Hello! My Name is . . . .

As a way of welcoming you into the Sodapup family, we want you to meet everyone behind the scenes—the people and the dogs (and maybe a few cats).
    Our founder is Adam Baker. He had a vision a few years ago. He wanted to fill an empty space in the dog toy market and make toys that were tough, innovative, and do it in a way that was safe for dogs and the planet.
    It took some twists and turns to get here but now here we are turning out toys that are FDA compliant, all made in the USA. And we are veteran owned. Adam did a stint in the Coast Guard, his first career.
    Adam is not only Head Dog, he’s our toy designer, social media and marketing manager (that means he sits in bed at 11:30 at night and posts to Instagram), janitor (occasionally dragging the vacuum cleaner from home in to clean the office carpet), packaging designer, photographer, and jack-of-all trades. In entrepreneurship, you do it all!
    He’s backed up at home and in the business by me, his wife, Chris Chandler. I’m Head Dog Walker, Cat and Kid Herder, and the Main Blogger. I also help out with data entry, Facebook posts and other odds and ends.

Sugarplum, Buddy and Queso

    We have 3 dogs: Sugarplum, a mixed breed with lots of cattle dog; Buddy, a black lab; and Queso, shepherd/husky mix. All are from humane/rescue organizations.
    Queso (yes, our dog is named “cheese” in Spanish) is the Queen of the pack. She often sits outside in our backyard perched on a large rock with her front paws crossed regally, surveying her terrain. She willingly tests snacks and toys that can be stuffed with food.
    Sugarplum is the energetic one. Her cattle dog breeding makes her chase anything that moves. Her testing domain is toys she can tug on and things that fly. She also tests treats. Much more choosy than the others, we’re always curious to see how she’ll react to a new treat.

    Buddy is our durability tester. Prototypes come from the factory and we give them to him and then watch with baited to breath to see if he’ll find vulnerabilities. If he does, back to the drawing board to shore them up! Being a Lab, he’s also happy to test any food products whether they are meant for dogs or not. We have a coaster that has a photo of a Lab on it and it says, “All food must go the Lab for testing." That’s definitely his motto.

    Ringo and Quincie get a mention as part of our family too. They’re the family cats. They provide snuggles (when they feel like it) and give Sugarplum someone to manage. Sugar knows all the household rules, including the fact cats aren’t allowed on the counter. Do I ever hear about it from her when they break the rules!
    Next: you’ll meet our warehouse manager, Brad Chandler. (If you’re on top of it, you will have notice Brad and I share a last name. Tune in to find out the connection.)