Meet your Neighbour: A lockdown helps create a 'Pawsitively Good' business

Hannah de Roux and her dog, Brady (Source: Hannah de Roux)

London, Ont. — Meet 17-year-old Hannah de Roux, owner of Pawsitively Good, maker of healthy homemade dog treats.

During the second provincial lockdown, de Roux was laid off from her part time retail job. With school moving online at the same time, she was feeling overwhelmed with being at home.

Losing work while preparing to attend university in the fall helped de Roux discover her passion for business.

"I love dogs and enjoy baking so I started making and selling dog treats," said de Roux.

De Roux purchased supplies, designed the imagery and packaging, and created a platform on social media to promote her work.

"It started off being just family and friends, and now it has over 200 followers!"

The first recipes used for her business came from her grandmother. De Roux decided to find some healthy recipes to expand her product line.

"After some trial and error, and lots of puppy taste tests, we came up with some staple treats for the business like Bacon Buddies, Blueberry Delight and Apple Oaties."

Dogs with special dietary restrictions won't feel left out.

"All of our treats are made to order, so if there are any dietary concerns, we take care to modify our recipes to accommodate them."

In an effort to be socially responsible, Pawsitively Good uses eco-friendly packaging and a portion of all their sales goes directly to the Humane Society of London & Middlesex.

Hannah with her pup, Brady - the dog behind the brand 

Those interested in purchasing treats from Pawsitively Good can do so online. Contactless porch pick up and local delivery within London is available.

"I have really enjoyed doing this so far so ideally, with the help of my sister, I will be able to continue it through university and after. I would love to keep it going and expand eventually."