By Page H. Gifford
Correspondent
You can find them everywhere. At Happy Tails, Local Eats, Michie Tavern, Cunningham Creek Winery, and as far away as Gordonsville, Salem, Virginia Beach, and Roanoke. Paw Paw’s Wholesome Homemade Dog Treats are all-natural dog treats lovingly baked by owner David Hawks.
With his 11-year-old lab mix, Fritz Schnitzel, by his side, Hawks diligently bakes five days a week from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., producing 30 8-ounce bags of dog treats. He says on average, if he works hard, he can bake two full batches of his recipe.
“Each batch gives me 15 bags, so the most I can bake each day is 30 bags/15 pounds. This can be an issue during my busy months. I sell out at craft shows and cannot keep up with the demand.”
He mixes his treats in small batches, hand rolls and cuts every one, then bakes them exactly the way we would at home. My treats are not health food. They aren’t exotic. They’re plain, wholesome, everyday treats for lovable everyday dogs,” he said. He added that none of the treats contain dairy or egg, common allergens for dogs. For dogs with gluten or wheat allergies, he offers rice treats. For dogs on a low protein diet Chicken Broth and Rice or Sweet Potato and Rice Treats are suitable. For vegetarians, his Sweet Potato and Rice treats are perfect.
The idea for the business didn’t come from Hawks, but from the previous owner, Debbie Fail, in Salem, who founded it. Paw Paw’s Wholesome Homemade Dog Treats was founded by Fail in Salem about 25 years ago.
“Her son was killed in a car accident, leaving behind a puppy. She grieved for her son by baking the puppy treats, the way she baked her son cookies. Over time, and with the help of several friends, it turned into a business,” he said. “Fast forward to 2014. She began having health issues with arthritis in her hands and decided to close the company.” At that time, I was working as an Interior Designer in Richmond, and my boss decided, with little notice and no severance, to close the firm.”
A close friend of Hawks was selling Paw Paw’s Treats at his boutique store and had just heard from Debbie that she was closing Paw Paw’s. He suggested Hawks contact her to see if she would sell to him.
“I was truly tired of driving to Richmond each day, wanted to work from home and have a little more flexibility in my work, and I love baking and cooking in general and am quite good at it,” he said. He followed up and called Fail, arranging a visit to see her.
Job hunting had been difficult, and he hadn’t found anything suitable.
“On my way down to see Debbie, I had a long talk with God and asked him to make it clear to me if this was something I should pursue. He did.”
When he arrived at Fail’s house, it turned out she lived a stone’s throw from his parents and where he grew up, knew all the same people, and went to the same school.
“Our meeting was warm and friendly, and my previous work in food service was exactly what I needed to make this work. I’ve been doing it ever since. I don’t make a lot of money, and I work hard for the money I do make. But my friends have all said the same thing, they’ve never seen me as happy.”
Paw Paw’s Wholesome Homemade Dog Treats was mentioned in the Economic Development newsletter for Fluvanna County. Like other small businesses, Hawks follows in the footsteps of local wineries, Red Rocker Candy, Hudson-Henry Granola, and Herbert’s Wine Jelly, who create unique items and gifts in the area. And who doesn’t want a wholesome homemade dog treat for our furry friends?
“As I age, I’m beginning to realize I can’t do this forever and have started looking at the future.” He says he may turn to a subscription model. A limited number of customers, based on how much he can bake with each receiving a quarterly shipment of the flavors they want. “The thing I love most is the dogs I meet and their owners. Dog people are the nicest people.”
For more information about flavors and ingredients, visit https://pawpawstreats.com/ or contact Dave Hawks at pawpawstreats@aol.com or call 804-380-6596.
