Valerie Mae has been making dog and cat treats for over 25 years! Four dogs or so ago was Ivan. He couldn’t eat regular stuff available from the stores because it bothered his stomach so Val had to make her own.
At the beginning of her dog and cat treat journey Val was teaching music at a few different schools in New Jersey. She soon found there were a big need for healthy dog treats with others working at school and would make extra to sell.
She then found a dog biscuit recipe booklet online. A trained vocalist, Val would teach general music and chorus to middle schoolers and then bake dog treats after school. Ivan & his cat sibling Natasha were the original benefactors.
Ivan loved his healthy treats so much he would sleep by the oven and then come running to Val once the alarm would signal the treats were finished. Sometimes she would bake overnight and Ivan would run down to wake her up when the treats were done.
In the beginning Val started with peanut butter biscuits. Eventually she moved to Sandwich and started Black Snout Dog Treats. Once she moved to Sandwich she added a biscuit with chicken flavor. Val was one of the original vendors at the old Sandwich Farmers market with peanut butter and chicken biscuits, but then was kicked out when they made it exclusively for farmers. She found refuge at the Tamworth Farmers’ Market and has been with us ever since.
Turkey Jersey and the Chicken Sticks are the most popular items in Black Snout Dog Treat’s current lineup. She has expanded in to dehydrated treats, which is a little less time intensive than the baked biscuits. Biscuits bake for about 40 minutes in the oven and then you turn it off and leave it for 5 hours in order to get that famous crunch all the local dogs like.
Now Val has a diverse offering to meet the demand for all the different types of customers. She’ll do custom treats for special dogs or cat. She even has liver bites for dogs with no teeth! If your dog has special treat needs, let Val know and she will work with her vet to design a customized recipe for your pup.
Val believes dogs and cats don’t need chemicals and sugar. Just healthy, organic stuff. She runs her products by their vet before she rolls them out.
Currently Val is exploring a whole new bunch of dehydrated recipes. The main issue she struggles with is there isn’t enough time. Making dog treats is time consuming! But to Val; it is worth it. She love the dogs and their people.
Her business supports her harp addiction allowing her to purchase new strings and attend workshops. When she isn’t making pet treats, she is a therapeutic harp practitioner. She takes her harp to hospice, meditation, yoga, relaxation groups, art show openings, cocktail hours, etc. She fills in for the organist once a month at St. Andrews-in-the-valley Church. Check out the church website for dates, if you want to hear her play.
Val’s shared her favorite Tamworth Farmers’ market story with us. One market someone brought an Alpaca! Then a big downpour began and everyone ran for the tents. Val found herself in her tent with the Alpaca and three dogs! Natural enemies, but they just stood there waiting out the rain togther. She is being modest, because we know it was Val’s good energy.
Val promised us she’ll continue to bake dog treats as long as she can. She doesn’t do winters at the market because it is too cold. However; if you contact her, she’ll get your dog their fix. She’s made more than one parking lot cookie drop in the dead of winter.