When Steffanie Schaffer was preparing to transition her two boxers from puppy food to adult dog food, she quickly realized store-bought food just wasn’t going to cut it.
So, to provide Sidney and Daisy with a healthful option, Pickerington resident Schaffer began making her own treats.
“I started making them for my girls and it started catching on with my neighbors,” Schaffer says. “I thought, ‘Maybe I can really go somewhere with this.’”
Schaffer opened her home-based business, 4 Healthy Paws, in 2007, selling healthful and homemade dog treats. She worked with two nutritionists from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and The Ohio State University to form the recipe, and has been licensed and regulated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
4 Healthy Paws’ main offering is Daisy Doos, which come in a jar or 6-oz. bag.
There are five simple ingredients: whole wheat flower, extra virgin olive oil, peanut butter, honey and water. The olive oil provides a heart-healthy alternative to vegetable oil; the peanut butter benefits a dog’s skin and coat, even reducing shedding; and the honey serves as an antiseptic, aiding the immune system, Schaffer says.
“My girls have been really healthy,” she says. “I really believe in what I make.”
What makes the treats so appealing, says Schaffer, is their soft, thin “pie crust consistency,” which is good for any breed at any age.
“I just hear stories after stories about how much (customers’) dogs love it,” she says.
In the wake of her business’s success, Schaffer has also given back to her community. Most recently, her donations of Daisy Doo bags have assisted in the September opening of Licking County’s Paws2Play Community Dog Park.
Treats can be ordered at www.4healthypawsohio.com. They can also be found at Schmidt’s Fudge Haus in German Village, Celebrate Local at Easton Town Center, the Grooming Spot in the Grandview Heights area, the Animal Care Hospital of Reynoldsburg, Village Pet Market in Granville and Simply Vague at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing.
Like many pet owners, Schaffer thinks of her dogs, cats and turtles as her children. This is what lies at the heart of her desire to provide nothing but the best for not only her pets, but for everyone’s.
“Everyone loves their dogs and wants the best for them,” she says. “Knowing that it’s a healthful treat is what’s always been important to me.”
Eric Lagatta is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome a gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
