“Manicured Chicken Feet” I agree they’re ugly. My dog 🐶 LOVES them. At first he scarfed then down very quickly but now he takes his time since he only gets1 each day. A special treat. Give them a try.
I have a Cooper too! He is a picky eater too!! He love the sprinkles!!!
Last time I ordered you put a sample of something. Cooper and Zoey could smell it through the box. I have never seen them more excited about a treat!
I am so happy I found you at a Craft Fair!! We no longer have trouble with Cooper eating.
Thank you!!
My Vizsla boy “Winston” who is almost 12 years old LOVES the Just Chicken that I brought home from the Grayslake Show!
Hey Cooper! I’m Humphrey. My human was at the Kenosha Harbor Front Farmers Market this morning and bought some chicken feet to celebrate my little brother Charlie’s 4th birthday which is today. We’ve never had them before. We now LOVE chicken feet!
Good morning Cooper!
We saw your display at the recent dog show at the Stephens Convention Center in December 2018 and tried your wonderful product on my very picky pug, Izzy – she absolutely loves it! Thanks for sending more – she will certainly appreciate a bigger supply of her new favorite treat.
I purchased the sweet potato treats from you at the Fall Diddley in Belvidere, IL this past fall. Your treats are PERFECT for my Bella as she has allergies! Thank you so much for having a perfect treat for her!
Love your product, I want to sign up as a retailer.
Bridget just loves the chicken sprinkles and jerky she now eats her food much better. Thank you for delivering it the same day I was amazed and happy!
My dog’s favorite treat!
Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you. My 13 year old has heart failure and isn’t able to have a lot. She won’t EVER refuse. The “just chicken” Thank you. You give her a treat she can not only love. But something she can rely on that won’t make her sick.
Thank you so much for the quick delivery of the chicken sprinkles and the teats! My little Juju loved them so much I am ordering some now. I learned about your company at the Buffalo Grove farmers market. My Juju will not eat her food unless I put the sprinkles on and she loved the port and chicken treats. Thank you,
I recently purchased a coupler leash and handle from you at the Harbor Market in Kenosha. I love it! I am 65 and my dogs have a tendency to really pull on the leash when we first start out on our walk when they get excited. This leash is really saving my arms and shoulders. I will certainly recommend it to my friends.
WOW ! Great service! Rose loves loves her sweet potato goodies and I LOVE the new leash! I will be sending you a picture of her enjoying the goodies!
You can expect Rose and I to be REPEAT customers ! (And thanks for the little treats for me!)
Thank you so much for the fast shipping and treats included. I just wanted to let you know that my dogs LOVE your products!!
I have a Shitzu named Bogey that is REALLY PICKY, he absolutely loves your Chicken Jerky and Pork Jerky. Thank You so much for creating these products!!!!
My dog, Lucky, loves the chicken sprinkles.
My rescue dog Onnie is such a Diva, that she will only snack on Cooper’s Wy Sweet Potato Chips. NO other brand compares to the quality and taste. Most importantly, Onnie is very patriotic and Cooper’s Way is made in the USA. Only the best for Onnie!
Met you at the Odeum and bought the chicken sprinkles, Jessie loves them!! Thank you, will be back for more and will also share with my Cavalier King Charles world.
I am so impressed with the quality of these products..fresh never frozen ingredients!! Try finding that in the grocery store brands and even the major dog product brands!! Vicki makes each batch of these treats herself and adheres to strict guidelines for safety and purity. My picky eater fur child literally wolfed down his dinner after I added just a little bit of the Chicken Sprinkles on his food. He also loves the Jerky treats.
Thanks, Vicki and Cooper!!
I purchased a 3-foot bungee leash at the Chicagoland Pet Expo. I am the one from Fort Atkinson and have 2 great danes. I tried the leash out last Saturday and it worked great. I didn’t feel any pulling as I walked one of the great danes with it. Great product.
Thanks,
My friend bought my dog Dexter a Bungee Leash. It is the best thing we have ever had for our dog. I am a violinist and my dog used to tug & hurt my arm. This is a fantastic product. Please support Cooper’s Way. I love it! Thank you…Teresa H. & Dexter
Vicki,
Thank you so much for dropping off the order at our home. My boys couldn’t wait to dig into the box!! We’re so thankful that your business continues..no one else makes a better treat than you!
Happy New Year!
Met you all at the St. Charles craft fair and my dog (Zaya) went absolutely nuts over your treats! Her lips even shiver when she knows she is getting some
I will surely be buying more soon and look forward to keeping in touch with your business!
Thank you,
Our dog, Bentley, tried some of your chicken jerky at the Kenosha Farmer’s Market and loved it so much we had to get a bag. A few days later we went to give him a treat and he freaked out when he saw the bag! He normally gets excited for his favorite treats, but his reaction was over the top for Cooper’s Way!! We’ll definitely be back for more treats! We are picky about the quality of treat our dog gets and we’re happy to find a treat with such a short ingredient list and no weird chemicals! Thank you, Cooper’s Way!!
I have 3 dogs that we’ve rescued from the Animal Welfare League so, we are very big advocates of saving pets. Vicki of Coopers Way LLC is such a caring, honest individual and I love that she has made these special treats for the canine community that are made with REAL meat and no preservatives.
I’m sure all of you have heard about products imported from China and how they have either made our pets sick and in some cases have contributed to their death. It is such a relief to know that there is someone who is local that is making a product that is healthy and contributes to the health and well being of our pets by insuring a safe treat to give to them.
Thank you Vicki for making these wonderful healthy treats for our dog family members.
P. S. They wait by the cabinet that I keep them in and just keep watching for me to open the cabinet. Murphy, my black lab mix I’m sure is watching so he can learn how to open the cabinet himself and get the treats!! They all love them.
As a care taker for several dogs, I am very particular about the treats I personally buy for them. After the tainted Chinese products killed so many beloved pets, I have to be extra cautious with the pets I care for. Cooper’s Way treats are all natural, no additives or chemicals…simply fresh dried meat. If given a choice of their usual treats brought from home or a Cooper’s Way treat…Cooper’s Way is always their pick. Real meat versus a crumbly cookie…natural vs artificial…organic vs chemical…shouldn’t we feed the same natural goodness to our dogs that we would want in our own food.
Regarding Zeke’s review…I don’t doubt that his dog was ill, but if it took the government scientists months to figure out the Chinese chemical poisoning of dog food products, I doubt a local vet could pinpoint the exact treat that was tainted, along with all the other food the dog may have consumed at the same time.
With the help of some friends, Vicki Price started producing and selling high quality dog treats out of her Glenview home. Her dog helps too.
Vicki Price of Glenview is so fond of her dog Cooper that she started making her own brand of dog treats for him. Using human-quality chicken, pork and sweet potatoes, she launched a home-based business dedicated to making high quality treats for man’s best friend.
“I’m not a cook, I don’t like cooking, but I’ll do anything for my dog,” Price said. “Everything is taste tested by Cooper, and he takes his job very seriously.”
Cooper has always loved jerky, but Price said she couldn’t find treats for him that weren’t filled with unhealthy ingredients. So she learned to make the jerky herself — cooking, dehydrating and now packaging the treats in her home.
Dog Tested, Cooper-Approved
Price knew the jerky was special after her neighbor’s dog, a Shibu Inu called Bonzai, tried the treat. Bonzai loved the jerky so much he started running away from his owner’s house and wandering into Price’s yard.
With the help of her business partners, Ken and Michael Solan, Price started buying meat in bulk and preparing it for commercial distribution under the Cooper’s Way brand name.
Price buys human grade meat for the jerky and says it comes from the same distributor as Glenview’s barbecue restaurant, Johnny’s Kitchen & Tap.
She does not, however, encourage people to eat Cooper’s Way food.
“I can’t tell you to eat it, but we’ve tried it,” she said. “It’s very flavorful.”
The Biggest Sweet Potatoes
Price says her treats are made without sugar, salts or chemicals. She uses boneless, skinless chicken breast, pork tenderloin and the biggest sweet potatoes she can find.
They also found a way to reduce waste by reusing chicken fat in the cooking process.
“I want to be nation wide,” Price said. “I want to play ball with the big boys, but I want to do it my way,” she said.
Cooper helps the operation as well.
“He’s the company image, research and development, security, quality control,” said Ken Solan.
Price says they experimented with carrot treats at first, but Cooper wasn’t interested in the vegetables.
Cooper’s Way Of Giving Back
Cooper’s Way jerky went on sale in December. Though their website is still under construction, Price is taking orders via email. Meanwhile, a web development class at Glenbrook South is designing a site for Cooper’s Way — and for class credit.
Price says she delivers extra treats to nearby dog shelters, and hopes she can eventually use the brand to raise awareness about the shelters some dogs live in.
“I want people’s awarness of the shelters to go up,” she said. “You get phenominal dogs from the shelters.”
Dogs like Cooper, who Price met after a day-long journey to various shelters around Chicago about four years ago.
Fed up with finding mostly only processed food for her pets, Glenview resident Vicki Price sought to offer something different.
Price is founder of Cooper’s Way Gourmet Jerky Treats, named after her dog, Cooper.
The idea to sell natural-made jerky treats for cats and dogs came about after Price tried finding similar treats for Cooper, but mostly found only macerated products—ground up and processed.
“I wanted something that was not processed and had nothing added to it,” Price said. “Everybody uses vegetable glycerin. Chemical dehydration is common. I just wanted plain chicken.” Cooper, a 7-year-old rescue dog, has a sensitive stomach and is picky about what he eats, Price added.
She said things came to a head about a year ago last February.
“I was on vacation in Florida and bought 10 pounds of what I thought was what I was looking for—USA made with nothing added,” said Price. “I get home and the next day I am ready to give it to Cooper. On the back label, in small print, it said ‘Made in China.’”
She started researching how to make natural jerky online. She wanted to make it without chemicals, spices or salt. After getting the process down, Price said she received great response from pet owners—and pets. Friends and neighbors encouraged her to start her own business.
“My neighbors were emphatic,” she said. One neighbor’s dog would even routinely stay put in her backyard until Price brought her some fresh jerky.
“Right now, we are doing it out of my house,” Price said of Cooper’s Way. She is licensed by the village of Glenview and Dept. of Agriculture and has five large commercial dehydrators in her home to dry out the meat. She also owns a professional meat slicer, heat sealer to seal the bags, labels and boxes for shipping.
Price sells pork loin jerky, beef heart jerky and sweet potato chips for cats and dogs. Food trimmings are donated to local animal shelters and rescue groups such as Orphans of the Storm in Riverwoods, Heartland Animal Shelter in Northbrook and the Almost Home Foundation in Highland Park.
Price hopes to grow her business and open an actual storefront in the future. “We are getting closer to opening a facility,” she said. Ideally, she wants Cooper’s Way products to be sold nationwide, including stores and online.
She works with three other employees, webmaster Marcel Bujnowski, a sophomore at Oakton Community College, as well as family friends Ken and Michael Solan. Ken is chief operating officer and Michael chief financial officer.
Hi Vicki!!,
Thank you again for the chicken scraps. I made a chicken doggie stew. Here are a few pictures I took while making it and of my dogs eating. There are more pix coming as soon as I get them from other fosters.
Placing Paws of IL is having a garage sale at Care Animal Hosp in Libertyville on Aug. 23. If you have any more scraps before then please let me know. I’ll drive wherever. I was thinking I will package the stew in 3lb packages and let them sell some. Ill put out signs that say we partnered to bring them this stew. What do you think? Are you alright with that? If not I can say you donated the meat used in the stew. Or if you have any better ideas let me know please!
I know we had a sketchy connection the other day when we spoke. I foster for Placing Paws of IL, Spay and Stay, Animal Education and Rescue, Animal House Shelter, Dog House, Fat Cat and Famous Fido. With more groups finding me daily.
Thank you again! We have a lot of happy doggies!
Your product is so well made. And so appreciate knowing the care you take in processing, worth every cent for our little guy!! denise
Hi Cooper,
I work for Northshore University Health Systems. I met you at a holiday fair the building adjacent to our corporate facility on Searle pkwy in Skokie. I bought the Just Chicken sprinkles in hopes of enticing my fussy dog to eat her kibble. She LOVES it. What a find. I no longer have to boil chicken and then cuisinart it.
Great stuff. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Lisa
We found you at scarecrow festival this year. We just bought a dog in June so never needed anything for a dog until now. We bought the chicken jerky and the sprinkles to add to dry food. Lacey just loves the chicken sprinkles on her food! She knows when the bag is opening and comes running. Thanks for making the dry food a little more interesting! She also devours the chicken jerky in minutes. So glad I am able to give Lacey a healthy snack. Hunted you down at the Kane county fairgrounds and bought backup of the sprinkles and jerky as well as bought the sweet potatoes to try. We’ll keep you posted on that. Thanks! Pat
Thank you for your great customer service earlier this week and guiding me through the ordering process!
I just wanted to tell you how much my dogs love your products.
One of my pups in particular. My 8 year old Cavalier mix is very finicky. He only has 25% of his kidneys and hates his kidney diet food. I have been struggling with him eating his food for almost 8 years.
Thank goodness for your Chicken Sprinkles. He absolutely loves it and looks forward to every meal. I look forward to trying the rest of your products and sharing them with my friends.
Attached is a picture of my Cavalier mix Trevor and my beagles, Hunter (the smaller one) and Lulu my rescu who is sweet as can be. They all love your products! Thank you again for all your hard work in developing a healthy AND tasty alternative for my pups.
My dog Banzai has been eating these treats for years. I am very very fussy about what he eats and buy only super premium foods and these are made with USA human grade meat and with great care. No additives and no Chinese ingredients. Plus the company supports rescue. I buy two bags at a time because he loves them. His favorites are the chicken and the pork. Re: the troll here…it sounds like what might happen with a Chinese made product which are very very common in even the best stores. I will also state the my Vet is carrying these now. A vote of confidence to be sure.
Love this company!! Vicki went out of her way to deliver the treats to my house. My dog loves the sweet potato chips and will tear the bag open for the Chicken Jerky. I refuse to buy anything that isn’t made in the US and this is not only made in the US but close to home. Vicki is truly a dog lover and just wants healthy treats for pets and that is evident by Cooper’s Way.
I am so thrilled to have found Cooper’s Way. I am a lifelong customer now. And Vicki donates to shelters which is really fantastic too. Just a really great product and a really great company.
I am a physician in Glenview, IL and choosy about what I feed my beloved dogs. My two pooches love Coopers Way chicken jerky treats and have been enjoying them many times in the last year. Also, I like giving them a product that is locally made (in Glenview, IL USA) Thank you, Coopers Way!
What a great find. My dog really loves the chicken and pork jerkey. He is rather picky about treats but doesn’t hesitate to gobble these up. When I leave in the morning I ask him to sit and then I give him one. With other treats he would leave it and I would find it on the floor when I came home. With Cooper’s Way, he enthusiastically chews on the jerky as I’m leaving out the door and doesn’t fret over me leaving.
What a great find. My dog really loves the chicken and pork jerkey. He is rather picky about treats but doesn’t hesitate to gobble these up. When I leave in the morning I ask him to sit and then I give him one. With other treats he would leave it and I would find it on the floor when I came home. With Cooper’s Way, he enthusiastically chews on the jerky as I’m leaving out the door and doesn’t fret over me leaving.
Here are some photos of Riley tearing apart the bag of treats. She loves them! My girlfriend said her dog preferred your treats over any others!
Hope all is well!
We adopted Nellie, a Japanese Chin mix, after seeing her at an adoption event where I work. Nellie was found as a stray, so we don’t know her background. I laid eyes on her, the volunteer (yes, it was Vicki) put Nellie in my arms, and that was it. I sent a picture to my husband to see what he thought. Two days later we were at Orphans of the Storm filling out paperwork. A few days later we were able to pick her up, and it’s been one of the best things we’ve ever done.
We apoted Kellie, another Japanese Chin mix, after seeing her at an adoption event where I work. I had about five minutes to go through the event. Someone happened to mention that there was a Japanese Chin dog around the event. I took a quick peek. Kellie was rescued from a high-kill shelter in KentuckyShe was sleeping with her tongue out. Very cute. Well, that night I contacted the volunteer from Jellystone Bark’s Rescue Rangers to set up a time to see Kellie. We took Nellie and my parents met us at a veterniary clinic in Yorkville, IL. About an hour later, we were headed home with our second adopted dog.
The love of a dog is incredible. How much the dogs make us laugh each day is incredible. They are great for lightening up your day, no matter what just happened at work (or wherever). They take me on long walks which is great for those of us that enjoy the outdoors.
If you ever want to discuss what it’s like to have a dog in your world, feel free to contact me at
Enjoy your dog!
My dogs absolutely love these treats! My cat, who likes nothing other than her food, also loves the chicken jerky. I would recommend these treat to anyone!
First it was Nellie. She tasted Cooper’s Way Chicken Jerky, and now nothing that I have in my pantry or fridge even comes close. When I take the bag out, Nellie does triple flips.
Now, there’s Kellie, the newly acquired baby sister. She’s learned at a young age that Cooper’s Way Chicken Jerky is awesome.
Just this evening, I gave “the girls” a chicken jerky snack. They were both standing on their hind legs before I was able to tear a few pieces off. It looks so good, I might have to start eating myself!!!
Keep up the great job. “The girls” are depending on you!!!
Thank you,
Thanks Vicki, my dogs loved your treats
Vicki Price started her business of manufacturing Cooper’s Way Gourmet Jerky Treats for a reason any dog lover will understand. Vicki says, “I couldn’t find any jerky treats on the market that I felt were safe to give to my dog Cooper”
Price had heard of the dog deaths attributed to treats made in China, and of the unhealthy additives jerky treats had in order to chemically dehydrate and preserve them. In an effort to avoid feeding Cooper these unhealthy and dangerous products Price searched diligently for quality jerky treats. According to Price, “The treats I wanted to feed Cooper had to be made in this country, not be processed or extruded, free of chemicals, additives and preservatives, and made from wholesome meat.”
She claims that although she was willing to pay a premium price for high quality jerky treats, she couldn’t find any that met her high standards.
Then, while vacationing in Florida Price found a jerky treat she thought was safe to feed Cooper. She purchased a bulk package of the treat. However the next day she noticed in tiny almost hidden print was a line that read “Made In China.”
Price says, “There was no way I was going to feed that product to Cooper.”
So what did Price do? She researched how to make quality jerky and began making tasty wholesome jerky treats for Cooper. Soon, friends and neighbors who had dogs were feeding Price’s home made treats to their own pooches. Encouraged by her friends and neighbors Vicki started Cooper’s Way Gourmet Jerky Treats.
Now Cooper’s Way Gourmet Treats can be found in more than 60 retail stores ranging from pet stores to grocery chains such as Sunset foods. They can also be conveniently purchased online.
Price says, “What makes Cooper’s Way different is the gourmet jerky treats are made from restaurant quality poultry, meat and produce with no additivea or preservatives.
“Frankly, you can buy a lot of dog treats at a lower cost.” Price says. “ These may be extruded, and/or made in China and have chemical additives to dry and persevere them. , I would never feed anything like that to Cooper. If you are concerned as I am about feeding your dog healthy and nutritious gourmet jerky treats you don’t have to start a company like I did. Instead you make sure your dog gets Cooper’s Way Gourmet Jerky Treats. They’re made in the USA and USDA inspected.”
Vicki,
These are our babies, Dallas and Duke. Dallas came from Anti Cruelty and Duke came from One Tail at a Time. We couldn’t have asked for better companions-they are the best. We do have one more in the house: Puma. He’s a tabby cat who is about 5 years old now. He was sleeping on our doorstep Easter Sunday 4 years ago and never left. He was obviously someone’s house cat that had been dumped (bad humans!!!) and we tried to find his owners but their loss was our gain. He’s been with us ever since. We didn’t have the heart to bring him to a shelter since cats are so plentiful at shelters – and he and Dallas got on so well so we kept him. It’s quite the little menagerie we have in our house. And Duke rounds out the bunch. His head is about as big as Puma’s whole body. But they are pals so size really isn’t an issue. Puma comes in at about 10 lbs., Dallas at 45 and Duke at 65.
Dallas is 13 now and has always been my shadow from the day we brought him home when he was just 11 months old. He’s a lab/dalmatian mix and the best of both breeds. We’ve had Duke now about 4 months. He is 9 years old – boxer/rhodesian ridgeback mix and it just broke my heart when we read his story. I knew he belonged with us. He had been used most of his life as a guard dog and spent quite a bit of time trying to chew his way out of a metal cage when he wasn’t working. As a result, he has quite a bit of dental problems and aggression issues. At 9, his owner thought he was too old to be of any more use and gave him up to Animal Care and Control who turned him over to One Tail at a Time. Well this 9 year old is no old man! He thinks he is a puppy and has no idea how big he is. Lots of energy and even more love. Sadly, he doesn’t know what toys are or how to play ball but maybe one day we’ll get to that point. He is very protective of his new family – especially me, it’s so amazing.
So there you have our story. We are so happy that you are close and providing such good treats for the babies. I wouldn’t dream of giving them anything that would cause harm. They’re family!
See you tomorrow-don’t forget the invoice.
Mabel and Pearl loved your Sweet Potato Chips! Thought I would attach a picture showing what all Bostons do best.
Best regards,
We learned about you from Bichon & Little Buddies Rescue in Mukwonago, WI. That is where we got our charming Charlie. Thank you for the fine products, especially the chicken sprinkles. Our finicky little eater now is anxious to eat with just a little sprinkles on top. For treats Charlie loves the jerky.
P.S. What a wonderful surprise to receive the chicken breast jerky treat & reusable air tight jar, as a winner on Facebook! Thank you for your wonderful products.
We learned about you from Bichon & Little Buddies Rescue in Mukwonago, WI. That is where we got our charming Charlie. Thank you for the fine products, especially the chicken sprinkles. Our finicky little eater now is anxious to eat with just a little sprinkles on top. For treats Charlie loves the jerky.
P.S. What a wonderful surprise to receive the chicken breast jerky treat & reusable air tight jar, as a winner on Facebook! Thank you for your wonderful products.
Hi Vicki,
Mabel and Pearl loved your Sweet Potato Chips
We learned about you from Bichon & Little Buddies Rescue in Mukwonago, WI.
That is where we got our charming Charlie.
Thank you for the fine products, especially the chicken sprinkles.
Our finicky little eater now is anxious to eat with just a little sprinkles on top. For treats Charlie loves the jerky.
