We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jocelyn Adams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jocelyn below.

Jocelyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I am a doggy treat baker, without a dog! I had an American Bulldog/Boxer mix, named Boss. Boss was about 100 pounds and loved everyone. Boss was on a grain-free diet and while I was working as a part-time dog sitter for Rover.com, I noticed that many dogs were on the same diet plan, but most of the ingredients on the nutritional analysis panel were still hard to read and comprehend. I would talk to her then-boyfriend Ernest (now husband) about wanting to create healthy and nutritional dog recipes to cook, bake and send home with her PUPstomers. Life always got in the way and I didn’t have the chance to start making Boss’ or food for any other dog. Boss lived a beautiful life in NC, SC, and GA, but around 11 years old he died of stomach cancer. Baking healthy dog treats and using all-natural and organic ingredients is definitely my shoulda-woulda-coulda moment…maybe if I would have started making Boss’ food he would have lived a healthier and longer life by my side. Boss loved kids and I truly wish he could have met her two-year-old daughter Ryver (pronounced River). Creating Bossy River Dog Treats is all about combining two of Jocelyn’s favorite “people” in the whole world (Boss and River) and spreading love one healthy doggy treat at a time.

Jocelyn, 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?

Hello, my name is Jocelyn Adams. I have been baking organic dog yummies for almost two years. I live in Wesley Chapel, FL with my husband Ernst and our daughter. My dog, Boss, was 11 years old and died of stomach cancer in 2018, so I don’t even have a dog of my own anymore. Pretty sure that’ll change soon, if my two-year old, Ryver, has any say in that! She loves dogs, just like her momma! I make sure to bake all-natural doggy treats using only organic ingredients to ensure that any doggy that eats the Bossy River Yummies is getting properly treated from the inside out.

I bake all sorts of doggy yummies and each of them has Diatomaceous Earth (natural algae powder that serves as a flea preventative, amongst other things) baked within! My products offered include:

*Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Treats (Vegan and Gluten-Free) Ingredients: Oat Flour, Organic Bananas, Organic and Unsweetened Peanut Butter*Grain-Free Peanut Butter Treats (semi-crunchy)

Ingredients: Organic Almond Flour, Organic and Unsweetened Peanut Butter, Organic and Free-Range Eggs

*Whole Wheat Cheesy Treats (semi-chewy)
Ingredients: Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Organic and Free-Range Eggs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-All treat flavors can be made into XL treats for the big dog in your family!

*Oatmeal and PB PUPcakes with fresh bacon crumblings, may be drizzled with bacon grease and peanut butter glaze !
Ingredients: Organic Oat Flour, Organic Bananas, Organic and Unsweetened Peanut Butter, Organic and Free-Range Eggs, Organic & Uncured Smokehouse Bacon

*PUPKin Donuts made with Organic Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients: Organic Almond Flour, Organic Pumpkin Puree, Organic & Free-Range Eggs, Organic Creamy Peanut Butter,
Organic Ground Cinnamon, Baking Powder

*SUPER Bones: 1/2 Thick Bone Shaped Treat, which includes 5 Organic Powders baked inside. Those organic powders include: Diatomaceous Earth, Spirulina, Ginger Root, Turmeric, and Beet Root Powder.

I also make Refreshing PUPsicles, which are a delightful frozen treat only available in Spring and Summer.
Ingredients: 100% Greek Yogurt, Organic Honeycrisp Apples or 100% Greek Yogurt, Organic Banana and Organic and Unsweetened Peanut Butter

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I live in one of the best neighborhoods in Wesley Chapel…Epperson! This is where I started my business. I originally shared a post to our neighborhood Facebook group to see if there was any interest in homemade dog treats using all-natural and organic ingredients. The feedback was astounding, so I started baking and sold out of my products within the same baking day! Now I take pre-orders from my neighbors and their friends and get as many yummies to my PUPstomers as I can!

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

So, last Christmas was my first time attempting to ship my products. I had the cutest Doggy Holiday Packages all stuffed with custom Christmas ornaments, yummy treats and festive freebies! I shipped to 7 different customers in 6 different states: Arizona, New York, Georgia, Florida, Baltimore and North Carolina. I was feeling so great and accomplished…until…four of my customers told me that their treats arrived with MOLD on them. My treats were even vacuum-sealed! I was mortified! My close friends can attest to the fact that I was sure my dog treat-making career was OVER! I contacted the remaining three customers to have them check on their treats and sure enough, another one confirmed the mold. It was then that I realized I had to remind my customers to immediately refrigerate their treats for up to 10 days in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer. My husband also had the great idea to use this happening as a testament to the naturalness of my products. I decided to put a disclaimer out there reiterating that there were no additives or preservatives in my yummies!

I still haven’t found the key to preserving my treats without straying from my all-natural, organic ingredients creed orrrr without dehydrating my treats to a crisp. I am still doing some experiments to test some of my theories, and DOGGONE it…I am not giving up =)

Contact Info:

• Website: bossyriverdogtreats.com
• Instagram: @bossyriverdogtreats
• Facebook: @bossyriverdogtreats