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Bubba's Tail-Wagging Treats are made in Richmond, and loved by dogs. |
Barbara Doane continues to be amazed by how much people love to pamper their dogs.
"I never knew people spent money like they do on their dogs," she said. "I've had people tell me 'I'm grandma to a dog.' It's unreal!"
Unreal, but lucky for Doane, who is co-owner of Bubba's Tail-Wagging Treats with her husband, Pete. The Richmond-based company, operated by the couple and their son and daughter-in-law, produces gourmet dog treats that are perfect for the pampered pooches of dog lovers.
Bubba's makes treats in three chop-licking flavors: original, peanut butter, and chicken and rice.
The Doanes bought the company in 2000 from a friend. All the recipes come from him, and Barbara said they don't plan to change anything about the business.
"We haven't made any more flavors," she said. "I've seen places trying to sell pretzel this and pizza this, but the three flavors we have do well for us."
Gourmet food for dogs is a business that has taken off recently. Numerous Web sites such as indulgeyourpet.com and doggie connection.com offer such products as dog bagels, biscotti, burritos, brownies, quiche and even pasta.
Bubba's is doing just fine with the three flavors it offers. The treats are sold in Fredericksburg at Feast-O-Rama on Sophia Street, where co-owner Lynda McDaniel said they quickly disappear from the shelves. She discovered Bubba's Tail-Wagging Treats on the Internet while researching local food artisans to feature in the store.
"They sell very well," McDaniel said. "The peanut-butter flavor is the most popular."
The treats sound good enough to be a tasty snack for humans.
"We use Peter Pan peanut butter and real Perdue chicken," Doane said. "Other companies use chicken broth in their treats. No. Not us."
With only five people employed by the company, the entire baking process is hands-on.
"We start the dough in a 40- quart mixer, roll it through a sheeter, cut it into small pieces with a bone-shaped cutter, butter them with egg gloss for extra protein, and bake them for 40 minutes," Doane explained.
She estimated they go through about 300 to 500 pounds of dough mix and fill up 20 to 30 baking trays on an average day.
"These aren't the trays you use to bake cookies on," she said. "These are the big ones. That's a lot of cookies!"
Doane said they do use human taste testers, but the primary gourmands are Zeke, her bichon frise, who is CEO of the company, and Brandy, a Lab. Brandy belongs to a next-door neighbor, but has taken up semipermanent residence with the Doanes, for understandable reasons.
"I like to see dogs sit there and eat our treats," Doane said. "We love dogs. If I had a 40-acre farm, I'd have nothing but dogs."
She said people have asked her if Bubba's Tail-Wagging Treats will ever expand its repertoire to cats, but she finds cats more finicky and harder to please than dogs.
"My cat doesn't like treats," Doane said, "My daughter has three cats, and some of them like hard treats and some of them like soft ones. So we can never decide what kind to make."
Bubba's Tail-Wagging Treats continues to grow, thanks to the patronage of dog enthusiasts. Right now, Doane said, the three big bins in her office that hold finished dog treats are nearly always empty.
"This is a good time of year for us," she said.
The Doanes prefer steady growth above giant leaps and bounds, and Barbara sees the business continuing into the future just the way it is.
"I enjoy what I'm doing, and I'm not going to get away from that," she said. "The other night, one of our customers from New Jersey called at 5:30 p.m. I picked up the phone and said 'Hi, Coleen.' She said, 'Oh, I thought you'd be closed by now,' and I said, 'No, I'm not closed, because my office is in my house!' I like that personal touch."
And as long as there are dog lovers, Bubba's Tail-Wagging Treats will have a market.
"I haven't had a dog lover yet who has bounced a check on me," Doane said. "How many people can say that?"
Find Bubba's Tail-Wagging Treats at Feast-O-Rama on Sophia Street in downtown Fredericksburg, or at bubbabeagles.com.
To reach ADELE UPHAUS: 540/374-5425 auphaus@freelancestar.com
