Shawn Wilson Three Dog Bakery partner Janet Gruner removes a batch of carob chip cookies.

At last, Cosmo and Muffin can have their cake and eat it too.

"My family and I are very excited," said Cosmo's owner, Anthony Colarelli, who has been a regular customer since Colorado's first Three Dog Bakery opened Dec. 6 in Belleview Promenade.

"You've to go see it to believe!" added Muffin's owner, Laura Parsons, who also is among the hundreds of curious customers who have lined up in the past month to inhale the aromas of fresh vanilla and peanut butter that fill the store.

Shawn Wilson, who helped bring the bakery to Denver, says the first weeks have been hectic. "We are increasing our traffic every day," he said.

Stocked wall-to-wall with all-natural, fresh-baked canine cuisine that resembles fancy human pastries, this is a store dogs can dig.

Three Dog Bakery first opened in Kansas City, Mo., in 1989. The goals of founders Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff were straightforward: Create dog treats that were healthy and tasty in a variety of flavors.

"The dog is an important part of the family," Dye said. "The treats that were on the market were just unhealthy."

There are now more than two dozen stores in more than a dozen states, plus outlets in Canada, Japan and South Korea. More are planned this year.

The operating trademark licensee for Denver's Three Dog Bakery is LJS Partners, a group of three longtime friends.

"Pet owners need a better alternative to maintain the health and well-being of their pets," said Lance Gruner, president and of LJS Partners.

With his sister, Janet, and friend Shawn Wilson, the trio plan on opening at least four more stores in the Denver area during the next few years, including one in Cherry Creek North this month.

The Partners' interest in healthy dog food began when Lance's diabetic dog, Scottie, went blind a couple of years ago.

"Janet was looking after Scottie in Arizona," Wilson said. "He was very sick, needed constant care and ate very little. She found a Three Dog Bakery in Phoenix, and Scottie gobbled down the healthy food."

Janet Gruner said the nutritious food prolonged Scottie's life. "I was so pleased, I wanted to own my own bakery to help other dog owners in my situation," she said.

With more than 18 years of experience in senior management of top corporations, Janet persuaded her brother to head the Denver operation. Combined with her talents in human health and safety issues, and Shawn's considerable retail, customer service and marketing expertise, they assembled a winning team. In less than nine months, they started accumulating customers.

The bakery produces its own brand of all-natural dog food, which can be found in hundreds of veterinary clinics, pet stores and specialty shops across the country. But it's the treats like the Pup Tarts, Vanilla Woofers, Ruffles, Drooly Dream Bars and Boxer Brownies that dogs howl for.

"We use no artificial flavors, colors or additives, or sugar, salt or preservatives added to our products," said Wilson. "All our treats and food use human-quality ingredients and are perfectly safe for human consumption. In fact, some days we have a couple of Vanilla Woofers with a cup of coffee."

Most products taste bland to the human palate. So the team enlisted the aid of one more "silent" partner: Janet's dog Murphy - Scottie's brother - as the company's chief taste tester.

At 12 years of age, and still healthy after many years of chomping on Three Dog Bakery treats, Murphy is a company mascot any dog bakery would beg to have.

Three Dog Bakery, 8000 E. Belleview Ave., 303-773-DOGS; hours 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday; threedogcolorado@aol.com .