Full Confession: I don’t own a dog. 

Yes... you read that correctly. I don’t own a dog. Yet I make delicious, organic homemade treats that your dog will love and you will be proud to feed them.

Let me explain... Twenty years ago, I left France -- a dog-loving culture if there ever was one -- and moved to Brooklyn. In my new home, where I quickly became absorbed in the whirlwind routines of a young family, creative employment, and home cooking – a passionate lifelong hobby -- I right away noticed that people took the love of Le chien to an entirely different level. Dog owners here are like parents who can’t stop talking about their kids...  And if the kids just happen, by an accident of fate, to be animals, c’est la vie. 

So, when a Brooklyn friend asked me to dogsit for a week one Christmas, I knew I was being given an honor as well as a très très grande responsibility. 

(A quick aside: Since the pronoun  “it” doesn't exist in French, I will for the sake of clarity and relatability call all dogs “Billy” – a name that holds a special place in my home. I will also, for the sake of wokeness and keeping up with the political times as reflected in the preferred pronoun culture, refer to “them” as “she.”) 

So voilà all dogs are Billy and all Billys are She.

I wasn’t surprised when Billy was delivered with toys, blankets, bed, a huge bag of dog food, smaller bags of treats and supplements, as well as three pages of explanation regarding her habits and schedule, along with a list of dos and don'ts for me, the substitute caregiver. I did the same when I left my son in someone else’s care. 

But after the first couple of days of caring for Billy alongside my kids, I noticed a difference. While I was shopping and chopping and measuring and baking and cooking to make sure my kids, my husband and myself had the best homemade, organically grown, sustainably produced food possible -- at the very same meals I was serving Billy... processed crap. Excuse my French. The contents of Billy’s bowl, I couldn’t help but see, did not reflect Billy’s esteemed rank in our home.  Non, non, non...

I decided then and there to rectify the situation. It was the holiday season, and I had the time, so I started baking for Billy... which gave birth to Le Big Bone... an endeavor that brings together all parts of my identity: French immigrant, chef, and dedicated caretaker of all living things, animal and human.

In food business parler: Billy was my first “at home taste tester.” Perhaps you are thinking that is la stupidité dogs are pleased with any leftovers that fall from our tables… Excusez-moi, I can assure you that some experiments were more successful than others….  I could tell by a certain je ne sais quoi in the wag of the tail and a twinkle in the eyes. I also tested all my products myself, as they are all good for humans, and found some too hard, some too meaty and some quite delicious. 

Soon, I expanded my testing panel to others. I asked parents what they expected from a treat, if it should be chewed and savored for a while, munched quickly, tongue tingling and salty or just plain sweet. I charted the reactions of all sorts of dogs: big, small, old, young, picky or piggy… Oui, oui, oui... 

At long last I am proud to introduce GeeSnax to all dogs and their parents. We offer a treat that is crispy, smells appetizing and lasts long enough to satisfy the dog, while being full of things parents love, nutrients and fibers. And what’s more, each treat is rubbed with coconut-oil so parents’ fingers don’t smell like the dog’s food! Pew-pew-pew... 

Bien alors… I also want to make a solemn promise that Le Big Bone and Daily Bites will always promote sustainability. In order to reduce our carbon footprint, I source, when possible, all the ingredients locally and ensure they are organically grown. I also package our treats in a compostable, heat-sealed bag that will not pollute the earth. So as to use what is available instead of adding to the heap of new manufacturing, our labels are printed on old stock paper -- and only if that runs out -- tree zero paper. 

Baked with love in BedStuy for all the parents who know each of their dogs is different and special and the smartest and the cutest and the prettiest and the strongest and the fluffiest and the softest and simply Le meilleur.

And if you ever see me with a Billy, I get to say “but dis is not my dog” in a classic inspector Cluzot accent, which will always make me laugh.