SEPTEMBER 10 • 2020 | 23
ing the Jewish Community
Center’
s day camp; it was a way
to demonstrate the Jewish value
of caring for animals.
Even though Alex has no pets
of his own, he loves animals,
especially dogs. Before Rosh
Hashanah that year, he started
his own company, Dandy Dog
Biscuits, with the idea of raising
funds for animal welfare.
He found a recipe online
with only three ingredients —
baby food, whole wheat flour
and water — and mixed up his
first batch in the family kitchen.
He used his great-great-grand-
mother’
s rolling pin to roll the
dough and a Jewish star cookie
cutter for shapes.
Alex since expanded his
vision: He’
d sell the biscuits at
the Novi Memorial Day parade
so he could raise even more to
help animals.
“He came up with the idea on
his own,
” said his mother, Jodi,
who does marketing, adult edu-
cation and youth engagement
at Adat Shalom Synagogue. “He
said, ‘
We have to go big.
’
”
Alex, then finishing third
grade, made up a sign to adver-
tise the dog treats. He decided
how many biscuits to put in
each bag (four) and how much
to charge ($2). At the parade, he
approached people with dogs.
Within an hour he had sold his
25 bags.
Soon after the parade, he
made his first donation to the
World Wildlife Foundation.
With his mom’
s help, Alex
made up some business cards
that he handed to people walk-
ing dogs in the neighborhood.
In the spring, Alex started
deliveries to help people and
their dogs get through COVID
lockdowns. “It feels good to
make them smile,
” he said. His
dad Danny, an attorney, and
older brother Mickey, 12, sup-
port his efforts.
He doesn’
t venture far
beyond his Novi neighborhood,
though his grandfather, Lester
Berger of Farmington Hills,
promoted the biscuits among
his colleagues. Alex quickly
sold a large batch of biscuits
he made in April, and another
batch of 180, his biggest ever,
that he made in July.
Over the summer, Alex, now
10, started making dog tug-toys
from fleece, trying out his pro-
totype on a puppy he met while
delivering biscuits (the dog
loved it).
So far, Alex, whose parents
have donated all the dog bis-
cuit ingredients and supplies,
has raised $400 for the World
Wildlife Foundation.
The venture has been a
great way for Alex to develop
self-confidence and improve his
math skills, said his mother.
He’
s not really looking for
more business right now — one
big batch of biscuits a month is
about all he and his mom can
handle — and he doesn’
t have a
website yet. But interested cus-
tomers can email him at dandy-
dogbiscuits@gmail.com.
Know of other local kid entrepreneurs
for JN to spotlight? Let us know at
letters@renmedia.us.
Jews in the D
Alex Gross
making dog
biscuits
“He came up
with the idea
on his own.”
— MOM JODI GROSS