Brainchild of a child: Dixon girl means business with her La Barkery doggie treats

DIXON – When grade school student Alaina Van Fleet wanted to make some money, she didn’t have a lemonade stand in mind to starting her career as a young entrepreneur.

The Dixon 10-year-old girl owns and operates La Barkery, which sells homemade treats for man’s best friends.

The Van Fleet home is a busy place occupied by a trio of children, her mother and father Jen and Jon, and a pair of chocolate labradors Kane, 5, and Lady, 8 months.

As with any home, it has rules to follow. One of the most important rules is no jumping on the kitchen counter when Alaina’s working. Those who follow that rule will get one of Alaina’s treats – well, if they’re Kane or Lady they will.

La Barkery has its own phone number, Facebook page, a supply budget and many repeat customers who have helped spread the word.

“They’ll say, ‘My dog loves them so much, may I please have more?’” Alaina said. “I’ll have so many people because so many other people want them as well.”

Alaina, who started making dog treats in February, celebrated her 10th birthday in June.

After a few months of making and baking her treats while balancing her business with her schoolwork, Alaina said she truly enjoys what she’s doing. It’s not just the money she’s making that brings a smile to her face – it’s the smiles she brings to her customers, both the dogs and their owners, that thrills her the most.

“I get to sometimes go around to other places than just Dixon to go to deliver, and see the dogs get so happy with their treats,” she said.

Alaina thinking about starting her own venture after being around dogs at home, as well as capitalizing on the teamwork and camaraderie she felt working with others in softball, cheerleading, Girl Scouts and 4-H. Alaina said she found being in those clubs not only fun, but also has a “giving back” feel that she took to heart.

“I just wanted to make some money for myself, help out with the community and kind of be involved with the community,” she said. “Just something I completely thought of in my head.”

Alaina found her cookie cutters on Amazon.com, thought about some flavors – pumpkin and peanut butter being her first two – and researched recipes online. The rest was her working her magic. Her treats come in the shapes of dog bones, dog houses, paw prints and sitting dogs.

Alaina has refined her recipes since making her first batch, which turned out a bit too tough. How did she know? Kane and Lady are her best critics, and now her treats are fluffier and softer.

“First I’ll start with a bowl and put some flour, about five cups of flour, four eggs, a whole can of pumpkins, four tablespoons of peanut butter, one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and some water, and then mix it all together until we have some dough consistency,” Alaina said. “Then you roll it out and cut it out with the cookie cutters, put them on a tray and put them in the oven at 350 degrees.”

One benefit of Alaina’s dog treats is that they’re organic. It’s healthier for the dogs, she said, something she learned from her mom.

“It leaves it open to more animals, and you don’t have to worry about if something’s a health risk,” Jen Van Fleet said. “No chemicals or different things like that.”

Pumpkin and peanut butter were such a hit with customers that it led to finding out what other kinds of treats dogs enjoy. Applesauce and banana flavors were added to the menu.

In the months that La Barkery has been around, nearly 100 customers have submitted orders from as far away as Aurora.

The family has been in Dixon since 2017, and Alaina said she’s enjoyed her time growing up in the community. The Madison Elementary fifth grader has made plenty of friends, and they have fun playing games such as Minecraft and Roblox.

Alaina wants to use her profits to buy her own gaming computer one day.

“There’s some games that I have, but I can’t play it on the Xbox,” she said. “But I can play them on a gaming computer.”

Learning about how businesses work, such as interacting with customers, brainstorming, building, operating and sustaining an operation, has helped Alaina grow in many ways, Jen Van Fleet said.

“It’s been interesting,” Jen Van Fleet said. “I was surprised at how it took off and how quickly it took people in town to support her, want to help her out and spread the word. It’s been nice to see her grow and just take ownership of it, really.”

For information or to order a furry friend some of Alaina’s treats, find La Barkery on Facebook or call 708-296-2324.

Cody Cutter

Cody Cutter

These days, Cody Cutter primarily writes for Sauk Valley Media's "Living" magazines and specialty publications in northern Illinois, including the monthly "Lake Lifestyle" magazine for Lake Carroll. He also covers sports and news on occasion; he has covered high school sports in northern Illinois for more than 20 years in online and print formats.