0216: Mixed Mutt Creamery with Sherri Corwin

Sherri and Don Corwin welcome us to Mixed Mutt Creamery on Kansas City’s 39th Street. They offer treats for dogs and humans alike while providing much-needed support for dog rescue groups.

Mixed Mutt Creamery online:
MixedMuttCreamery.com
Facebook.com/mixed.mutt.23
Instagram.com/mixedmuttcreamery

Subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel for videos like Peaches’ visit to Mixed Mutt Creamery.

From the Dog Words archives:
0140: Beer Paws with Crystal Wiebe

Remember to watch America’s Got Talent June 8 on NBC and vote for The Canine Stars!

Celebrate 5 years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com.

Music for this episode is provided by alternative string duo, The Wires. Visit them at TheWires.info. Learn fiddle and cello-fiddle online — even if you've never played before — from Laurel Morgan Parks and Sascha Groshang at FiddleLife.com.

The transcript for this episode is available on the Dog Words Buzzsprout page: Buzzsprout.com/840565.

Make a donation at RosieFund.org or through our Facebook page. You can contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Also check out our page on BarkYours, the online mall with gifts for people who love their dogs.

Rosie Fund online:
RosieFund.org
Facebook.com/rosiefund
Instagram.com/rosiefund
YouTube.com/rosiefund

Transcript

SHERRI  0:03 
Some of our regular customers would bring their dogs and then we're like, "Oh, we should make something for them."

PHIL   0:12 
I'm Phil Hatterman and this is Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Today, Sherri and Don Corwin welcome us to Mixed Mutt Creamery on Kansas City's 39th Street. They offer treats for dogs and humans alike while providing much-needed support for dog rescue groups.

If you're new to this podcast, in each episode we explore the world of dog care and companionship. "We save each other" is the motto of Rosie Fund, which simply means the more we do for dogs, the more they do for us. And they already do a lot.

If you love dogs, you'll love Dog Words. We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Go to the podcast page at RosieFund.org to share your thoughts. We welcome suggestions for topics and guests. Please download, follow, rate, and, most importantly, share Dog Words.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Links are in the description. Your donations help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits that make sure the senior and harder-to-adopt dogs have some of the items they'll need in their forever home.

Please follow Rosie Fund on social media. Subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel that offers great videos of Rosie, Peaches, and shelter dogs, including some exclusive content like Peaches' visit to Mixed Mutt Creamery.

Next time on Dog Words, pack up your pooch for a canine camp getaway.

The mission of Rosie Fund is to provide humans with the resources and education they need to give senior and harder-to-adopt dogs a better life. We thank you for joining our mission.

We're at Mixed Mutt Creamery on 39th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, watching Peaches polish off a cup of what is obviously delicious ice cream. And we need clean up on aisle one. There's slobber all over the floor. And I am joined by Sherri Corwin, the co-founder of Mixed Mutt Creamery. Welcome to the show. Sherri.

SHERRI  2:19 
Thank you so much for having me today.

PHIL   2:21 
And thank you so much for giving Peaches a treat. There will be howling shortly when he realizes this is gone and she wants more. So be warned. Don't let that throw you.

SHERRI  2:30 
I can't wait!

PHIL   2:31 
Mixed Mutt Creamery, as I said, is on 39th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. Those of you who are familiar with 39th Street, we're at the East end, sort of the gateway right where then all of the wonderful shops and restaurants start as you head towards KU Med and just a beautiful location. You've got this nice deck here where you can come and feed your dogs ice cream. Dog-friendly ice cream specifically for them. So it's not like a pup cup you get at a drive through at some other place that serves humans. This is for the dogs.

SHERRI  3:04 
Right. It is lactose free, wheat free. Very limited ingredients. Specifically made for dogs. That it can be a good treat. It has less sugar, less salt. Organic or natural. So we really spent some time trying to make sure it was something that could be a healthy good treat that they would really enjoy.

PHIL   3:26 
Your shop also has other vendors' products in here. There's Beer Paws. Beer Paws founder Crystal Wiebe was on a while back. I'll link to her interview in the description for this episode. But then lots of other dog and human product. There's beverages and dog beds, and mugs, and dog toys, dog treats collars. Just a fun place to shop and hang out. Not only do you have that great deck out front, but you have some dog beds and on the wall it says, "Hound Hangout." And it's a great hound hangout. So, obviously, it's also dog friendly. You can bring your dog in.

SHERRI  4:10 
Yes! Yes!

PHIL   4:11 
This is a wonderful space. Where did this space come from, Sherri?

SHERRI  4:16 
We were thinking how much we enjoyed taking our first dog, Starbuck to Murray's that used to be here many years ago down in the Westport area and go on a little ice cream date with our dog. And we loved that so much. We just moved back here last June. So I'm not sure when Murray's closed. But we don't really have anything like that where you can go on a date with your dog where the dogs are allowed inside and we thought that would be awesome. And so we kind of set it up like that. I made sure there was treats for people that were just as special as the treats for the dogs, so you really could take your dog out on a date.

PHIL   5:05 
I love the date perspective on it. Because Bar K is a great place to go with your dog. But it's far from intimate.

SHERRI  5:13 
Yes.

PHIL   5:13 
It's like a date at Worlds of Fun.

SHERRI  5:15 
Yes, exactly.

PHIL   5:17 
So that can be a date. But to have someplace intimate to just kind of hang out that's a little more quiet and subdued and is not going to just fuel your dog's energy and have them all wound up. But just kind of unwind. Enjoy some snacks and chill. Yeah, this is a great date spot.

SHERRI  5:35 
Yeah, with the pandemic we were also making those date boxes in case you're not really comfortable coming out, yet. And they can be delivered to your house. And it's free delivery in the area.

PHIL   5:48 
If someone is interested in accessing your free delivery or just wants to see your menu online, MixedMuttCreamery.com.

SHERRI  5:58 
Yes.

PHIL   5:58 
And that link will, of course, be in the description. You serve dogs more than just food. There's another way you serve dogs. Tell us about your business model.

SHERRI  6:07 
We try to partner with other companies that have similar missions and drives that we have. Whether they're giving 20% up to 100% back to rescues and shelters across the country. Or whether they're trying to make the earth a better place and they use nothing but 100% recycled material. Or we represent some little farmers that are trying to save the bees.

PHIL   6:36 
We need that sorely.

SHERRI  6:38 
We do. So we're trying to save the bees, the earth, and the pups. That's kind of our goal. Ultimately, we thought we also wanted to have a sanctuary at some point. But I think that the partnership that we're starting to develop with shelters in and around the area and what we can do there, or things like this, this radio show that also has an amazing mission, I think that our partnership and our involvement in this is our way to give back.

PHIL   7:17 
Rosie Fund has evolved since we started it because we had a plan for how we were going to honor Rosie's memory. Yes, Peaches, do you want to tell this story? You've heard it so many times. Yes, Peaches always has thoughts. But it's evolved as we found where there were opportunities to serve and how we could help dogs in a way different from what we initially thought.

SHERRI  7:47 
That's what I'm finding, yeah.

PHIL   7:48 
It's interesting that you've done the same thing that, "Let's get started. And then as we learn will evolve, we'll pivot." That's an important message for any of our listeners out there who thought about, "I want to do something and here's what I want to do!" And maybe their dream is a sanctuary but there's that obstacle of where's the space for that? And then how do I run it? Do I need to have a vet on staff? Do I need to partner with a vet or a dog trainer? And what is the code in my municipality? Can I do that? Or do I need to move? That's a lot of stuff to figure out.

SHERRI  8:25 
It is. Funding.

PHIL   8:26 
But just getting started on something.

SHERRI  8:28 
Yeah. Yeah. And how you, yeah...

PHIL   8:29 
So figure out if you like to make dog treats dog ice cream, let's start there. And maybe that will evolve into a sanctuary or maybe that will pivot into something else that we enjoy that still meets a need.

SHERRI  8:42 
Yeah, yeah. When we went out to the outreach program through the Humane Society and Don got to really see some dogs in some really harsh spaces. It's kind of a reality of like, "Oh my gosh! There's so many other things that we can also do." It doesn't have to be about what we initially thought was gonna to be the ultimate dream. I think this is going to be the ultimate dream. And it's gonna to be helping in so many different ways that we didn't even think of. We're having our first adoption soon. And we have some of those coming up throughout the summer. Doing the outreach program, again. The shelter desperately needed treats so we made 100 treats to take to them. So I think we're going to find our calling is definitely this for sure. And I think we're gonna to find a lot of different ways that we can keep spreading that.

PHIL   9:38 
Having events like an adoption event or even just being a vendor at someone else's event is going to raise awareness, hopefully, inspire people to take action in their own way. But just the fact that that gives people an opportunity to help. The fact that you're there and they can buy a treat for their dog and by doing that they will help other dogs. That's just a wonderful business model. It's so exciting. What feedback have you gotten from customers as they come in? Do they know when they come in exactly what they're getting into? Or do you get a lot of people just wander in, "Mixed Mutt Creamery? What is going on?"

SHERRI  10:18 
Yes, pretty much that. Especially because they're not expecting all of the other things that we've had. We've maximized our 800 square feet, every inch of it pretty much. And so they are surprised. Yes.

PHIL   10:32 
You say you've maximized this space. You have maximized it efficiently. It's full but it doesn't feel crowded.

SHERRI  10:41 
Oh, good. Thank you.

PHIL   10:42 
That you you utilize the wall space. There's a flow to it. And that you still have the Hounds Hangout space. You open at 11, so show up at 11. And we're recording this before you open. And there's this nice sun coming in. So some morning midday sun that is gonna to hit the dogs. And the deck is on the north side. And you get sun most of the morning and midday, but then once it heats up in the afternoon, it's a nice shade.

SHERRI  11:12 
Nice shade. Yeah.

PHIL   11:13 
So I went off on a tangent there, but you were talking about when people come in and they're not expecting what they see. So what is their reaction?

SHERRI  11:21 
So it's kind of nice that we have the business flow that we have right now because I get a chance to give them a more personal tour and tell them about the products. Tell them why we chose them why we're behind these other items, and then tell them about the ice cream. 'Cause most of the time that is what they're here for. And they're excited that we have multiple flavors. And it's very fun to watch them try to figure out what flavor their dog's gonna like.

PHIL   11:49 
What my dog likes.

SHERRI  11:50 
Yeah, and sometimes it takes a while. So that's super fun.

PHIL   11:53 
What did we serve Peaches this morning?

SHERRI  11:56 
Barking Maple Bacon.

PHIL   11:57 
I can't go wrong with any of that.

SHERRI  12:00 
Yes.

PHIL   12:01 
Maple. Bacon. Ice cream.

SHERRI  12:03 
Yeah, it is our number one seller. We sell out of that one a lot. And I think people tend to go towards that one because the bacon part. But we have a lot of other fun flavors. I don't know if we want to talk about that right now.

PHIL   12:14 
Oh, please!

SHERRI  12:15 
Yeah, so we have Cheddar Apple Cream. That's kind of the second one. Because cheese and apples, right? KC Magic is strawberries and cream. Blueberry Yum Yum is blueberries and vanilla.

PHIL   12:27 
Why is my mouth watering? None of this is for me.

SHERRI  12:31 
I know Pawsitively Pumpkin is just pumpkin and some little organic pepitas on top. And then we have Vanilla Vibes. Just vanilla. Nana Butter Dreams. That was the first one I ever made. And that is bananas, peanut butter, and the dream part is some chamomile on top. It kind of calms them down. And then Elvis. Banana, peanut butter, and carob. And Watermelon Wowzer for summertime. 'Cause doggos like watermelon.

PHIL   13:02 
Are you pretty much set with those flavors? Are you experimenting with new ones?

SHERRI  13:06 
Um, so the way that works is you register your products through the Department of Agriculture. And that is good for a year. We started in January. And so their year goes from July 1 until the following June. So we have to re-register everything in June. So we might change some things up and have a collab with Beer Paws Beer coming up. That's a secret that is not...

PHIL   13:39 
That you're gonna tease. Well, as as as more information comes out about that...

SHERRI  13:44 
Yeah!

PHIL   13:45 
...let us know.

SHERRI  13:45 
Okay.

PHIL   13:46 
And we'll update our listeners. Or do I need to cut that out?

SHERRI  13:48 
No, not at all. Not at all.

PHIL   13:50 
We'll update people on that.

SHERRI  13:51 
Yeah, July is National Ice Cream Month with National Ice Cream Day in the middle of that. So we'll probably have a couple of surprises coming out for that month.

PHIL   14:04 
Do you have regular customers with dogs who know what they want when they come back?

SHERRI  14:09 
Well, they know that they can't walk by without coming in. So I've heard that before already. And yes, I love that they, like, get up on the little ice cream thing and look inside with their human. So that's super fun. Some doggo parents are kind of going through all the flavors and some are just sticking to it but coming in and buy, like, three or four at a time.

PHIL   14:33 
Why mess with something that works? If they find something the dog likes.

SHERRI  14:35 
Right.

PHIL   14:36 
Because dogs can be finicky. And then you if you start with the maple bacon because that sounds good. Then you try to switch to the cheddar apple and the dog. If you'd have started with the cheddar apple maybe that would be its favorite but it knows, "I like the maple bacon."

SHERRI  14:49 
Or the fruits are tricky. You know, some dogs might like blueberries and that tartness.

PHIL   14:55 
Peaches turns her nose up at any sort of apples, carrots, blueberries.

SHERRI  14:59 
Yeah. And it is the real pieces of fruit. Like, it's not just broken up into it or blended into it. It is actually the whole berries in the ice cream. So it's kind of fun. I mean, I think it's kind of fun for the dogs that they look like they're having fun. 'Cause they'll get to 'em and like play with them kind of and get those chunks out. What was I going to tell you though?

PHIL   15:25 
Oh, I was asking if they have, like, favorites. Yeah.

SHERRI  15:28 
Oh, and, and we have a punch card. So every time they come in, they get a little punch card like a reward card. So the doggo has his own punchcard. And then when he gets to 10, he gets one free. So that's fun 'cause we just had our first person get to 10. So they got a free ice cream.

PHIL   15:39 
Free ice cream is a good thing. As if there weren't enough reasons to come in. Do you have any dogs that just seem confused by the whole thing? Because if it's your first time having ice cream if they've not had something cold and creamy.

SHERRI  15:58 
Yeah, they're not sure. And it does take a minute. And it's crazy to watch because sometimes the dog likes you to hold the cup. And some of 'em like it just on the ground. And they like chase it around the whole space. And, and then some like to be spoon fed.

PHIL   16:20 
Yes.

SHERRI  16:21 
So we have spoons in case that needs to happen. Or there's just so much smells and everything going on that they're not comfortable here and need to be at home in their own space to enjoy it.

PHIL   16:34 
It took Peaches a few minutes to settle in because of the smells. And it's not like you walk in and it's an overwhelming smell. Because as I'm a human it just smells nice when I come in.

Yeah.

But for the dog, they're smelling all the other dogs that have been here.

SHERRI  16:46 
Yeah.

PHIL   16:46 
And all all these products and it's...

SHERRI  16:49 
A lot.

PHIL   16:49 
It's like a kid in a candy store. But once you put that cup down on the floor for her, it's like all the other smells melted away.

SHERRI  16:56 
Yeah.

PHIL   16:57 
It's focus right here.

SHERRI  16:58 
After they get a little licking happening, then, yes, they seem to taste it. I don't know that we've had any dogs just be like, "Eh."

PHIL   17:08 
Eventually they're gonna figure out this is a good thing.

SHERRI  17:10 
Yeah. Because it is creamy. And it is gonna be like an ice cream. It just is less sugar and salt. It's human grade. People can eat it. I wouldn't personally want to. We've had people eat it. It's just not going to be as creamy and sweet as what the human ice cream...

PHIL   17:30 
The flavors aren't as intense as what humans want.

SHERRI  17:33 
Yeah.

PHIL   17:34 
But certainly makes the dog happy.

SHERRI  17:37 
It does.

PHIL   17:38 
I'm gonna circle back to your cheddar apple and have a little discussion that has nothing to do with dogs.

SHERRI  17:43 
Okay.

PHIL   17:44 
I love a slice of sharp cheddar on a good apple pie. A really good apple pie. And just warm enough so it starts melting in. I heard on a radio show — and this was a few months ago — they were talking about regional things. And somebody brought that up. They were at a restaurant and they saw it, and no one in the studio had ever...

SHERRI  18:05 
Heard of it?

PHIL   18:06 
Done it.

SHERRI  18:06 
Oh!

PHIL   18:07 
A few of them had heard of it. And they're talking about it. And they're talking about American cheese. So this person had seen it and just saw that the cheese was yellow and assumed American cheese.

SHERRI  18:18 
Eww! No.

PHIL   18:18 
So, yeah. No. That would be awful.

It's not the wrong — no. Yeah.

It needs to be a cheese that has a strong enough flavor that it will cut through the apple and the cinnamon and the flavor of the crust and the butter and all that it's in there. And not just a nasty piece of American cheese.

SHERRI  18:36 
Right. I feel like it's a southern thing. My grandma did it.

PHIL   18:39 
Yeah, I think so.

SHERRI  18:40 
Yeah. I'm originally from Texas. And I've seen it and heard.

PHIL   18:45 
So yeah, I'm a big fan of that. And don't dismiss it until you try it and don't try it with anything but a good cheddar cheese. And either medium or sharp. Don't go with a mild cheddar cheese or you're wasting your time.

SHERRI  18:57 
Yeah. We had a restaurant and we had not had a restaurant before. And when we were trying to come up with the menu and coming up with what we're gonna do we worked with Cisco and some of the big — US Foods — and they have chef's kitchens that you can go in and they will help you. Like for us, we had been in the restaurant world but I'm not a chef. I hadn't had to cook for, you know, people are like, "Oh, come to dinner and yeah, Sherry cooks really great." But not in a restaurant setting.

PHIL   19:32 
A little different pace.

SHERRI  19:34 
Yeah.

PHIL   19:35 
Pace and volume are significantly different.

SHERRI  19:37 
But they helped us with a lot of things. But one of the things that they showed us that we did end up putting on our menu was cheesecake with this sweet Thai chili sauce over it.

PHIL   19:50 
Okay, my mouth is watering when you were rattling off the flavors of ice cream.

SHERRI  19:54 
Yeah. It's so good!

PHIL   19:59 
Thai chili — That's something you would never come up with on your own!

SHERRI  20:00 
It's so weird!

PHIL   20:01 
But as soon as you said it, I started salivating.

SHERRI  20:03 
Yeah!

PHIL   20:04 
That sounds amazing.

SHERRI  20:04 
But it prompted me to really explore some of those crazy things and put them together. And we did that at our restaurant. So it was awesome.

PHIL   20:14 
How much of what you learned from serving humans has carried over to this business that's focused on dogs?

SHERRI  20:23 
A lot. And you know, where all that came from? It's so super crazy, is from Starbucks. When I was a barista at Starbucks. And this was a long time ago, when we didn't really even know what Starbucks was. And they gave us these books. And we had to go around and we had to drink coffee and learn about all of the tasting notes and how that coffee got those tasting notes and the earth and the ground and the surroundings...

PHIL   20:54 
It's like becoming a sommelier.

SHERRI  20:55 
...and all those things. Yeah. But all of that little education of being a barista helped me in our restaurant be a chef for our restaurant. And so that's crazy, which led me to also having our coffee shop and then starting the dog ice cream and treats there because some of our regular customers would bring their dogs and then we're like, "Oh, we should make something for them." And then that eventually led us to this.

PHIL   21:24 
It teaches you that attention to detail, the way notes interact with each other. And not just a preset formula when you're following a recipe and you just trust that, "Okay, this is how it's gonna to work." Without having that awareness of, "This spice is actually going to bring out the sweet in that and that's gonna to bring a balance. And that's going to highlight this." Dawn, my wife, who's wandered outside with Peaches, they're enjoying the beautiful day that we have here on 39th Street. But she took a coffee tasting class, which was just what you describe. And they would do things like, "Take a drink of this coffee, and tell us what flavors what notes. What's your reaction? And then take a bite of this pumpkin spice doughnut."

SHERRI  22:11 
Yeah.

PHIL   22:12 
"Now take a sip of that same coffee." And it changes.

SHERRI  22:16 
Totally!

PHIL   22:16 
So it's next level from just coffee and doughnuts. I enjoy a doughnut and I enjoy coffee because I enjoy both of these things. It's a collaboration. It's this union. What is the greater than the sum of the parts when you put them together? Once you understand that that's a possibility, you can carry that over into whatever you're making. Everything.

SHERRI  22:38 
Yeah. We had wine tastings. We did beer. We would do what's called a tap takeover where a brewery would come. We only had served their tap beers. And then we created a menu around those beers. And it would be — it depended — five or six courses. It kind of depended on how many beers we had of theirs. So. Yep. And it all came back to being a barista. So that's so funny.

PHIL   23:10 
It is a great advantage to have that as your background coming into something that seems different — making ice cream for dogs.

SHERRI  23:18 
Yeah.

PHIL   23:19 
But just having that skill set is a transferable skill set. And I like when people describe something like that more as a skill stack. You have these things on top of each other that have that added value that you can carry over into different environments. What advice would you have for someone else who is either looking at starting a business or looking at a not-for-profit for helping dogs? What would you tell them if they're trying to figure that out?

SHERRI  23:48 
Yes, I started as a barista. And then I worked my way into management and then managing different companies we were able to sort of kind of figure out how to own our own company. And I think the important part of that is we weren't successful the first time. You can be a great manager and be the best at running somebody else's company. Doesn't mean you're going to automatically be able to do it for yourself the first time. There's so many things you don't think about. But we learned every time. So we didn't make that one work. But we made the next one work. And then we didn't have all the things we needed for that one. So we had to go back to something else. And it's just not giving up. And tweaking what you did before and, "Oh my gosh. What if we do it this way? Well, maybe that's gonna be what success is." I feel like we are so much further along this time, instead. This will be our fourth business. So I think we're so much ahead of the game this time because we've failed and learned.

PHIL   25:00 
You learn so much from failure.

SHERRI  25:01 
So much from those experiences that I think we started out on such a positive foot this time. And you have to be passionate about what you're doing.

PHIL   25:13 
That's key.

SHERRI  25:13 
It has to truly mean something deep down inside.

PHIL   25:18 
Because you're gonna quit too soon if you're not passionate.

SHERRI  25:20 
'Cause it's hard.

PHIL   25:20 
Because there are going to be — there's gonna be obstacles.

SHERRI  25:23 
Right. It is. And there's gonna to be sad days, and there's going to be joyous days, but...

PHIL   25:29 
And those joyous days are so much better if you make it through those sad days.

SHERRI  25:32 
Yeah.

PHIL   25:33 
Then it's worth it.

SHERRI  25:34 
Yeah.

PHIL   25:35 
I think people take for granted because you are a prisoner inside your own body, your own experiences. And so you don't realize, "I'm really good at a lot of stuff." You just take for granted, "Well, I can do this. Anybody can do this. I know how to do it." And it's not until you put it on display by opening a business or starting some project and people acknowledge it.

SHERRI  25:56 
Yeah.

PHIL   25:56 
"Wow. I'm so impressed."

Like, "Really? You're impressed by what I did?"

It's like, "Yeah, this is kind of a big deal."

SHERRI  26:01 
Yeah.

PHIL   26:01 
It's like, "Oh, yeah, it is a big deal. I am pretty good at something."

SHERRI  26:05 
Yeah.

PHIL   26:06 
I also liked what you said about you can be a manager and doing everything right and it doesn't always mean you're going to be a success. Because not only do you learn from failures, you also need to be able to identify when your process was sound but the outcome was suboptimal. That what we did was the right thing but just in this environment didn't work. The analogy I use for that is high level golfers don't judge a putt by whether or not it went in the hole. Because you can hit a good putt and it just catch a little divot mark or a blade of grass or the wind kick up and it not go in. And if you're judging it by whether or not it went in the hole, you will make unnecessary corrections on your next putt. Because there's things you can't control that are going to impact that outcome. But if you know, "My process was right. I read the break. I read the speed. I hit that in the sweet spot of the putter. That was a good smooth stroke. Putt just didn't fall. That's not my fault. I did everything I was supposed to do. I did it right. And I'm gonna to do the same thing next time." And so learning from that and being able to carry that forward is just as valuable as learning from mistakes and correcting mistakes. And I think the only way you can do that is through experience. No matter how many times somebody tells you, "That's a good process. That's a sound process." You have to implement it yourself and get confident with it and be able to identify the difference between a mistake and just an unfortunate outcome. You've obviously done that because as I look around this space, this looks like a success.

SHERRI  27:48 
I hope so. I think so. our listeners have to be brave enough to do it, too.

PHIL   27:53 
Yes.

SHERRI  27:54 
Because it's kind of rattled around in my head that I wanted to do something. And we're later in life, you know? It's later in life. I have to think about, "Gosh, what do I really want to do with the rest of our life?"

PHIL   28:09 
And what memories do you want to create? Do you want to remember not trying something or giving up? Or do you want to remember...

SHERRI  28:16 
Or not even trying at all.

PHIL   28:17 
We took a chance. And we made a run at it. And maybe it was a storybook success. Or maybe it was something that was just fun while it lasted and we moved on.

SHERRI  28:29 
Yeah.

PHIL   28:29 
But you gave it a shot.

SHERRI  28:31 
We did.

PHIL   28:31 
No regrets.

SHERRI  28:33 
And unfortunately, we lost our dog that we've had for 12 years. And she was amazing. And she was really my dog. Sorry, Don. And because she knew exactly, like, what I needed, anytime I needed it. If I needed a hug. If I just needed her close to me. If I'm sad and crying, she was there. Like she just knew.

PHIL   29:01 
We don't deserve dogs.

SHERRI  29:02 
Oh, my gosh, how do they do that? I don't get — I just don't get it. And so that devastating loss, you just cannot prepare for. You just don't realize how much they truly mean to you. Until, obviously, they're not here. So I think that's kind of what got me on the role of being brave enough to, "Hey, this is really important to me. I really want to do something about it." And so it just kind of came from there.

PHIL   29:38 
I completely understand that. You want to honor a dog's memory.

SHERRI  29:43 
Yeah.

PHIL   29:43 
And you described all the things that Starbuck did for you. And that even in the life Starbuck lead, in passing was an inspiration for you to do something that's helping more dogs.

SHERRI  29:57 
Yeah.

PHIL   29:58 
So thank you so much for that. And I want to encourage our listeners who are in Kansas City, go to the link in the description for MixedMuttCreamery.com and order online. Get your delivery. But you owe it to yourself to visit in person and see this space and meet Sherri and Don and give your dog a treat. Because they deserve that.

SHERRI  30:26 
Yeah. They need some joy.

PHIL   30:28 
What can people who are outside of Kansas City do?

SHERRI  30:31 
They can order everything except the ice cream. So we don't have a way to ship, yet. That might be something down the line if we find that that is some — shipping has gone up so much since the pandemic and is kind of a hurdle we're not sure how to get over, yet.

PHIL   30:50 
And they can follow Mixed Mutt Creamery on social media.

SHERRI  30:52 
Yes. On Instagram and Facebook.

PHIL   30:55 
We'll have links to those in the description for Mixed Mutt Creamery. And if shipping changes and you can get ice cream, obviously, you will make an announcement on your social media.

SHERRI  31:05 
Yeah. We surely will.

PHIL   31:05 
So follow on social media. Regular listeners are going to be tired of me pushing this but I'm going to do it anyway. It costs you nothing to follow someone on social media. There's no limit to how many organizations you can follow on social media. And while we love for you to make donations to Rosie Fund, or any of the other great groups that we've featured on Dog Words, and to buy from the vendors we've featured on Dog Words, just following on social media helps, because that helps us go viral. That gets us more exposure that helps us show up in other people's searches. So that's going to help people find Rosie Fund, Mixed Mutt Creamery. Beer Paws, Brave Animal Rescue, Lucky 13 Rescue, Sunflower Rescue, Shep's Place. All these wonderful guests we've had on the show. Follow all of them on all of the social media that you use and it helps. And again, make a donation. Make a purchase. That helps, too. So as we wrap things up here, Sherri, I just want to make sure everyone knows the wonderful selection you have here. All the ice creams you listed. All the different treats like Beer Paws that you partner with and wonderful toys, both plush and chewy, and you even have things for people.

SHERRI  31:21 
We do have things for people. Our people ice cream is pretty darn delicious. It's from St. Louis. It's called Clementine's Naughty and Nice. And they made Oprah's favorite things in 2019. So it kind of became a big deal and blew them up. They just had their fourth location open. And as we were talking about partnering with them to carry their ice cream, they realized our doggy ice cream would actually work perfect for them. So all four locations in St. Louis carry our dog ice cream now.

PHIL   32:31 
And I know we have listeners in St. Louis so you don't have to drive to Kansas City.

SHERRI  33:10 
Just any of those locations.

PHIL   33:20 
Multiple options in St. Louis. Bring your dog. Bring your appetite. Come to Mixed Mutt Creamery. Sherri, thank you so much for sharing your time with us today.

SHERRI  33:30 
Thank you very much for having me.

PHIL   33:36 
I'm Phil Hatterman and you've been listening to Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Thank you to Sherri and Don Corwin for hosting us at Mixed Mutt Creamery. A link to MixedMuttCreamery.com is in the description along with links to Dog Words episodes referenced in our discussion as well as a direct link to the video of Peaches visit to Mixed Mutt Creamery.

Don't forget to watch last week's guest, The Canine Stars, on America's Got Talent, June 8 on NBC. Download the America's Got Talent app now so you're ready to vote. Download in the App Store or Google Play.

Next time on Dog Words we visit Janice Costas' Canine Camp Getaway.

A big thank you to alternative string dog with The Wires featuring cellist Sascha Groshang and violinist Laurel Morgan Parks for playing the wonderful music you've heard on today's in previous episodes of Dog Words. Supporting The Wires supports our mission. Learn more about The Wires at TheWires.info and download their music on iTunes. Check out FiddleLife.com and learn to play fiddle and cello-fiddle online from Laurel and Sasha even if you've never played before.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page or by making a purchase from our website store or buying a t-shirt at bonfire.com. Links are in the description. Your donations help fund Rosie Life Starter Kits.

As always, please download, follow, rate, and share Dog Words. This helps us with sponsorships then Rosie Fund can help more dogs. Follow Rosie Fund on social media, especially the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel and send us your comments, questions, and suggestions at RosieFund.org and let us know if you would like to be a sponsor or guest of the Dog Words podcast.

Thank you for listening and remember, we save each other.

DISCLAIMER: This document is a transcription obtained through a third party. There is no claim to accuracy on the content provided in this document and divergence from the audio file is to be expected. Some content may be omitted, particularly when there is crosstalk.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai