Pawfect in Every Way

Not many people with a disease that causes significant physical and mental challenges can put “cofounder of a nonprofit organization” on their resume.

Bryan Tuccillo has mitochondrial disease, which affects how the mitochondria in his body turns sugar and oxygen into energy. There are a variety of types of the disease and its effect on each person is different, but it commonly affects the brain, kidneys, muscles, eyes and other systems.

Diagnosed at age 4, the disease affects Bryan's ability to walk, talk, see and care for himself.

He aged out of the special educational services he was receiving from Fairfax County Public Schools at age 22, around the time his mother, Anne Tuccillo, ended her career at the U.S. Department of Education.

It was difficult for Bryan to find meaningful, consistent employment after aging out of the school system’s educational services.

“We all want to feel needed and have a sense of purpose,” Anne said.

At the encouragement of a friend who gave her the idea of making ginger snap dog treats, Anne started experimenting with dog treat recipes with Bryan in their kitchen at home in Alexandria. Bryan also got a companion animal, a Wheaten Terrier-Poodle mix named Friday.

The result of all that baking and experimenting was the founding of Pawfectly Delicious, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing meaningful opportunities for people like Bryan who are differently-abled.

The vision for the organization was “to be able to help all the young people we met along the way like Bryan,” Anne said.

Since October 2017, the nonprofit now makes thousands of from-scratch dog treats, sold through multiple outlets in and around Alexandria.

“What started as a need for my own child became something to share with others,” Anne said.

Bryan is now 30 years old and Pawfectly Delicious has a devoted following among dogs and people. The treats smell and taste just like ginger snaps, but with significantly less sugar. They are sold in four-ounce and eight-ounce resealable bags.

Seasonally, the team frosts and decorates special treats. The most popular treats are the “Naughty” and “Nice” treats at the holiday season — two bone-shaped treats decorated with the words in red and green. They also decorate treats for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and a variety of other holidays.

In addition to treats, volunteers are making paw-print coasters, dog bandanas and other items. All are available through pawfectlydelicious.org. The treats are also available at Made in ALX at 533 Montgomery St. The team, which now includes eight employees and one supervisor, creates the cookies out of the kitchen at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church — and in many ways, Anne sees it as a ministry itself.

Anne also said that people with disabilities are often really great employees. “They take pride in what they do, they show up and they work hard. They’re enthusiastic,” she said.

This year, the Pawfectly Delicious team will be leading the ALX Dog Walk this spring and participating in the dog show judging during the event.