SLP Business Brings Dog Treats on a Stick to Fair for 5th Straight Year

For the fifth year in a row, a St. Louis Park business is making sure our canine friends can enjoy food on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair, too.

Amy and Tony Waara, who own The Dog Perk, make the dog biscuit on a stick, a simple enough creation that features a homemade dog biscuit on a rawhide skewer.

The dog biscuit on a stick debuted in 2008, and the Waaras sold a respectable 150 or so. But when the doggy treat made the blue ribbon coupon book a year later, business really exploded.

“We baked 400 and went in on the first day with 50,” Tony Waara said, “(and) there were literally people with coupons everywhere. I’m on the phone with Amy saying, ‘Bring everything.’”

This year, The Dog Perk is once again featured in the blue ribbon book. Fair-goers with the coupon get a buy-one-get-one-free on the biscuits, or get $2 off The Dog Perk's signature item—dog bandanas.

The pooch accessories come in a variety of colors, and many feature funny phrases, such as “Mailman: The Breakfast of Champions” and “Woof-da.” The Waaras said they now have upward of 140 unique designs, including a rescue and adoption line that they sell to local shelters at a reduced rate.

With these on display at the fair, Tony Waara said it’s easy to get people to swing by The Dog Perk’s booth in the Pet Center.

“They stop in their tracks and start laughing,” he said.

For more on The Dog Perk, read this . You can also watch a video of them at the fair last year above.