Meet Shirley Garcia | Owner of PAWFECT Dog Barkery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shirley Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shirley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We are proud parents of four small dogs and since we don’t have children at the moment, we love to spoil them. Not only do we spoil them, but we also do our best to keep them healthy as we have had our fair share of vet visits. We have had first-hand experience at the positive changes that natural foods can have on our pets & the lack of healthy foods we can trust in the pet industry. We also used to drive 45 minutes to the nearest dog bakery for a birthday cake, so we combined these two problems we were facing as dog parents and wanted to provide a solution for all fur families in our surrounding community who may be facing the same obstacles. This is when PAWFECT Dog Barkery came to life.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My husband and I both graduated from UC Davis with our Bachelor’s degree and have been part of the healthcare field for over 12 years. As we continue to build our dog bakery, much of what we have learned in healthcare pertains to the health of our pets as well. We have been able to combine our love for dogs and our passion for pet nutrition to provide natural, healthy options for fur families who are in search of a healthier lifestyle for their pet.

This journey has been difficult as we continue to work our full-time jobs in healthcare while still accomplishing the goals we have for the bakery. This comes with long days and sleepless nights, but we are grateful for every milestone we have achieved and obstacles we have overcome along the way. Now as small business owners, we have learned that the hardest part is taking the initial step to get started and believing in yourself throughout the journey. We have to be willing to adapt and change things that may or may not work in order for the business to improve and making these changes are okay! I learned it is okay to start small with packaging, products, materials etc. and work your way up as your business begins to flourish. There is no such thing as perfect, it’s just part of the entrepreneur lifestyle and your customer’s will appreciate your hard work when it is authentically you.

We want others to know that this dog bakery was built with the intention to connect with other fur families. We are here to support other parents through their pet’s health journey & to spoil their pup as if they were our own.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We love having friends over to visit! Some spots we love to take guests to eat are Porto’s Bakery in Buena Park, Bruxie Fried Chicken & Waffles in Brea, and the Anaheim Packing District. To hang out and have a good time we like to go to Modern Times-Leisuretown in Anaheim, Downtown Disney, the Shoreline Village in Long Beach, and if they have dogs we love to go to the Dog Beach in Newport Beach!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We want to thank our family, friends, and coworkers who initially allowed us to share some of our treat samples with their pets in order to receive feedback and see if this was something we could pursue. They were all so supportive and provided so much encouragement for us to keep moving forward with this idea and we could not have started without them. In the past two years that we have been in business, we want to thank the retail stores & small businesses who have partnered with us in some way and have provided an opportunity for our shop to keep growing. To name a few would be: That Wood Be Cool, Mom & Wag, Hart of Stones, Blue Neptune, Collectively Loving Boutique, Fresh Paws Mobile Grooming, Uptown Goods, Casa Verde, Murk Doggy, and Urban Market.

Website: www.pawfectdogbarkery.com

Instagram: @pawfectdogbarkery