Pooch Perfect at Four Leaf Clover Bakery

Pooch Perfect at Four Leaf Clover Bakery

By Anita L. Sherman

“I was having a panic attack,” said Clarissa Dery as she headed to the Fredericksburg Farmer’s Market. “What if I’m the only vendor that doesn't sell anything?"

Not to worry. Within two hours, she had sold out all of her homemade canine treats and the rest is dog heaven history.

Clarissa, 26, owns Four Leaf Clover Holistic Pet Bakery located in Old Town Warrenton. In July, she’ll celebrate a one-year anniversary at her current location which houses a commercial kitchen where she does all of the baking and packaging.

Clarissa Dery with her dog Stella.

Many locals (and certainly their four-footedfriends) already are familiar with Clarissa and her treats. They contain no corn, grains or synthetic preservatives, no by-products and no factory farmed meats.

She’s branded her product selling at the local farmer’s markets in Fauquier for several years.

Dog biscuits lovingly made at Four LeafClover Bakery in Warrenton.

Photos by Anita L. Sherman

As Clarissa shared her journey recently, she smiled lovingly at her two pet Pitbull mixes, Stella and Luna.

“She is my soulmate,” Clarissa said of Stella, the older of the two. Luna came later because “basically, she’d been abandoned,” and Clarissa agreed to take on a second pet. The addition of these two dogs set her on a path of discovery. Both dogs were challenged with allergies, yeast issues, and stomach upsets. Stella had a never-ending rash on her underbelly. Vet visits and expensive meds were not helping, but Clarissa was determined to tackle her dog’s health issues.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, she majored in English with a minor in law. “I thought I wanted to be an attorney,” she said, adding that she quickly realized that an office environment was not the answer.

In her research to help her pets, Clarissa became a certified canine nutritionist and a certified acute canine herbalist. Her company was born out of love for her animals.

Now, she wants to share her knowledge and products with other pet owners. She sees nutritional treats as having a purposeful place in a dog’s diet.

Clarissa has researched ingredients in many commercial dog food products. They won’t be found in Stella or Luna’s bowls.

Instead, she uses organic turmeric, freshly chopped ginger, locally sourced wild flower honey, organic chia seeds, grass-fed beef liver, pumpkin or goat’s milk to name a few.

Most days, Clarissa can be found baking in her Old Town kitchen. The shop is open a few days a week for walk-in customers and a good deal of business is handled online.

She also takes her treats to the Warrenton Farmers Market, Marshall Farmer’s Market, Archwood Green Barns Farmer’s Market (The Plains), Hunt Country Market of Upperville, Haymarket Farmer’s Market and the Vint Hill Farmer’s Market. Elizabeth Melson, the Archwood manager, is a fan. “I’ve watched her over the years, starting at the markets and then getting her own kitchen,” she said. “She’s quite the entrepreneur…it’s awesome to see her growth.” Not to mention the well-being of her own two dogs. Luna, the once ugly runt, is now a svelte four-year-old with black, shiny, soft fur and a sweet disposition. Eight-year-old Stella has long been off monthly allergy shots and no longer suffers from rashes. Clarissa’s challenge these days is keeping up with the demand. “It would be nice to not have every market sell out!”

Details: Four Leaf Clover Holistic Pet Bakery, 9 N. 5th Street, Warrenton. www.fourleafclover.net.