Frequently Asked Questions

Every Petware Pottery bowl is handmade and hand-painted in our Denver, Colorado studio, right here in the USA. We source our clay locally from Rocky Mountain Clay, and the entire process—from forming and finishing to decorating, glazing, and firing—happens here in Colorado.

We make our bowls ourselves rather than importing finished products, so each piece is truly made close to home from start to finish.

Petware Pottery has been making ceramic bowls for pets since 1994. The company was originally founded in Grand Junction, Colorado, and over the years eventually made its way out of state to Idaho and then Wisconsin.

For more than three decades, Petware bowls have been sold through pet shops across the country, and you’ll still find them in many of the best independent pet stores throughout the USA. That history—and the relationships the brand has built with retailers over the years—is a big part of what makes Petware special.

When we took over the company, one of the things that felt especially meaningful was bringing Petware back home to Colorado. Today, every bowl is once again made here in our Denver studio, more than 30 years after the company first began on Colorado’s Western Slope.

We’re proud of where Petware has been, and even more excited about where we’re taking it next.

Petware Pottery bowls are made from high-quality ceramic clay, sourced locally from Rocky Mountain Clay here in Colorado. Each bowl is formed, dried, decorated, glazed, and fired in our Denver studio using lead-free, food-safe materials.

The result is a substantial, durable ceramic bowl with a smooth glazed surface that’s made for everyday use—and because each one is finished by hand, no two are ever exactly alike.

We love ceramic because it brings together function, comfort, durability, and design in one bowl.

Plastic bowls may be inexpensive and lightweight, but over time they can develop scratches, gouges, and worn surfaces that are harder to clean thoroughly and can be more prone to holding bacteria. And with growing concern about our everyday exposure to plastics and microplastics, some pet parents simply prefer to reduce the amount of plastic their pets eat and drink from. Microplastics have been detected in dogs, although researchers are still working to understand their sources and long-term health effects—so we wouldn’t claim that plastic bowls themselves are proven to cause harm.

Stainless steel is durable, sanitary, and certainly has its place, but it isn’t every pet’s favorite. Some dogs can be bothered by the clanging of tags against a metal bowl, and shiny, reflective surfaces can be distracting or unfamiliar to some animals. Metal also conducts temperature readily, meaning the bowl itself can become noticeably warmer or colder depending on its contents and surroundings.

Ceramic offers a different experience: a solid, substantial bowl that helps stay put at mealtime, a smooth glazed surface that’s easy to clean, and a material that doesn’t have the lightweight feel of plastic or the highly conductive feel of metal. And, of course, ceramic gives us something neither plastic nor stainless steel really can—the ability to create a bowl by hand with color, pattern, texture, and personality, so something your pet uses every day can also be something you love having in your home.

Our bowls are made with lead-free, food-safe materials and are dishwasher safe, making them as practical for everyday life as they are beautiful.