Take a Bite of the Doggie Treats Industry

By Stephen Bucaro
Posted Tuesday, December 21, 2004

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According to a poll by the American Pet Association, over 13 million dog owners consider their dog to be their best friend. Over 28 million dog owners purchase Christmas gifts for their dogs. Almost 5 million celebrate their dog's birthday by giving them a special treat. I bet most dog owners give their dogs a treat every day!

Dog owners own a total of 61,542,900 million dogs. Many of those pet owners are looking for nutritious treats for their pets. They want treats made from fresh organic ingredients without preservatives or hard-to-digest fillers. The Pet Food Institute says sales of organic pet foods was $29.4 million last year. That's a lot of doggie treats!

You could make yourself a lot of money by taking just a small bite of that $29.4 million doggie treats industry. And if that doesn't get you drooling, there are about twice as many cats that can eat the same treats. The healthy pet treats industry is growing at a rate of 13.8 percent annually.

Chicken Doggie Treats

1 1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon soft margarine 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/3 cup cornmeal

Blend the chicken, chicken broth and margarine. Then add the flour and cornmeal. Knead and roll dough to 1/4 inch. Cut into one-inch pieces and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 18 biscuits.

A nice thing about the pet food business is that you are not subject to the same health department inspections that you get with human food. However, you still need to maintain a clean working environment and provide a fresh product if you want your company to develop a good reputation.

You need to be aware that certain food items are toxic to pets - for example: apple seeds; apricot pits; avocados; coffee; tea; chocolate; most nuts; mushrooms; onions; potatoes; rhubarb leaves; salt; and yeast dough.

Remember, even though the pet consumes the treats, it is the pet's owner that you have to please. Experiment with your recipes and make the shape of the product fun for the pet to chew on. A happy pet eagerly devouring your treats will please the pet's owner.

Cheese Doggie Treats

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup cornmeal

Combine the cheeses and yogurt. Then add the flour and cornmeal. Knead and roll dough to 1/4 inch. Cut into one-inch sized pieces and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 24 biscuits.

Example Doggie Treats Business

When Kim Kern put her home-baked treats out at family gatherings, Sheba, the family's dog, would snatch a few treats from the table for herself. But when Sheba was diagnosed with diabetes, she was no longer allowed to share in the treats.

Kim decided to make diabetes safe treats for Sheba by removing the sugar from a dog bone recipe that she found on the Web. She continued to modify the recipe until Sheba indicated it was perfect by eagerly devouring the treats.

At the next family gathering, a friends dog joined Sheba in eagerly devouring the treats. When Kim baked some extra treats for the friends dog, she ended up with a bunch extra. She gave the extra doggie treats to her sister, Susan, who gave them to customers at her ceramics shop.

The customers said their dogs loved the treats, and asked if they could buy more. Kim baked more doggie treats to sell at the ceramics shop. The treats started selling fast.

Kim decided to expand her line with a variety of treats. Soon she was earning enough to quit her job. Now she spends her days listening to music while batches of doggie treats bake in her oven. She expects to make $100,000.00 this year. Visit Kim's Web site at (Www.lazybonesbakery.com)

Healthy pet treats is a $29.4 million industry growing 13.8 percent annually. If you like to bake and you own a dog that can help you test your products, you could make yourself a lot of money by taking a small bite out of the doggie treats industry.

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