July 13, 2004

No kibble? No quibble

Maker of all-natural dog biscuits celebrates first anniversary
By Jamie Henline
Staff Writer

Pamela White carefully measures Wesson vegetable oil, garlic powder, wheat and a healthy amount of cheddar cheese into an industrial-size mixer. With a practiced flick of her wrist, she starts the machine and watches the ingredients form stiff dough.

Once the mixture has a nice doughy consistency, White plops the mound onto a stainless-steel table, sends sections of it through a sheeter and attacks the flattened dough with a bone-shaped cookie cutter.

She pays no attention to the large, black Newfoundland lazing at her feet, or the golden retriever lounging under the stainless-steel sink. This is one kitchen where the dogs get the best seats in the house.

“They’re my taste-testers,” White said with a laugh.

White’s business, Paw Prints Doggie Café LLC, celebrated its first anniversary July 1. The operation specializes in all-natural dog treats made of table-quality foods.

“They’re made out of things everyone eats,” White said. “When I first started, I tasted all of the treats myself. They tasted a little bit dry to me, but I don’t know what a dog’s palate is like. My dogs love them, though.”

Founded on practical necessity

White and her husband, Jim, started Doggie Café after they adopted a 2-year-old golden retriever, Charli, that wandered into their campsite. They had lost two dogs to cancer within six months of each other, and White said she and her husband were concerned because they didn’t know anything about Charli’s health history.

When they brought home a black Newfoundland puppy they dubbed Ironhead in honor of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, their worries doubled. They didn’t want to feed the dogs a bunch of artificial preservatives, so White started baking for them.

“The first treat I made was the Biggie Boy Buffalo Bone, and [the dogs] couldn’t get enough of them,” she said last week while placing her unbaked doggie treats onto a large baking sheet. “I started giving the treats out as gifts, and people just kept asking for them.”

Each industrial-sized baking sheet holds about 100 small Doggie Café treats. White also makes medium- and large-sized treats and a teaser size for smaller dogs. She said she used to bake the doggie treats in her kitchen, but she didn’t have enough space to keep up with demand.

“I have a small wall oven, and it’s not even big enough to put a big cookie sheet in it. I used to use the small cookie sheets and have 12 to 15 of them lined up along my kitchen counters because I could only bake one pan at a time,” she said.

White said she likes that she followed the tradition of Appalachian food crafters and started her business in her home kitchen.

White has been a teacher for the past 19 years, all but one at Ashford-Rumble Grade School in Boone County. She doesn’t get to her Alum Creek home until about 5 p.m.

“I definitely have a daytime job, and I wasn’t looking to start a business. Then my husband and I realized that it could work, so we renovated the garage with some cabinets and bought some equipment,” she said.

“Now, I’m hoping to supplement my retirement.”

Stocking buffalo and overripe bananas

White fills one pan with her Garlic & Cheese Chews and starts another. Her hands fly over the pans, dropping the bones with practiced efficiency.

White starts baking at about 6 p.m. nearly every evening when school is in session. During the summer, she works around the clock, and nearly all of her products are baked fresh.

Jim White said that in about four hours, he and his wife can whip up about 36 pounds of doggie treats. That equals about 2,000 small treats, 1,200 medium or 400 large.

“I only make a little bit of each kind, what I know I will sell,” she said. “They’re basically made fresh when they’re ordered, and then I ship them out. We always send priority mail.”

Pamela White said each of the treats has natural ingredients proven to help fight cancer, improve doggie bad breath — which her two dogs lacked — and provide key vitamins and minerals.

She said she keeps her Doggie Café workshop stocked with overripe bananas, molasses, sunflower seeds and peanut butter. She also ships in 100-pound-minimum orders of grass-fed buffalo and has plenty of liver handy.

In addition to the Biggie Boy Buffalo Bone and the Garlic & Cheese Chews, White and her husband also make Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich, Lip Lickin’ Liver Treats, Sunflower Snaps, Premium Pumpkin Patties and Cool Carrot Crunchies.

“Whenever I run out of something, I just raid my kitchen,” she said.

Jim White said the treats were priced after some online comparison shopping and figuring the cost of ingredients.

White said she plans to develop more flavors as her business grows, and she’s even had to take on a marketing and development director, Russie McDerment-Fogarty, to help with the demand.

“When Pam asked me to work for her, I laughed and said I’d be getting bones for bones because now I work for her and get the treats. Before, I was spending so much money at Doggie Café because my pack of six dogs can’t get enough,” McDerment-Fogarty said.

White said her business got a solid customer base through word of mouth after she handed out samples, although some customers have stumbled across her Web site, www.doggiecafe.com.

“When people order, it’s not a one-time thing. They become regulars,” she said. “It’s the doggies that make the mommies and daddies loyal customers. Whenever they see their dogs’ reactions, they’re hooked.”

White said she ships to California, Texas, Florida, Maine, Nebraska, Colorado and Ohio regularly. She also delivers anywhere in the Kanawha County area. “It’s hard for me to make phone calls and things when I work all day, so Russie is going to help with that,” she said.

‘I do want to have a real doggie café’

White and McDerment-Fogarty never feed their pooches a bowl of Gravy Train. All meals are prepared fresh.

White said she often makes Charli and Ironhead a mixture of yogurt, fruit and honey that they lap up greedily.

“I don’t use sugar, either,” White said. “When I’m making the Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich snacks, I let the bananas get overripe, and they taste sweeter.”

McDerment-Fogarty said she’s pushing for an allergy-free doggie treat. White said several customers tell her their dogs weren’t able to eat treats because of sensitive stomachs, but her treats go down easy and stay down.

McDerment-Fogarty said they’re considering revamping some Doggie Café labels for packaging, and they’ve also updated the Web site. Doggie Café also offers gift baskets for new pooches, birthday parties and different seasons. They all come with the label, “The most delicious treat your dog will ever eat.”

White said she isn’t content to stop there.

“The name Doggie Café came about because someday I do want to have a real doggie café where people can bring their dogs in and get them something to eat and spend some time,” she said.

To contact staff writer Jamie Henline, use e-mail or call 348-3053.