We didn't set out to start a homemade dog treat company.
We just wanted Oatmeal to eat.
The story of JUST CHKN starts with a picky puppy, a lot of trial and error, and a dehydrator that changed everything.
It started with Oatmeal.
When we brought home our puppy Oatmeal, we quickly realized she was going to keep us on our toes. She was underweight and struggling with the food she'd been given, nothing seemed to agree with her, and we were getting worried.
We started doing research. We'd heard about the benefits of more natural, whole-food diets for dogs, and we figured it was worth trying. We experimented with a few options before landing on dehydrated chicken, and the reaction was immediate. Oatmeal went absolutely crazy for it. Her appetite came back, we started using it as a meal topper, and for the first time we felt good about what we were feeding her. We could breathe easy.
Then came Alfredo, because every dachshund needs a friend.
When we got our second dog, Alfredo, we honestly weren't sure he'd take to it the same way. But the moment he tried his first piece of chicken, we had our answer. He was hooked instantly.
What surprised us most was how much it helped with training. Alfredo would work for these treats in a way he just wouldn't for anything else, we were able to get through commands faster and build his confidence because he genuinely wanted that reward. A treat that actually motivates changes everything!
"We were spending at least $20 for 3 – 5 oz of treats that disappeared in days. We're DIYers at heart, so eventually we thought, why not just make it ourselves?"
From our oven to a real operation.
We grabbed some sharp knives, bought chicken from the same grocery store we shop at ourselves, cranked up the oven, and gave it a go. It worked. The dogs lost their minds.
For about a year, we kept at it, making batches at home, sharing goodie bags with friends and family, refining the process. Eventually demand outgrew the oven, so we invested in a proper dehydrator. And honestly? That's when things got serious.
Today we've scaled up, but the process is still the same one we started with in our Atlanta kitchen. We slice it ourselves. We dehydrate it ourselves. We pack it by hand. And yes, Oatmeal and Alfredo still get the leftovers from every single batch.
We buy fresh chicken
From the same local grocery store we buy our own food from. No mystery supply chains.
We slice and dehydrate
By hand, in small batches, at 165°F for 14+ hours. No shortcuts, no additives.
We pack and ship
Every order is made fresh after you place it. Your dog's treats aren't sitting in a warehouse for months.
Meet the dogs behind the brand.
Every bag we make gets the Oatmeal and Alfredo seal of approval. They're our original taste-testers, our quality control, and the whole reason any of this exists.
Oatmeal
The original. The picky eater who started it all. Now JUST CHKN's most loyal customer and chief leftovers inspector.
Alfredo
Trained faster than any dog has a right to. Will do absolutely anything for a piece of chicken. Truly no notes.
