Our Pack
Meet the good people who think animals are great.
We’re a dedicated team that knows and loves what we’re talking about. We have a passion for understanding and learning about animal health and nutrition and are excited to share that knowledge with others. Scroll down to learn a little more about us and find links to our blog posts.
In addition to helping you learn about your pet’s diet, we can also connect you with great vets, trainers and doggy daycares in the area. Just about everything your furry family member could need. Stop by the store or check out our Pet Resources page for more info.
Natalie Soonthornswad
Owner & Pack Leader
Natalie’s love for animals goes back to her childhood when every photo of her included at least one cat. Since adopting Loki ten years ago, she’s become a dog lover too, but it’s still weird that there’s not a cat in this photo. This devotion to cats and dogs has led her on a life-long quest to understand animal nutrition and share that knowledge with others in order to become better guardians for our pets.
Kayson Cooper
Kayson has spent his entire life surrounded by animals. Growing up on a small farm, he got his first job caring for the animals at a veterinary clinic when he was fifteen years old. Since then he has pursued his passion for learning about and caring for animals of all kinds by working at zoos, aquariums, and animal shelters. When not at The Happy Beast, Kayson enjoys spending time with his menagerie of rescued animals and is busy working on the Gray Muzzle Society, a nonprofit organization he started with his wife dedicated to keeping senior pets with their families.
Mandy Barton
Mandy has had a passion for owning and caring for animals since childhood. From horses, birds and lizards to dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, she loves them all! While living the “military life” in Southern California, Mandy took on a part-time job at an all-natural pet supply store to stay busy while her husband deployed and to help feed their small zoo at home. Little did she know it would turn into something she couldn’t get enough of. Helping people extend the lives of their beloved pets through nutrition has been one of the best feelings in the world for Mandy.
Christine Oskarson
Christine has loved animals since she was a little girl. She grew up around all kinds of pets including dogs, cats, gerbils and even horses. There was never a time when she didn’t have at least one or two (or twelve…) furry friends by her side. She also learned a lot about animal care from her mother, who was both a vet tech and a groomer. After college, Christine took a job at a natural pet supply store to make ends meet. She never envisioned that this job would have such a significant impact on her life. She has been sharing her passion and knowledge of pet nutrition and wellness with others for over 10 years and loves helping furry family members lead long, healthy, and happy lives.
Sarah Arnold
Sarah has taken a step back from The Happy Beast store front, but she’s still busy keeping things flowing behind the scenes. When she’s not receiving invoices or making tasty dog treats for Sarah’s Biscuit Company and Beast Feast, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family and doing nose work with her dog Thyme. Sarah still covers shifts from time to time, so you never know when you might run into her!
Matt LeBeau
When not at his day job at Causeway Digital, Matt’s our fixer-of-electronic-things and digital marketing guy. Any day of the week you can find him running the trails with Cappy.
Chelsea Niekelski
After working with us for over eight years, Chelsea left The Happy Beast in 2019 to pursue her master’s in education. She’s now an awesome teacher in Arvada, but we still get to see Chelsea and her dog Oaf whenever they’re back in Lafayette.
Pancho
Store Manager
Pancho has been keeping everyone in line at The Happy Beast since 2019. You can find him supervising employees, sampling products, or adding to the unique atmosphere of the store. When he’s not hard at work, Pancho enjoys napping on the counter and chasing leaves.
Loki
Director of Inspiration
Resident store dog and fearless companion for 14 years, we had to say our goodbyes to Loki in February 2020. We adopted Loki during our time in North County San Diego from Helen Woodward Animal Center, an amazing rescue in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. While we miss him terribly, he’ll be forever curled up in the cubby hole in our hearts. Love you, buddy.
And a few more of our furry friends…
