Gone to the dogs: Workshop gets tails wagging with homemade treats

A workshop for adults living with intellectual challenges in New Glasgow, N.S. has gone to the dogs.

Summer Street Industries has started making all natural, homemade dog treats - just one of the many programs that allow clients to integrate and contribute to their larger community.

“They're actively participating in our social enterprise. It's a job for them, so at the same time they're learning life skills, they're actually working and providing us products to sell here at the store,” says Paula Irving, a spokeswoman for Summer Street.

The dog treats are made with natural ingredients. Once the dough is mixed and rolled, it's cut into bone shapes before being placed in the oven.

Baker Marja Jorgensen spreads the duties around so that everyone learns something new.

“What I really like is working with the clients,” says Jorgensen. “Teaching them how to cook, a lot of the clients don't get to cook, so they get a chance to cook here.”

Summer Street recently opened a second-hand clothing store called New Beginnings, and the treats are available there.

“They were really excited when we opened the store and everyone wanted to be a part of it and that's why everything that we do in here touches our clients in some way,” says Irving.

Irving says they hope to start experimenting with other flavours of dog treats in the next few weeks, and when it comes to sales, any dough raised goes back into the bakery.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh