Chinook woman offers organic treats for healthy puppies

Shawna Beck started her organic puppy treat business soon after Dojo, her black German shepherd, entered her family.

"We got a purebred puppy, the same week I started (making treats)," Beck said. "I wanted her to have the best health possible."

Beck said she started making cookies for dogs to address the illnesses that young dogs sometimes get.

"If I can provide something to these dogs to dispel health issues down the road, we can eliminate just multitudes of illnesses a dog can acquire," Beck said.

Beck said she spoke to her cousin, who is a veterinarian in Los Angeles, about organic ingredients she could put into the biscuits.

"It's more than just more ingredients," Beck said. "Everything I put into them is beneficial for the dog."

She said her treats help dogs with things like digestion, coat health, oral care and ailments.

"If your dog has a stomach ache, you can try some of the biscuits to see if it will help," Beck said. "Dogs are not allergic to anything I put into the biscuit."

Beck said Dojo instantly got a rash on her belly after eating cheap dog food, but it cleared immediately after she gave him one of her biscuits.

To make the biscuits, Beck said she mixes all the ingredients together, cuts the biscuits out, bakes them and packages them.

"If they don't sell, they just go to the puppy," Beck said. "There's no waste around here!"

The fruits and vegetables she puts in the biscuits are all organic and many of the vegetables up to this point came from her garden.

She said she has been talking to stores in Havre and Chinook to carry them, but she is currently just selling them to friends and family right now until she gets a business plan made up.

She sells them online through a Facebook page, From The Earth Montana, and her webpage, http://www.fromtheearthmontana.yolasite.com.

A package of biscuits is $5 and shipping is $2 extra.

"I'm in Havre every day, so I give free deliveries there," Beck said.

Beck said she is uncertain of the future of the product, but "if it got big, I wouldn't mind, as long as the recipe remains the same."