Beth is our General Manager; she keeps everything running smoothly and is the main point of contact for our customers and vendors. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2002 with a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science and is a member of the American Society of Animal Science. Proud to be Aunt Jeni's very first employee, she has seen the company grow and flourish over the years. From shipping, production, management, and testing she has done it all. She is also our resident Cat Person, and shares her home with her cat, Ted.
Paul is our Shipping Manager, responsible for order fulfillment, Maintenance Manager and Forklift Instructor. In his spare time he enjoys playing video games and annoying his cat, Jasmine.
Lovingly referred to as our "Veggie Mama," Joyce takes care of all the non-meat ingredients in our pet food recipes: ordering, inspecting, weighing, and washing. She enjoys photography as a hobby and is responsible for these great photos of our ingredients. Joyce shares her home with rescue kitties named Monkey, Daisy, C.C. and Tadpole.
Marleni is originally from El Salvador but has become an American citizen and embraces all things American, from our food to our weather (even the really cold days). She especially enjoys learning new English phrases and expressions. At Aunt Jeni's, Marleni supervises the production of our treats and assists with production of our food. She also has a license to drive our forklift. Marleni lives with her husband and two children.
Jane is our Customer Service person. Having grown up on a dairy farm in Virginia, Jane moved to Maryland and was a career county police officer for 23 years. Jane discovered the power of providing optimal nutrition through her own experiences with the many dogs she has shared her life with over the years. Various health issues such as Cushing's, diabetes, and cancer led her to explore alternatives to kibble. When she discovered Aunt Jeni's raw food, there was no turning back! These days, in addition to pitching in at Aunt Jeni's, she owns her own pet sitting and dog walking business.
Lupe is one of our Production Assistants. She is married and has 3 children and a Pit Bull mix named Sugar. In her spare time she enjoys outdoor activities with her children.
Napoleon is our Production Manager. He is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia and along with his wife and three children recently relocated to Southern Maryland. He enjoys riding motorcycles, playing sports with his children, and is an avid record collector. He is also the proud Dog Dad to a 3 year old Cane Corso named Mushu.
Gone but never forgotten, Rascal was our official company mascot. His story: Rascal is our company mascot, having outlived his two Doberman “moms” who were also part of the family when Aunt Jeni’s Home Made was started in 1999. Rascal is a mixed breed who was left as a puppy, tied up in an industrial park and abandoned over a hot July weekend with no food, water or shade. We estimated his age at approximately 6 months. That was in 1998. Since then, he has grown up eating only our products and has become one of the best and smartest dogs ever. He has an important staff position as Official Taste Tester, assisting us with perfecting any new treats or recipes. He also doubles as our Official Greeter, having trained the UPS driver to bring him daily treats. He’s still working on winning over the mailman, though. He comes to work every day, where he has his own office, his own water cooler, and even a private outdoor garden for conducting important doggy business. He also appears in all of our group photos, usually found on the back cover of our print catalog and also published on our website. The print here is from our recent photo shoot for Pet Food Industry magazine, where Rascal will be the “cover boy” on the August, 2009 issue. UPDATE: Sadly, Rascal departed for Rainbow Bridge on April 26, 2011. He passed very suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving us all shell shocked and devastated. Due to his death, the torch has now been passed to Reilly, the newest rescue to join our staff.
This adorable little girl was rescued in May, 2011 by Aunt Jeni, with help from Best DAWG Rescue. After her owner passed away, Reilly was left in the home with 3 other dogs, all on their own to fend for themselves until they were discovered 2 weeks later and taken to the county shelter. Reilly was adopted from the shelter, but her new owners "lost" her after less than an hour! Instead of looking for her, they went back to the shelter and got a different dog. Reilly was once again on her own, this time loose on the streets until the shelter crew finally located and recaptured her two weeks later. This time, she was given to Best DAWG Rescue, who took over her care and brought her to one of their local adoption shows. That was where Aunt Jeni first laid eyes on the skinny, scared little waif, hiding under a chair and peering out with big, sad, worried eyes. One week later, Reilly joined Aunt Jeni's home and crawled straight into her heart. No longer starving, lonely or cold, this lucky pup is now living "the life of Reilly."
Reilly has overcome the trauma of her past and is now giving back through her work as an official Therapy Dog, registered with Therapy Dogs, Inc. She is the proud owner of an extensive wardrobe of handmade sweaters that come in handy during our chilly winter weater. She enjoys wearing one of her many sweaters or costumes on her weekly visits to a local nursing home as well as during her monthly participation in the Read to Rover program at our local library.
"Big brother" to Reilly, this handsome boy was adopted through Best DAWG Rescue in May 2012. Thor was dumped at the shelter with his lifelong companion (a small female dog about the same size as Reilly) at the advanced age of 10, after spending his first ten years with the same family. (Who does that?!) Abandoned, Bewildered, Confused, these are not the ABCs any dog deserves. Worse yet, when the first rescue group came to take the pair and keep them together, it was discovered that Thor had heartworms, and the rescue refused to take him. What are the chances for an old dog with heartworms to be adopted from the overcrowded shelter? Luckily Best DAWG Rescue found out about this boy and Aunt Jeni spotted his photo and agreed to foster him during his heartworm treatment. What followed was such an immediate and close bond between Thor and Reilly that Thor became a permanent part of the family. He survived his heartworm treatment and has taken to his role of "body guard" very naturally. Now 15 years old, he looks and acts half his age, thanks to the great food made by Aunt Jeni's Home Made!