Made in Portland: Concordia Resident Launches pup-sicles

When the July heat wave hit Portland, Rhonda Spencer's dogs were ready. The graphic designer whose business slowed down just enough to open up some time in her busy schedule, launched pup-sicles, a line of ice-cream treats for canines.

The idea was spawned at a dinner party, where Rhonda and friends were talking about all sorts of business ideas. An avid cook and dog lover, Rhonda brought up her dog ice cream idea. She wondered if people, like herself, wanted to reward their animals with treats that not only tasted good to them, but were not weighed down with additives and allergy inducing ingredients. Her test group—knowing her both as an animal lover but an accomplished cook—overwhelmingly approved of her proposal. It inspired her to begin testing recipes in her kitchen, using her friends' dogs as well as her own dogs as tasters.

She knew that she wanted to steer clear of any ingredients that might upset a dog's constitution, so dairy and soy were out. She began making her own rice milk and experimented with flavors and landed on three—peanut butter and vanilla, vegan chicken powder, and vanilla and honey.

Healthy food for her dogs has always been a priority for Rhonda, but it became more critical when her oldest dog was diagnosed with cancer. From then on, she made all of her own food for him, as well as her other dogs. She worked with all organic ingredients and used a pressure canner to make it in bulk. She says that the high quality food made a big difference in her pups' health and well-being.

"I'm still working on the ice-cream recipe," she says, noting that rice doesn't melt like real ice cream, and she thinks her treats would look more appealing if they did. Feedback from customers, however is that they appreciate that it doesn't turn into a sticky mess like real ice cream would. For now, the recipes seem to be a big hit.

Her background in graphic design has informed her packaging. "Ultimately, I'm selling to humans and so try to appeal to them with the packaging." She admits that she does the same thing—she shops for her pets as though she were shopping for herself and buys what appeals to her. In little ice-cream cups, adorned with heart-shaped barley cookies, they do look good enough for a human to eat. The challenge she faces as a small start-up business is competing with the giant corporations who sell pet food and treats, and who save on packaging costs and distribution by the sheer volume of product they sell.

"I am starting small to see how it goes," she says. "I am doing a lot of market research up front and asking for honest feedback." She is betting on the fact that others in Portland share her sentiments.

"I think a lot of people are not willing to feed their animals crap," she contends. Indeed, she has done her homework to answer the skeptic's questions about her product. Her press kit features statistics on the relative "recession resistance" of natural pet food. She also explains succinctly why she believes that her products are a better choice than her national brand competitors—for instance their far superior nutritional value.

So far, she is peddling her pup-sicles at street festivals, like the Mississippi Street Fair, Mt. Tabor Centennial Celebration, and Multnomah Days Celebration in Multnomah Village. Stores like For Paws, Salty's, and Little Green Grocer are also carrying pup-sicles. Salty's is planning an ice-cream social on August 25th, and pup-sicles will be on the menu.

"I think that we would do well in New Seasons and Whole Foods as well," She says, adding that she hopes the grocery chains agree.

Looking ahead past the hot summer months, Rhonda plans on getting back to the development kitchen to work on other products. She is considering a line of home-canned dog food, like she makes for her own pets, in glass jars, "So people can really see what their dog is eating." She has no delusions of grandeur about these endeavors, saying that it isn't something that will make her rich. She shrugs off the notion that she is brave to take on the risk of marketing a niche product in difficult economic times.

"I'd love to make a profit, but as long as I can break even, I'm ok." She is doing it mostly because she loves dogs, and wants to give them a healthy alternative that tastes divine to them.

"Humans could certainly eat pup-sicles, though they might think they're a little bland!" She laughs. With no more than five all-natural organic ingredients, pup-sicles definitely fit the bill for a healthy dog treat. And, even if a taste might warrant disappointment, she hopes humans will help make pup-sicles a household name.

For more information visit the pup-sicles web site.