The idea for Treat Dreams came to me in January 2013 as a simple project to enjoy while I had some extra down time. It quickly turned into an expensive, more work than anticipated, pain in the......um, I mean, labor of love!
I graduated with a degree focused in Education and was in no way prepared or educated in the business world. But I had my love for my puppies and a real desire to have my own business with a goal of making a difference. So I set up shop on Etsy, put together a website and got to work.
I was entirely unaware of the field I was getting into, but fell in love with it very quickly. Let me explain something before I go any further, I am not a healthy eater. I have been blessed with good genes and a quick metabolism and I eat like a growing teenage boy. So needless to say, since I did not think twice about my own eating habits, then thinking about my dog's eating habits??? I don't think so.
It did not take long for me to realize improving my dog's health was not just a "hippie, organic person" thing. The meat that is in dog food is all the animals that were diseased and unfit for human consumption. This can be intestines, udders, heads, hooves as well as diseased and cancerous animal parts. Then of course there are the chicken by products and corn meal fillers that make up the rest of the food. Basically, slaughterhouses make a profit off all the extra junk that we can't eat by selling it to dog food companies.
I don't know about you, but I love my baby dog, Molly, and I have always claimed to be a dog lover and want what is best for her but this had me feeling horrible for how I was actually treating her. Then I came to find out that many "common dog problems" like ear problems, allergies, bowel irregularity and issues were a result of what dogs are fed. I have a post all about choosing the perfect dog food for your dog. ____________________. Because nobody has the time to make their own down food :)
But I can make my own dog treats! So I did. And to my surprise.......my dogs like them BETTER than store bought dog treats!! When I think about it, it make sense. I mean, store bought dog treats may look like bacon, but they aren't, who knows what they are? But my dog treats are pure, rich and healthy.
We use all human grade natural ingredients like blueberries, pumpkin, peanut butter, bananas, cinnamon, honey, garlic, parmesan cheese, cranberries, olive oil, flax seed, rice flour, garbanzo flour, whole wheat flour and carob.
Wheat is a very popular allergy among dogs that humans don't even realize. It is because dogs eat so much of it in their dog food that they develop an allergy to it. So we ground our own rice flour and use it to offer gluten-free dog treats. Then some dogs need grain-free dog treats, so we developed our pumpkin dog treats that use garbanzo flour.
It is refreshing to finally be able to offer something that is wholesome, rich, pure and healthy for dogs. I get so excited just talking about it!
I have come up with all kinds of ways to make them even more catered to you and your dog by offering personalization on many of them!
Be sure and check them out!
