We recently connected with Ronica Owens and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ronica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Growing up our family had at least 3 or 4 dogs at a time. Birthing the name Three To Four Dogs. The why… We were given dogs to care for while some just showed up at our door. We gladly welcomed them into our family. Although we loved dogs, we kept them outdoors. We fed them table scraps and the cheapest dog food. We did not buy dog treats. We saved bones from family cookouts or from our dinner while dining out. Not until I became an adult and a dog parent did I want an inside dog. I learned table scraps were not healthy and dogs just can’t eat anything, especially bones. Fast forward to today my Rottweiler Maxx is my only dog. He is an inside dog, and I make his dog treats. The first time I bought Maxx a treat he had the worst gas and a liquid bathroom break. I threw the rest of the treats away and went to Pinterest to look for recipes. I loved to cook for my family, Maxx is family, I can cook for him. I learned what dogs could and could not eat, what’s toxic and what can kill them. From there I started testing recipes on by Maxx. He loved most and spit out the rest. His favorite so far is dehydrated yellow snapper. One year later we added food toppers and bone broth, thanks to Maxx.

Ronica, 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?

My name is Ronica Owens and I am a Senior Clinical Educator from 9-5pm at a local hospital and a dog and catpreuner the rest of the work day, weekends and holidays. I am a dog mom and I love to cook. I could spend all day in the kitchen chopping and dicing everything by hand.

The why…I started my business to control what my dog ate outside of his kibble. I learned very quickly that dogs and cats, develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, skin, and coat, allergies.

What sets me apart from other pet treat businesses …is that I offer high value treats that are simple ingredients, no chemicals and no preservatives. I wanted to be able to provide a treat that would align very easily to strict diets. They deserve treats too.

Pet parents needed to know… that if a dog was diabetic, then he needed a high protein treat, or if a dog had allergies, then he probably had to avoid poultry and would benefit from dehydrated fish. Or if a dog had stomach issues, then pumpkin or sweet potatoes would be a great treat for them.

I continue to share as I learn… Some of my other fur clients were very picky eaters and would hardly eat and would be underweight. I developed three types of bone broth to help motivate or stimulate eating by applying the bone broth to their water or over their food.

I am most proud of…the immediate connection I make with pet parents I meet. My education background takes over every time. I will share how to make a treat at home using what is in the kitchen. I offer suggestions on what treats to give older pets with no teeth, feral cats with little to no teeth, big dogs and even little dogs.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Being honest has been the most effective strategy for gaining the trust of my clients. My clientele is small, but mighty at this time. I believe they are testing my product, watching me on social media and talking with me in person at farmers markets and pop up events. I am not afraid to share the ingredients I use in making pet treats product nor how I make the treats.

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

When I first started my business, one month in, my internal light began to dim Not because of my business, but because there was nothing else going on in my life at the time. It was work, raise the kids, go to bed and then wake up the next morning and start all over. One month after starting my business, I joined a diversity and executive leadership cohort. With all that l began to learn, my light began to shine very bright. Connections were made, leadership skills were gained and a new zest for life was born all from from my cohort. I gained a new perspective on what I could achieve. I never once liked to sell any type of product or service. I never once thought that I would be a business owner . It is the most exciting thing that I have discovered. It is very hard work. I want to quit every other day. But I look forward to watching my business grow and build relationship with my community of pet parents.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.three-to-four-dogs.myshopify.com
• Instagram: threetofourdogs
• Facebook: threetofourdogs
• Linkedin: Three To Four Dogs
• Youtube: Threetofour