Melinda’s PetCakes Bring Out Joy In Pets…And People

If you have ever met Melinda Kirk Stenger, you know, she is someone you don’t soon forget.  Her costume of a polka dot apron alone makes you smile head to toe but it is her heart, her zest for life, and her passion that touch you, brighten your day, and make you want to spend more time with her.

Melinda and I met over coffee about a month ago. As she began showing me some of her newest creations (yummy recipes made with her PetCakes brand that she is testing for her next adventure, a high end culinary canine cookbook) and talking about what she does, and why, she had a distinct sparkle in her eyes.  Her words came easily as she shared her story, her dreams.

(By the way, she gave me samples of those recipes for my Dawson to try. He loved them!)

Beyond being one of the most genuine people, her business sense is rivaled by her creativity. When those strengths are driven by a deep sense of purpose, of course incredible achievements happen.

Melinda’s PetCakes are the first and ONLY organic, microwavable pet treats that you make at in home in just minutes. The packaging is designed in bright, whimsical colors and fonts with an adorable caricature of one of her dogs. Baking the cakes is made easy as it comes with a re-usable mold and mixes. All you do is add water and literally bake for just a couple minutes. If you keep the mold, you use it again with another flavor of Melinda’s mixes.

I know this first hand because I helped Melinda last month with one of her monthly visits to the Ronald McDonald House where she organizes a PetCakes-making activity for the children staying there.  Mixing, baking and decorating the bone shaped cakes to be given to therapy dogs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is one of their favorite things to do. The kids even wrote a personal note that Melinda will be giving to each dog gift recipient. “Hope you like extra frosting cuz I know I do. By the way, it smells so good. You are lucky doggys,” wrote one little girl.

This is the kind of sentiment Melinda sees a lot – from children and adults. It’s why she believes so much in her business. “When I watch kids pull their parents’ arms over to me, and I see how happy they are decorating their cakes, knowing they are making something healthy for their dog, I know I am doing the right thing,” she said. “For me, cooking is how I express love. When I see the joy it brings people and their dogs, it makes my whole day.”

The Road To Success

If you had asked Melinda years ago if this would be her life’s mission, no way would she have predicted this. In fact, she had been deathly afraid of dogs most of her life since being bitten by a dog as a child. It was only after meeting two Weimaraner puppies, Roxy and Zeke, that she came to understand the beautiful gift they offered – sharing Melinda’s life for 10 years. Roxy was Melinda’s soulmate, seeming to know what Melinda was thinking even before she did.

It was Melinda’s current rescue, Bella and her skin issues and allergies, that inspired cooking creations as a means for having healthy homemade treats minus wheat, corn, soy or preservatives.

When Melinda launched PetCakes in 2010 at the largest pet industry trade show, she was a complete unknown. “As fun as it is to create something unique, it was an uphill battle because I had to educate people. That was really difficult and no one wants to take a chance without a previous track record of sales,” she told me.

Still, despite that, PetCakes won ‘Best New Product of the Year’ at that show. During those first two years, she secured three design patents on three different pans, created five different recipes that became five different formulas, sold 25,000 unites in seven minutes on QVC, and exported to China. She now has over 30 different products and sells 1000s a month on Amazon.com and Chewy.com.

To anyone who else who has a dream, just as she does, Melinda has this advice, “NEVER give up and follow the 3 P Rule of Passion, Persistence, and Partnerships. You must love what you do and do what you love, and embrace the support from others.”

It is advice that has served her well.