deb Harp.

Both women worked together at Alpha Pet Supply for roughly a decade before the owner retired. Coffman said she worked at the store on and off for eight or nine years, while Harp worked there for 11.

“When we were at Alpha, we also did community outreach, which we are going to bring here,” Harp said. “We help low-income families feed their dogs and provide vet care when we could through Purple Heart. Our goal is to continue that here.”

Harp focuses on dog training and owns Doggie Du-Rite, which is her own training business. She is also a Canine Good Citizen evaluator. The American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Program stresses “basic good manners” for dogs.

“I do a lot of rehabilitation and obedience training,” she said, with a dog in tow. “It’s a lot of fun because we have dogs in here all the time.”

Coffman said the store is also very focused on pet nutrition and knowing what brands are being recalled.

“We do a lot of our own research,” Coffman said. “A lot of our own time is spent researching what is going on and what is happening with the dog food companies. Dog food companies don’t have the regulations that human food companies do, so within the last, I would say 12 years or so, there has really been a huge push to get back to a dog food that is nutritious for your dog.”



Coffman and Harp weed through the companies to find out which ones support what they advertise on the food bags.

“They can put whatever they want on their bag,” Coffman said. “It doesn’t actually have to be inside.”

In addition, the two adapt food to suit dogs’ individual needs, including allergy issues.

“Everything in our store, as far as dog food, is 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed,” Coffman said. “So that means if their dog just purely doesn’t like it, they can bring the bag back, return it and get another dog food. It’s one of those things we can offer also for the people who have dogs that have specific needs.”

The owners consult with customers on what best suits their pets.

“We have a lot of people who stop in here to get supplies to create their own dog food, too,” Coffman said. “It just really depends on what the client is looking for. That’s the reason we have a table here. Typically, we spend a lot of time one-on-one with people — talking about what they want in their dog food and then turn around and make sure we’re doing right by the dog, too.”

The owners created a “stair step” program of various ingredients and can eliminate specific things, such as proteins or grains, specific dogs may not react well to.

“We really know our foods, so I think that’s one of our advantages,” Harp said.