A middle school student runs a dog treats business alongside her Chihuahua mix, who tests the treats before they get sold.
Dogs might have enjoyed having their parents at home more than usual, but many of us found the pandemic difficult. However, one seventh-grader used the time to set up her own business selling dog treats.
Jasmine Thomas-Gainey, 12, who lives in Marin County, set up Doggy Dog Treats By Jazzy in March 2020, when she was just ten years old, and sells her treats online through Etsy and at markets around the Bay Area.
Building Her Business
In an interview with the Marin Independent Journal, Thomas-Gainey says that her dog, Buddy, “loves” the home-baked, human-grade treats she makes: “Whenever we bake them he is standing by the kitchen, and whenever we are packing them up, he is right under us.”
She says that she’s had a passion for baking ever since she and her mom moved in with her grandparents a number of years ago, and decided to combine her love for dogs and baking when she was just nine.
“After I figured out the main things dogs can eat, I looked at other dog recipes and I modified a lot of them and I came up with a few on my own. From there, we started testing them, and got the recipes down,” she explains, “It’s really fun, it also has broadened my knowledge of what dogs can eat and can’t. That was definitely fun and interesting researching.”
Giving Your Dog Treats
As a general rule, treats are fine for your dog in moderation. However, pets shouldn’t get more than 10% of their daily calories from treats – and there are some foods that dogs should avoid entirely.
Thomas-Gainey’s treats are 100% human grade, and made with ingredients like rolled oats, coconut oil, coconut flour, sun butter, natural peanut butter, and organic pumpkin.
Among the other foods dogs can have as treats in moderation include meats like pork and turkey, fish like salmon and sardines, nuts like cashews and peanuts, and even popcorn when unsalted and unbuttered.
