Watson's home-baked dog biscuits hit the market
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Apr 20/01) - Using natural ingredients, Wally Watson has come up with dog biscuits so good, dogs just might have to compete for them.
"I've had people stop me and say their dogs absolutely love them. They're made from natural products so I also know a couple of people who eat them too," he laughed.
Watson struck upon the idea after he and his wife, Theresa, received a recipe book for dog biscuits as a Christmas gift. He altered the recipes a little and came up with four flavours of doggie snacks -- beef, cheese, peas and carrots and chicken and rice.
"We thought about it and there's nothing like that available in Fort Simpson," Watson said. "I thought I'd give it a shot and see how things went."
He decided to market the product in large, medium, small and tidbit sizes. Because there are no preservatives, each 350-gram bag has an expiration date printed on the side.
Since early March, he has sent out 16 market surveys and samples, and the responses have all been positive. A store in Fort Simpson and another in Yellowknife have agreed to evaluate the product, under the name "Chanel's Choice," to determine whether they will carry it on their shelves.
Starting a small business is quite a bit of work, he said. In addition to the market surveys, a business plan, business licence and paperwork for the Workers' Compensation Board are all necessary.
The product must also be fine-tuned. Watson's first attempt at making the doggy snacks wasn't successful -- he badly burned the batch. Even Chanel, his chocolate Lab, turned her nose up at them.
"When the dog won't even eat them, then you know something's wrong," he said.
Watson made a few adjustments and soon had Chanel eating out of his hand. He demonstrated just how eager she is to get one of the treats, which she quickly wolfed down.
If there's enough demand, he said he's willing to expand the business, but a larger kitchen with an industrial oven would likely be a few years away.
"I'm only guessing that my first year will be a real growing experience," he said. "Maybe it will fly, maybe it won't."
