We were lucky to catch up with Heather Denton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am absolutely ecstatic to be the owner of Bark N Fetch in Frisco! I had a regular job in the corporate world for over 23 years, but I didn’t love it. I didn’t feel like I was making an impact in the places that my heart truly was. Animals have always brought me joy and I knew I needed to walk down a different path with my career and I felt that my heart had been trying to lead me here for a very long time.

These days I enjoy providing people with the best for their pets. Whether that’s through educating about food and supplements, deciding what harness gives the proper fit or just helping them spoil their furry one for no reason in particular, my time and energy is dedicated to making sure there’s a place like Bark N Fetch that owners don’t have to worry about anything. We have taken the stress out and provide only the best so they can feel confident knowing their pets are living the best that they can!

So am I happier? ONE MILLION PERCENT! Do I wish I still had a ‘regular’ job? Never ever again. This is not a job for me, it is my passion and I believe everyone should find their passion in life. I know that I have found mine!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Heather Denton, I am the owner of Bark N Fetch pet boutique in Frisco, TX. Bark N Fetch was a dream of for more than 20 years. It started when I was 23 years old when I wrote my first business plan for an upscale pet boarding facility, which like most great ideas,  came from necessity. I couldn’t find a boarding facility I liked or one I felt was up to the standards that I wanted for my two pups. There just wasn’t anything that really fit my needs back in the late 90s and early 2000s. But, without startup money or a willing investor, I put that dream on hold and pursued a career in sales.

Over the years, I stayed close to my love of animals and volunteered with various animal welfare organizations and continued working the corporate job life. I filed away everything that I was learning about animals, looking forward to the when I would be able to open my own business and spend my days working alongside my “shop dog,” Gunner. I never stopped talking about dog-related business ideas. It was that love and never-ending passion that encouraged a friend of mine to introduce me to Marsha Lindsey, the owner of another pet boutique in the area. Marsha and I started to brainstorm about everything and with her guidance, I started to make my dream a reality. While working my day job, I began to dive into everything I could dig up about the pet food industry. Which in turn led me to find out that the food I was feeding my own pups was not a good choice; despite all the advertising…it was also likely the contributor to one of my own Golden Retriever, Pepsi’s, severe itchies and he needed a diet overhaul.

Pepsi had developed severe allergies and a serious itching problem. Like so many pet owners, I spent a lot of time and money  at the vet and on prescription medications. But, like many dogs with severe allergies, Pepsi still itched and I knew his diet had to have something to do with it. My research led me to find out that the source of so many pet allergies is often related to their FOOD. There were trial-and-error periods, but eventually, I found the right high-quality natural dog food, and Pepsi was itch and medication-free, but I still had to drive to Marsha’s store over 30 minutes away. Every time I went, I fell in love with the products, the employees and the store. That’s where the idea for Bark N Fetch in Frisco really took flight. So, with Marsha’s guidance, my family and friends’ support, my love and devotion to the health and happiness of animals, and a great name idea from my oldest son, Knox, Bark N Fetch became a reality.

We are now coming up on our ONE YEAR anniversary and are truly grateful to our customers for their support and trust. We work hard to make sure that visitors can walk into Bark N Fetch and know that whatever they get, they never have to worry about quality. We only sell products that we believe in and trust. If I wouldn’t feed it to my own dogs or use it for them, you won’t find it in Bark N Fetch!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The #1 most effective strategy for growing our clientele has been word of mouth. Hands down the best feeling is when we have a customer come in and tell us that their neighbor/friend/sister/etc. told them about us and they just had to come in! The reasons though, vary across the board. It might be that they purchased a gorgeous bed or found the coolest collar, but what we truly love is when we have helped the health of someone’s pet with a change of food, gotten a pup off medicine by finding the right food and/or supplements, when we have helped to fix a picky eater, or found a food for a specific concern or started someone’s new puppy off to a good start with healthy food options!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Reputation is very important to me personally and that carries over into what I uphold for Bark N Fetch. We have to work at building that trust and bond each and every day with our customers, weather they stepped into the store, meet us at an event, saw our social media or heard about us from someone…I always want them to know that we are committed to our values and stay true to our core goal of providing the best products for pet owners and their animals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.barknfetchfrisco.com
• Instagram: @barknfetchfrisco
• Facebook: BarkNFetch