Today I am so happy to share with you all my interview with Katarina, the lovely founder of all natural veggie pet bakery: Lola’s Cookie Jar. Katarina kindly sent some vegan treats for my gang to try out and they were big fans (read more about that in my last post), so I was really excited to get to know more about this awesome little business and how it all got started. I’m sure you’ll love reading Katarina and her gorgeous pup Lola’s story as much as I did ▹▸▹▸

Q: I love that your business sells all natural veggie & vegan dog treats as they are so hard to find! Tell us all about Lola’s Cookie Jar and how you became a small business owner. What were your main inspirations and influences?

A: 10 years ago I got Lola from a Windsor Pet Shop that got closed down for selling sick puppy mill puppies. Lola was a half Yorkie half Dachshund puppy that stole my heart with one glance, I looked at her, she looked at me and in that moment I knew she was gonna be my dog and I was gonna be her human. She is truly the best dog a girl could have. We traveled the world together and Lola got to go to Europe 2 times. She spent over 6 months in Europe on the coast of Adriatic Sea before she turned 1 – I seriously took her everywhere. She got to see Cancun Mexico and the Bahamas 2 times and she absolutely loves to travel. When she sees the suitcases she gets so excited that there is no doubt in my head that she knows that we are going somewhere for vacation.

Although we have lots of fun together not all of our 10 years have been fun and games. Lola has had a series of health problems, probably 10 times more problems than an average dog. She is in and out of vet offices and we usually have to have at least 2 surgeries per year. I had to work 2 jobs to pay my vets. Lola has an extra vertebra deformity that pressed on a nerve and caused severe pain in her back legs. She is doing great now but not long ago she was completely on bed rest. I had to carry her out to pee and hold her up in the air, she couldn’t do anything alone for 4 months. I even traveled to see an out of country Neurologist in the US that specializes in these issues to try and help her the best I can. Thank God she is doing great now but for the rest of her life no stairs or running. She has also had issues with Cancer, Liver, Kidneys and that’s what got me into the low protein, holistic, vegetarian food and treats.

Currently Lola is on a Renal Diet and I prepare her food from scratch. Her diet is mostly vegetables and Sol fish and fish oils. She can’t have chicken, beef, pork or lamb. Only a low protein, kidney safe diet. I love the fact that both of our lifestyles include fresh foods. I believe that nature has a solution to every problem if you look hard enough. Nature’s little miracles are not just for humans but for animals too and that is why I use nature’s power food and herbs for our furry kids. Milkthisle has helped my Lola so much, and Chamomile, don’t even get me started on Chamomile, and Turmeric – I love giving her my Heart Healthy Treats.  So to sum it up the cookies were all for her, she is my motivation for everything. What can I say? My love for her brings out the best in me.

Q: That’s awesome that a predominantly veggie diet has been able to help with Lola’s health problems! Have you got any tips for someone hoping to start up their own small veggie/vegan business?

A: My tip to anyone starting their own business is to make sure you choose something you truly love!!!! Something that comes natural to you, something that you are truly passionate about, and once you start don’t let anything hold you back!!!

Q: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

A: And if I could eat one last meal of food I choose Pomegranate!!!!! Pomegranate is my favorite fruit. I have a tree in the back yard of my Croatia home and I miss that fruit more than anything in the world. Since I was a kid I would clean 4 or 5 of them and eat them all, that’s how much I love it. What can I say? I love my fruit! If you ask any of my girlfriends they will tell you I am fruit crazy lol.

Q: Describe a day in the life of Katarina…

A: My favorite day is a day with my family. We love to go to the beach and lay and feel the sun on our skin… Lola loves to nap on the beach in the shade and go on walks in the park. I am a simple girl who doesn’t need fancy things to make her happy. All I need is my dog Lola, and my mom, Lola’s Granny, feels the same way. Seeing Lola happy is instant joy to both of our hearts. Some people have their kids, we have our Lola.  My family is my everything.

Q: Do you have a favourite inspirational quote to leave us with?

A: My inspirational quote of the day is “Believe In The Glory Of Your Dreams”.

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Thank you so much Katarina for sharing yours and Lola’s story with us. It’s so inspiring to know how beneficial a holistic, veggie diet can be for our furry friends too. To learn more or to order some yummy dog treats, check out Lola’s Cookie Jar here.