Area residents can celebrate International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day by rewarding the dogs you care about with Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits. Producing the canine-approved treats provides employment opportunities for those who have dropped out of the workforce due to mental health concerns or substance use disorder.

February 23, 2022, is National Dog Biscuit Day, also observed worldwide as International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day.

Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits, a social enterprise based in Jamestown, is offering treats for area dogs. The ingredients in the biscuits are simply gluten free flour, natural peanut butter, oats and water.

While the origin of National Dog Biscuit Day is uncertain, it is known that dog biscuits were created in the mid-19th century by James Spratt, an electrician and lightning rod salesman from Cincinnati.

Launched with a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits is a dynamic new social enterprise: a business created to further a social purpose in a financially sustainable way.

A partnership of Jamestown’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County (MHA), Father Bernard’s exists to celebrate connection – with dogs and their human families – while providing employment opportunities for those who have dropped out of the workforce due to mental health and substance use concerns.

Though technically the enterprise is producing dog biscuits, its real outcome will be getting people in recovery back into the workforce.

Having shared a bag with his own pets, Dr. Robert Rappole, veterinarian and owner of Moonbrook Veterinary Hospital in Jamestown, says, “I can happily confirm that Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits are the best canine treats I have ever eaten… a healthy, safe treat that will get a wag from your pet and help our community.”

Father Bernard’s Blessed Biscuits can be ordered and mailed from FatherBernards.com.

For pick-up at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 410 N. Main St., Jamestown, send a Facebook message (facebook.com/FatherBernards) or email FatherBernards@StLukesJamestown.org with the details of your order.

The MHA is a peer recovery center with programs in Jamestown and Dunkirk that offer support groups and individual coaching for people looking to improve their lives, deepen wellness, thrive in recovery or support those on a recovery path. To learn more, call (716) 661-9044 or visit MHAChautauqua.org or facebook.com/MHAChautauqua. All MHA services are free.