That’s one sweet kid
Disability can’t curb his doggie-cookie biz
Ten-year-old Connor Rodriguez of Queens turned two great loves, cooking and his pups Scoob and Max, into a dog treat family business that took off during the pandemic lockdown.
The parents of the Rockaways fifth-grader, who has Down syndrome, are delighted and unsurprised.
“He has always wanted to be in the kitchen, especially when his mom bakes,” Connor’s father, Fred Rodriguez, 54, told the Daily News. “He loves dogs. He almost has a connection with them. I think they’ve been a source of comfort for all of us [during the pandemic].”
Connor regularly shared his mom’s fresh-baked banana bread with the family’s labs Scoob and Max, Rodgriguez said.
“My favorite part about dogs is when they jump on you and give you kisses. They give the best kisses,” said Connor, smiling in his dark blue apron emblazoned with the company’s logo, Connor’s Canine Cookies.
Connor, his dad and mom Marian Tinnelly-Rodriguez make all the dog treats in their kitchen using molds or shaping them individually by hand. They say they taught themselves how to make the cookies by reading recipes.
Connor’s Canine Cookies made its debut at the Rockaway Hotel in December at the annual holiday market featuring local vendors, the family said — and with Connor manning the cash register, each day the family’s peanut butter, pumpkin and bacon flavored canine confections sold out.
“I love seeing the people and being at the cash register,” Connor declared.
Bags of the fresh treats cost between $5 and $10, offering customers either 40 mini dog treats or five larger dog treats for a few more bucks.
“It just became a huge hit,” Rodriguez said. “We had to keep up with the demand.” The business became such a hit that Rodriguez said he’s transitioned from a career at Sprint as a network service manager to working fulltime on the family operation.
Tinnelly-Rodriguez, 53, said Connor has overcome many obstacles — with perhaps the biggest one the stigma around Down syndrome. When he was born, a hospital social worker told her and her husband that Connor would never go to college or even have a bank account, she recalled.
“It almost lit a fire in us. We were going to ensure that he has a life well-lived, that he’d be able to live like any other child,” she told The News.
In his first decade of life, Connor’s played basketball at Madison Square Garden in the local Special Olympics, published a children’s book and obtained an Irish passport for visits to the country where his mom was born and where her family still lives.
Tinnelly-Rodriguez, who works as a teacher’s assistant in Middle Village, said the dog treats have given Connor far more than just something to do during the pandemic isolation.
“I think it’s given him a boost of confidence in a way. He’s more assertive with himself,” she said. “Because it was just the three of us stuck here for so long, having these brief interactions at the hotel with people was so much fun for all of us. There was a social aspect too.”
Connor’s dad added that his son has also gained new skills from the business while he’s remote learning in school.
“When we were doing the market event, he was working [at] the cash register. That helped him learn about money,” the father added. “He’s learning to make the dough and everything. That’s [all] helping him with his future.”
His parents said they hope Connor one day will run the business, have a storefront and even employ others with disabilities.
“Long term we want him to take it over when he gets older. Not many companies are run by someone with a disability, someone like Connor,” she said.
Connor’s Canine Cookies, which are “made with love and an extra chromosome,” are now being shipped nationwide and can be delivered locally.
“Connor has taught us so much about resilience and not giving up,” Tinnelly-Rodriguez said. “He can do whatever he puts his mind to and we want to make sure we give him every opportunity to do so.”