Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Fogarty. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Allison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Doggy Delights by Allison, our mission is multifaceted. First, Allison’s dog treats are works of love. Her recipes combine great nutrition, dog-drooling taste, and top-notch customer satisfaction. Second, this company was born to provide Allison with an outlet for her cooking passion and to fulfill her desire to start a business that accommodates her needs. Thirdly, we share Allison’s story to give other parents hope for their children with differing abilities, to encourage employers to give prospective employees a chance, and to show how job training may look different for some employees.

Allison was born with tracheo-esophogeal fistula, laryngeal cleft, and Down syndrome. The impact on her health was enormous. She lived with a trach in her neck to assist breathing for 23 years. From the age of 11 to 13 she could not eat or drink by mouth. She endured multiple hospitalizations and surgeries. After finishing high school, she was labeled “unemployable” by vocational rehabilitation agencies. Nevertheless, today she is proud to have developed seven fabulous dog treat recipes, and is CEO of her business, Doggy Delights by Allison. She ships her freeze dried treats all over the United States.

Allison, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

At the age of eleven, Allison’s health was failing and doctors were at a loss for the cause. By a fluke, her laryngeal cleft was discovered and doctors recommended that she have a g-tube inserted into her stomach. She could not eat or drink by mouth until undergoing several surgeries. Picture an eleven year old who has been eating and drinking her whole life to be told, “OK, after today, no food or drinks in your mouth” until we say so. Allison’s family and friends were mortified, and no one wanted to eat in front of her. (You don’t realize how much food rules your life until suddenly the idea of not eating at all is introduced.) Allison, however, found ways to cope. She became obsessed with watching the food channel. Rachael Ray was especially important to her. Allison says that Rachael Ray “saved her life” by showing her how fun cooking could be, and made her want to be a chef when she grew up. This was not an easy time for Allison or anyone who loved her, but her strength and determination amazed everyone who knew her.

When Allison aged out of high school and her mom, Pat, retired from teaching, the pair started “Lunch Break”, an unofficial lunch delivery business. They delivered lunch to Pat’s former co-workers, and doing this taught Allison cooking skills and so much more. Fast forward to 2017 when Allison and her parents moved from Illinois to Florida. Allison was not in favor of moving from her friends and activities, especially “Lunch Break”. Allison and her parents were excited to learn that the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida was starting an Entrepreneur Academy to teach adults with Down syndrome (and their sidekicks) how to start and run a business. Before classes even began, Allison had decided to make dog treats for her business instead of “people food”. She would not need a commercial kitchen, and she could make the recipes by herself. After researching healthy ingredients for dogs and looking over recipes online, Allison made her own recipe variations and tested them on dogs. They were a huge hit! Currently, Allison makes Peanut Butter Delights, Pumpkin Delights, Chicken & Rice Delights, Grain Free Sweet Potato Delights, Yogurt & Berry Delights, and Salmon Training Treats, and during the holidays she makes Sweet Season Delights. Combo bags are a mix of Peanut Butter Delights, Pumpkin Delights, Chicken & Rice Delights, and Grain Free Sweet Potato Delights.

Dog owners are eager to purchase Doggy Delights because all of the ingredients are “human grade”, and no salt, sugar or preservatives are added. Dogs go wild for Allison’s treats because they taste so delicious. Doggy Delights are freeze dried, which makes them shelf stable and more nutritious than dehydrated treats.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Allison had an opportunity to share her story on The Rachael Ray Show. When the show aired, the orders poured in. At that time the business was very small and had only had one freeze drier, stock supplies were limited, and shipping labels were written by hand. The experience was exciting, but overwhelming. Customers had to wait a long time to get their orders. Error were made and it was extremely stressful. Many lessons were learned and most people were very understanding. The following year, when Allison was invited to come to the studio and make dog treats with Rachael Ray, preparations began immediately. Organization had improved and stock supplies were filled. A shipping label printer made the mailing process much faster and eliminated most errors. Once again, orders poured in! Again stock supplies were depleted (but not quite as quickly). So again, some customers had to wait for their orders to arrive. Being overwhelmed by orders was stressful and difficult. Working together extra hard and as efficiently as was possible, along with apologies and thanks to our customers brought many regular buyers.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Doggy Delights by Allison was a fixture every Sunday at the local Farmer’s Market – until Covid hit. Individuals with Down syndrome are immunocompromised, and with her health history, Allison is especially vulnerable. In-person sales events were suddenly a thing of the past. Local delivery for phone or online orders was still fulfilled, but online sales and shipping became the main avenue of revenue. The interaction with dogs and their owners was an important piece of the business for Allison (and her sidekicks, too). Understanding what was happening in the world was difficult, overwhelming, and scary for Allison. She was terrified of getting sick, but she missed the socialization. She missed the routine of going to the market, seeing her friends and talking about her business. Change is difficult for Allison; sudden change is even harder. In-person events are still mostly a thing of the past for us. Allison’s parents are aging and setting up a booth is a lot of work; Florida is hot! Allison has had time to adjust to the new way of doing business, but gets very excited when we commit to an in-person event!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.DoggyDelightsByAllison.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doggy_delightsvbyallison
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoggyDelightsByAllison
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/allison-fogarty-2b9a38175
• TikTok: @DoggyDelightsByAllison