WHY DO WE BAKE COOKIES?

In 1991, following a life long interest in nutrition, I began investigating what really went into dog food and treats. After researching some of the "big words" listed on the ingredient label, I was appalled. They were using things that I would never eat, let alone feed to my dogs. Things attractively labeled "cellulose fiber" (really closer to "sawdust") and "oat hulls" (better known as the outside of the oat that's removed before they're rolled into oatmeal for breakfast). Not to mention the meat and animal by-products. Lights were starting to turn on. Maybe, just maybe, my dogs would stay healthier if I fed them better food and treats. We were once told "You are what you eat". If this has some truth to it, then, it's not too complicated to figure out that if you eat bad food, you won't be healthy. What exactly makes food "unfit for human consumption" yet fit for our loving companions? Granted, dogs do eat off the floor, but does that mean their food must be scraped off some floor somewhere in order to be fit for them?

In total disgust, I went back in history, researched the birth of commercial dog food and biscuits as we know them and somewhat relieved, found that the kibble dog food developed in the 1940's was intended as a "convenient", occasional alternative to preparing food for your pet. It wasn't intended to be a day in, day out steady diet for pets any more than fast food was intended to be a day in, day out steady diet for us. The problem? Dogs don't have a choice! They must eat what is served up to them.

Today, there are more and more commercial products that at least try to provide a better, more wholesome diet for our companions. The problem then is that in most cases, the biscuits manufactured are the same thing as the kibble, just shaped differently. To borrow another cliché, "Variety is the Spice of Life". Different things taste different. Commercial food and biscuits taste a lot like a rye crisp cracker, plain. Not exactly a gourmet's delight.

So what does all this have to do with "Why Do We Bake Cookies?". We bake cookies because dogs deserve better. They deserve a variety of ingredients, herbs, and minerals for their health and a variety of tastes for their enjoyment. We all have our favorites, but even favorites would get old if that was all we had. Of course, we bake them fresh, every day, from scratch using the very best "human quality" ingredients, then cut them by hand, and package them in the size suitable for the client who ordered them. In fact we baked over 14,000 pounds last year.

Seventeen years ago, when we offered just one cookie, made with organic whole wheat flour, we soon found that it wasn't enough. Clients asked for cookies made from other ingredients due to wheat allergies. So, we developed our Special/Alfalfa, Rice/Oregano, and Oat/Garlic cookies and named the first whole wheat cookie Original/Parsley. Shortly, thereafter, a well known animal behaviorist asked if we would make hypoallergenic cookies. She gave us a list of what not to use. No corn, no wheat, no soy, no rice, no yeast, no eggs, no dairy, no animal products. Again, we responded by developing our Select Cookies, Buckwheat (buckwheat is a "flower" not a grain), Barley and Oat. And, to offer a wide variety of tastes, we will add herbs to these recipes. Since then, we've added fourteen more cookies all developed with health in mind. Our Hickory/Almond, Super Naturals (with Trace Minerals), Cookie Jar Cookies and Savory Snacks both with ground flax seed for clean skin and a shiny coat are healthy, natural ways to add VARIETY to your dog's cuisine. No silly stuff, just good healthy cookies that also taste great. In addition, we've also introduced our Companion Condiments. A selection of eight different herb blends designed to add flavor to dog food. We didn't sneak in any salt or other additives, just blended herbs in the right amount to really spice up the same old dog food with an entirely different flavor.

Our client list includes K-9 Officers, Search and Rescue Dogs, Service Dogs, Show Ring Champions, Top Agility Dogs, Veterinarian's, Naturopaths, Holistic Veterinarians, Top Breeders, Animal Behaviorists, and hundreds of loving owner's with very Special Companions. All with one thing in common. They are SERIOUS. Very Serious about what they do and serious about the health and nutrition of their companions. We are too.

Browse through our pages and if you can't find a suitable treat in the package size appropriate for your Companion, contact us. We can suggest the most appropriate recipe, then if it's still not right (i.e. an allergy to an ingredient or a special dietary need to eliminate salt, or fat) we can do that too! Every order is a custom order to us, and we look forward to helping you find the right cookie for your Special Companion. No dog should have to sacrifice having great tasting treats just because their systems have special needs. They all deserve a little extra.

Carol & Mark Hendershot

BIG PAWS PANTRY

Est. 1991