Dog lover Amy Bossard enjoys seeing new four-legged customers at her food truck, parked at farmers markets in the Carolinas.
“I always approach the dogs or have the dogs approach me,” she said about having gentle interactions. “I try not to scream and squeal if there’s a cute puppy or something.”
Meeting the humans buying treats for their fur babies is a major bonus for her small business, the Simply American Dog Treat Truck, based in Belmont in Gaston County.
Her treat truck also was one of 33 businesses named as a “Certified North Carolina Destination Business” by the state’s Department of Commerce. The department launched the new program to strengthen small businesses by providing training and resources to attract customers to their businesses and Main Street areas throughout North Carolina.
“It gets North Carolina residents and guests of the state to go look at these small towns,” Bossard said.
Dog treats that are fit for cats... and donkeys too
Bossard is hardly a stranger to the pet business. She previously ran a pet store in New York City and was a sales rep in the Pacific Northwest for the pet product industry.
Bossard moved to the Charlotte region from Portland, Oregon in 2018, the same year she started her business. She wanted to be closer to the East Coast and her aging parents in Pennsylvania.
She began making dog treats in her kitchen, while being watched by four rescue dogs: two schnauzer mixes (one has three legs), a Yorkiepoo and a Labrador retriever mix. As a dog owner, she wanted to make healthy treats for her pets.
“Even though they don’t have paying jobs, their jobs are to supervise and clean the floors,” she said, laughing.
Her journey into the business world of doggie treats began by setting up a tent with a table in a friend’s parking lot for about a year, then moving on to local farmers markets with her truck. The vehicle became a part of her business in 2020.
It’s a 1996 Subaru Sambar Truck called “Treatsy Roll,” where she sells her treats. It’s a slow-moving attention magnet, which requires Bossard to take the backroads to reach dog-friendly farmers markets in Belmont as well as Columbia, and Greenville, South Carolina.
She occasionally goes to Charlotte too, and has a space under the Greenery Shed at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on Yorkmont Road.
But the miles are well worth it to see dogs wag their tails. And it’s not just dogs salivating — cats enjoy the treats, too, according to Bossard. But pet owners are advised to break the treats up into smaller pieces for cats.
Bossard developed relationships with local farmers in Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland counties for production. The treats include a mix of meat, fish and veggie options.
Some of the popular products are ostrich liver bites and ostrich trachea tubes from a farm in South Carolina. She also offers lamb liver and pig ears. Bossard sells products from other businesses as well, such as freeze-dried minnows. The average cost of a treat is about $15.
Dehydrated sweet potatoes are also a favorite for donkeys, according to one customer.
A business to be proud of
Bossard has been in the pet industry for a long time. Even during tough economic times like the 2008 housing market crash, people still spent money on quality items for their pets.
“I’m not saying that the pet industry is bulletproof, but it continues to grow as people prioritize quality consumables for their pets.”
It’s a business she’s proud to be a part of — even if it means making her own dogs jealous.
“I come home smelling like I’ve been hugging the whole community,” Bossard said. “...My dogs inspect my pants: ‘Who have you been hugging?’ I get a lot of attitude.”
Treatsy Roll
To find out where the Treatsy Roll truck will be next, visit simplyamericandogtreattruck.com or follow the business on Facebook and Instagram at @SimplyAmericanDog.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 5:35 AM.