In the Ulery Building of the Iowa Veterans Home, residents of dementia units come together about once a month to roll dough and use cookie cutouts to craft homemade dog biscuit treats.

The idea first came about last September during the IVH’s wiener dog races when residents made crafts for the event. Some made dog biscuits to give out to the dogs that participated in the races.

“Residents had such a ball doing this, so we said we had to do it again,” said IVH activities specialist Regina West.

Subsequent dog biscuit making had participants making treats shaped liked hearts, shamrocks and Easter themes. The most recent session, held Wednesday afternoon, had folks making biscuits shaped liked dog bones, dogs, letters, numbers and hands and feet. A group of about a dozen residents congregated at tables where they rolled out dough, then used cookie cutouts to achieve the desired shapes, then placing them on baking sheets. Pam Nablo, who runs the IVH gift shop, makes the dough, consisting of oatmeal, peanut butter and flour, which is safe for human ingestion. Making dough with just the three ingredients also allows for a non-sticky biscuit making experience.

Once the residents finish creating the biscuits, Nablo then bakes them in the oven for 20 minutes. Next, she wraps the treats and sells them in the gift shop for $2 a bag.

“They sell out in about a week, just from the staff,” West said. “We let people take a sample. I had a woman tell me her dog normally won’t eat a dog biscuit, but she brought these home and the dog gobbled them up.”

Having residents partake in dog biscuit making has several benefits. Most of the people who make the biscuits suffer from some form of dementia.

“We want our activities to have meaning and purpose, trying to stimulate the mind to prolong memory,” West said. “To make the treats, they have to make decisions, like what cutout to use and how much dough to use. They work their muscles and there is a social aspect as well.”

Some of the participants were employed as bakers before residing at the IVH, and those individuals are vocal about their enjoyment of the project – and about what works and doesn’t work.

“We needed a good way to roll out the dough, so my husband cut PVC pipes and I brought them in to use as rolling pins,” West explained.

Biscuit making takes the residents about 35-40 minutes per session.

“They always are ready to make the biscuits and they get excited about doing it,” West said.

The public is welcome to purchase the dog treats in the gift shop, while supplies last. Future biscuit making sessions are planned. To learn more, contact the gift shop at 641-753-4472.