When Gracie was done with school, We Didn’t Know What Came Next

How Gracie’s Doggie Delights Began by Creating an Opportunity of Our Own

Ten years ago, Grace was done with school. She had had enough. She was bored. She wasn’t learning, and we knew it was time for the next chapter of her life. But like so many parents of young adults with differing abilities, we found ourselves asking a question we didn’t quite know how to answer:

What comes next?

We started looking for employment opportunities. Something meaningful. Something she could feel proud of. Something she would actually enjoy doing.

But again and again, we ran into the same reality.

The available jobs weren’t a good fit.
Or they lacked purpose.
Or they simply weren’t something Grace could feel passionate about.

And as parents, that’s what we wanted most — not just a job to fill the hours, but work that mattered to her.

Grace has always loved animals — especially dogs. Her own rescue dogs have never just been pets… they’ve been family. So we began to wonder:

What if the opportunity didn’t already exist?

What if we could create one?

We couldn’t find a job Grace would be passionate about — so we created one. We tapped into Gracie’s love for our beloved family miniature schnauzers.

We contacted our local butcher, who was freeze drying his own dog treats. The initial plan was to work there, but we had a different idea. What if we did this on our own? We knew nothing about starting — let alone running — a business. But we dove in.

At the time, it was incredibly small. Just our family and friends purchased. We remember packing the very first order for our very first G-Dog customer, a pup named Lambeau. More family and friends ordered, and Gracie packed them in our dining room.

We said, “If this is it, this is fine.” Gracie was working and happy.

But on day two, something remarkable happened.

A woman named Sue made a purchase. It was our first order where we didn’t recognize the name. And all of a sudden, a bunch of orders came in from Long Island, NY. Sue, a retired special education teacher, found us on Facebook. She just happened to work with the greyhound rescue group. Sales took off.

Ten years later, tens of thousands of orders have followed those first exciting sales.

From the beginning, Grace has poured her heart into this work — packaging, labeling, and dreaming of making pets as happy as her own rescue dogs. What started as a simple way to share her love of dogs has grown into something we could have never imagined.

One of the most meaningful parts of this journey has been hearing from other families — especially parents of young adults with differing abilities — who have reached out to share that Grace’s story has made them start thinking differently about their own child’s interests, passions, and futures.

About what they love.
About what might be possible someday.
About what opportunity could look like — even if it doesn’t follow a traditional path.

“If it stays like this, that’s fine.” But we are ready for whatever our next chapter is, and we know that you, the G-Dog Family, will be with us all the way.