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March 10, 2025
PLYMOUTH – Jessica Jensema – chief bread baker with Dough & Doggies – said it all started when she started making sourdough bread as part of her journey toward healthier living.
Jensema said she began sharing the bread with friends and family, who began saying they would love to buy bread from her.
She said in the beginning, it was just about doing something that made her happy and that she could share with her friends.
Jensema said she never expected it to blossom into a side gig but is glad it did.
From a Christmas-break project to a business
Learning how to make sourdough from a friend over Christmas break in 2023, Jensema said she really only intended for it to be just that – a Christmas-break project.
But like any entrepreneur at heart, she said by April 2024 she had started Dough & Doggies.
As she approaches the business’s first anniversary, Jensema said “it’s crazy how fast it grew.”
“The community support has just been incredible,” she said. “I’m baking to my max almost every week, which is 20 loaves.”
Jensema said she offers a variety of bread flavors, including:
- Regular (plain)
- Cinnamon raisin
- Cinnamon sugar
- Chocolate chip
- Dill pickle cheddar
- Jalapeno cheddar
- Parmesan garlic and herb
- Seasonal flavors
Prices range from $10 to $14, and Jensema said customers can pick up their loaves on Fridays either from her or at Bushman Homestead in Sheboygan.
To learn more about Dough & Doggies and its weekly bread options, check it out on Facebook or contact Jensema directly at doughanddoggies@gmail.com.
Something larger
As interest in the business grew, Jensema said so, too, did its purpose.
What started as a health-conscious choice, she said, slowly evolved into something larger.
Somewhat concurrent to her adventures in sourdough happened in 2023, Jensema said she adopted a 12.5-year-old pitbull named Queenie from a local shelter – who joined her other three dogs, one special needs pup and two fosters that never left.
Before she knew it, Jensema said the funds she was generating from her sourdough bread sales started going toward helping senior dogs.
“I realized this was a way I could help everybody, and I called it Dough & Doggies,” she said.
Though it started as a way to cover the meds for her senior pups, Jensema said it soon evolved into being able to sponsor all the senior pit bulls at local rescues – covering their adoption fees and some medical costs.
In return, Jensema said the shelters include a note that the dog’s adoption fees were sponsored by Dough & Doggies.
She said for her, it comes down to helping alleviate costs upfront, which may encourage folks to adopt senior dogs.
When asked why senior dogs, Jensema said there is something about them that speaks to her heart the most – feeling heartbroken when many are abandoned at shelters.
“They deserve love for their last days,” she said. “And I think people are hesitant because they know the end comes sooner. Seniors just have so much love to give, and they’re the perfect companions – they just want some snuggles and a bed.”
Jensema said she also understands that with senior dogs comes higher expenses, in the form of medical conditions and vet visits – which is why she hopes helping with even a little bit of that with Dough & Doggies will help more senior pups get adopted.
A helping paw
Jensema said Dough & Doggies donates to the Sheboygan Humane Society and White Paws German Shepherd Rescue in Green Bay.
During March, specifically, she said she is hosting a fundraiser for Tilly’s Pit Crew, a Sheboygan-based organization, which looks to reduce the population of sheltered pit bull dogs in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties by offering owner support and networking with local rescues and shelters to secure a safe future for these dogs.
Additionally, Jensema said the organization helps spay and neuter pit bulls to reduce the population, as well as offer training to keep them in homes.
“Training is so important, plus exercise,” she said. “Too many people believe certain breeds are bad, but in fact, they’re just high energy. I believe a tired dog is a good dog.”
When it comes to pit bulls, Jensema said just as Tilly’s Pit Crew does, she hopes to change the view on the breed.
Her own pit, Queenie, she said, was the best dog she ever had – even if their relationship was only seven short months.
Jensema said Queenie enjoyed nothing more than cuddles and playing with her siblings.
Though she holds a special place in her heart for pit bulls – “they have the biggest heads, but the biggest hearts is what I say” – Jensema said Dough & Doggies “helps all dogs.”
Looking to Dough & Doggies’ first anniversary and beyond, Jensema said she has big dreams that include potentially starting her own dog rescue one day.
“It’s my goal to have my own dog rescue – we talk about it all the time,” she said.
The giving doesn’t stop with dogs
In addition to her work with local shelters and Tilly’s Pit Crew, Jensema said she is also the executive director of Project Angel Hugs, a nonprofit for children with cancer that her family started after her little sister had cancer.
Project Angel Hugs, she said, tends to the emotional needs of patients and their families to help them feel a little more “normal” by sending gift packages that include something for everyone.
Keeping community in mind, Jensema said the organization has local youth make cards and crafts to include in the gift boxes – “so the families know others support them.”
