Timothy Mapes
Bakery and Pastry
About the founders of A SLoBBRiN:
What started out as a daily routine for feeding my pets, has now become, not only a leisure and hobby but a business as well. It all began one day we took one of our pets to the vet. He was diagnosed with a serious stomach problem of an over reactive pancreas causing him much pain and suffering. I knew our lives would not be the same from that point on. I spent every waking minute with him, nursing him back to health. The vet had informed us that his condition was due to excessive animal fat in his diet. His diet was going to have to change permanently. That's when I decided to start making treats for him, as he was no longer able to eat the store-bought brands, many of which are extremely high in fat and loaded with artificial chemicals.
Being a dog lover and owner (we currently have four), I have dedicated several years researching the good from the bad ingredients in an animal's diet. After several attempts of mixing ingredients, I found the perfect recipe for that perfect doggie treat. The single dog treat has now evolved into several different shapes and flavors of dog cookies and cakes. Not only do dogs love them, they are healthier for them as well and pet owners can appreciate them just like we do.
After taking on several design courses to make our treats more presentable and appealing to other pet owners and start our business for success, we came up with the name, A SLoBBRiN using all the first initials of our very own pets.
A - Andy was our first dog. He was a beautiful parity-colored Cocker Spaniel we rescued from the animal shelter. At the time the majority of city animal shelters still practiced luteinizing the animals and Andy was three days away from being put down. With Andy, it was love at first sight.
S - It wasn't long before we found ourselves at the local animal shelter one again. This time, we brought Andy with us to introduce him to a Black Labrador mix, a beautiful dog we had been eyeing and hoping to adopt. We wanted to wait a few days before we made our decision but Andy decided for us by refusing to leave the lobby. We took it as a sign that the black Lab mix needed to come home with us so we signed the papers and Sampson became part of our family. Andy willingly left the shelter after we had Sampson next to his side.
L - Our dear Lukus was a gorgeous Golden Retriever that we acquired from a family. They had purchased him from a pet store but he soon grew too big for them to handle; a common occurrence among puppies purchased from puppy mills. After meeting Lukus we could not bear the thought that he would most likely end up in an animal shelter and we took him home with us.
B - We found Bridget, a Golden Retriever-Rottweiler mix, in a vacant lot across the street from our house. She was a throw-away; her previous owners had left her in the lot instead of taking her to an animal shelter. It took me three days of sitting outside for hours, gradually moving her food and water dishes closer before she trusted me enough to even come near me. After building her trust, she quickly began showing affection towards me, just as I showed towards her.
B - Buddy is a yellow Labrador-Retriever. He was born on a farm in San Diego and no one wanted him. When we met him, he was afraid of his own shadow and we knew if we didn't take him home, he would be destine for disaster. He is a sweet, gentle dog, but remains fearful. It takes him time to trust someone before he becomes friendly with that person.
R - We saw Ricky at a swap meet. A beautiful rabbit, cooped up in a small cage. We could not bear the thought of him being locked in a small cage for days and nights. He was with several other rabbits, all of whom we wanted to take home but knew it was not practical for us. We figured it would be better to provide a home for at least one. Ricky quickly became close with all the dogs and they often played together.
N - Nikki is a black Cocker Spaniel. I went to visit some friends and they introduced me to Nikki. She was the runt of the litter, and so small that no one wanted her. The owners weren't sure what they were going to do with her, they had just spayed her mother and did not want anymore puppies, including Nikki. I could not walk away from the situation without taking her with me.
And with that last little female Cocker Spaniel of ours, is how we came up with our family pet bakery name. We took the frst letter of each of our own pets and filled in a couple of vowels to help with the pronunciation of the name; A SLoBBRiN.
Product
Through ASPCA, I researched what food items are harmful to animals. I showed all the recipes to our veterinarian and not only did she approve, but recommends our dog treats to all her patients and animals everywhere. We use all-natural, animal-friendly ingredients. The cake base is chicken broth I make at home from scratch. Instead of salt and pepper, We use garlic, carrots, celery, and parsley to flavor the broth, and never use onions. All of the coatings on the cookies are made from either a yogurt frosting or yogurt chip or a carob powder or carob chip (a coco substitute). If the recipe calls for it, we also may use cream cheese and a little honey or molasses for sweetener. We do not add any sugar to our recipes (there is sugar in the sprinkles).
Cindy and Edith
Clothes and Accessories
My sister and I started sewing 60 years ago out of necessity. Over time, we continued sewing as a hobby, and it has become a business. At first, we started selling doll accessories at farmers markets in 2017. We enjoy helping all our customers’ dress their dolls of any size. We do custom fitting for your dolls at no extra charge.
We started selling dog accessories in the wake of meeting Tim. Our first product was scarves that slide on collars. And we have now increased our dog accessories as requested by our customers.
Now, we make scarves, harnesses, collars, leashes, shirts, dresses, coats, hats, bowties, and ties. We do custom fitting for your pets, including cats and rabbits.
We also will make special request items for your pet such as dog carriers.