Doggone Good Goodies

Doggone Good Goodies

Support Local Business and Have a Healthy Pooch

It was a drizzly Sunday afternoon.  I was wandering around the local Hyde Park Farmer's market, taking in all the sights and smells.  I love the atmosphere of a good local market- it feeds my inner earth mama.  Farmer's markets are grrrrreat field trips for your pup too, by the way.  There are countless teachable moments including walking nicely through crowds and not stealing food from the vendors (or hiking your leg on their booths as my dog had to learn when I first got him).  As I was meandering through the stalls, which were starting to close up early due to the downpour, I spotted a cute paper-mache looking doggy sculpture.  The cute doggo belonged to the Doggone Good Goodies market tent, so naturally I went to go check it out.

The owner, Ona, was extremely friendly and put together a bag of lovely goodies for my doggos.  She explained about her business and I decided then I needed to do a write up on her awesome products.

Here is her website: Doggone Good Goodies
And her Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DoggoneGoodGoodies/

Her goodies are packed with nutrition- they are grain-free, fresh, preservative-free, organic, and whenever possible she buys local ingredients.  Some of her products include Bow Wow Brownies (no chocolate here but honey other good stuff), Snicker Poodle Doodles, and Rootie Tootie Fresh & Fruities ( made with pureed strawberries, blueberries, and apples).  If you love a good pumpkin spice latte and you want your pooch to share in the seasonal hygge, she offers Pup'kin Poppers.  She also makes pawtry platters for your dog's rigorous social calendar :)

So, being curious as I am about local doggy businesses, I decided to ask Ona a few questions:

When did you start your business?
"8 years ago when Riley, the President and official taste tester was adopted from the Tampa Bay Humane Society."

I know the motivation behind your business is bittersweet- can you tell us a bit about your inspiration?
"The struggle with finding dog treats for Riley when he was a pup is my inspiration behind Doggone Good Goodies.  He is allergic to chicken and grains and at the time EVERY treat out there had those ingredients.  So I simply started baking for him and give out bags of goodies at his puppy friends at the dog park."



What is your favorite treat to make?
"Any fruit combination! Fruit and veggies are so good for dogs.  We tend to over look the value of berries, root vegetables and whole foods."

What is your bestseller?
"Peanut butter goodies and the bacon goodies!"

You are an expert in doggy nutrition.  What are some ingredients dog owners should definitely avoid?
 "I do not have any formal training in dog nutrition, but I do have a very close friend that is a DVM for performance sport horses as well as PhD in Chinese herb medicine and food therapy.  She was graduating as I was discovering foods to feed Kip my dog that suffered from Cushings Disease. I was also completing my BA at USF so I had access to the library's database and did my own research. Her practice is in Sarasota and it is called 5 Elements for Animals : https://www.drwendyying.com/

Onions and garlic, and brewers yeast are at the top of the list of items that they should not feed their dogs. They are on the DO NOT FEED to dogs list, but they are overlooked. Simply feeding your pet the leftover steak/chicken/fish that was cooked with onions and garlic can be harmful to your pet's organs down the road- liver and kidney failure to name the top two.  You can also find onions and garlic in baby food, and people sometimes give baby food to dogs to encourage them to eat."

Some baking bacon in the making

What is your favorite thing about owning your own business?
"Seeing the dogs at the farmers' markets.  Watching them light up when they know they are going to get a Doggone Good Goodie; it makes my heart sing when I see my 4 legged customers.   And I get very attached to your dog.  They become my dog. When the dog passes away due to old age, I cry with the owner and then rejoice when they bring their new pup to see me. "

Do you have a favorite memory from your time as a doggy baker?

 "I have a customer named Rocky that will not leave the table until his owner shows him that she has the goodies.  He weighs twice as much as she does and unless he SEES The bag in her hand he will not leave. This happens on a monthly basis :)"

After that interview I think we all need a moment for a collective AWWWWWW SO CUTE!

With my bag of doggy goodies in hand, I returned to Camp Sammy and a house full of expectant tail wags.

The moment of truth:  I brought the goodies home.  Most of them I popped in the freezer (as per Ona's suggestion to make them chewy and last longer).  A few I kept out for Whuffo and his friends to taste test.  Drumroll.....and snarfed!  Crumbs and all down the hatch.  The dogs went nuts for them!  2 paws up from every dog!


If you want to snag some of her delicious goodies, she offers free delivery in the Tampa area.  She can also be found the way I discovered her at local farmers' markets:

Fresh Market at The Shops of Wiregrass
www.tampabaymarkets.com/
First Saturday of each month
10-2pm

Fresh Market of Hyde Park Village
www.tampabaymarkets.com/
First Sunday of each month
10-3pm

St. Pete's Saturday Morning Market
www.saturdaymorningmarket.com/
10-2pm
November 28th
December; 12th, 19th, 26th
January; 9th, 23rd
February; 13th, 27th
March; 26th
April; 9th, 23rd
May; 14th, 28th

Yay local business!

Cheers,
Sammy the Dog Trainer