The dogs of Australia, and several Asian countries, are forever grateful to Mark Davis and Mike Pelar. Davis, a food technologist, and Pelar, a marketing and distribution expert, are among the pioneers who created delicious treats for dogs. They had already established a pet food business based on long-life, lactose-free milk for dogs and cats. Pets Own was a world first and the business had become very successful in Australia with exports to Japan, the United States and the Asia-Pacific markets. “It was in the late 1990s that we saw the opportunity to expand into pet treats,” says Davis. “The treats category didn’t really exist then, but the specialty pet chains understood what we were trying to do, and treats are now the category with the fastest turnover. ”The Blackdog range, which is the Australian market leader in the dried and natural treats category, comprises about 300 items. “They are created with minimal processing and presented in a way that is appealing to consumers,’’ he says. ‘‘As well as tasting good and being highly nutritious, the treats all do something beneficial for the dog, such as cleaning tartar off the teeth, relieving boredom, potentially helping with such things as good joint health, or they are a great source of protein.”
The variety is astonishing. Dried beef, pork, chicken, kangaroo, lamb, fish and duck in various forms, all-natural collagen dental sticks, shark cartilage, which is beneficial for dogs suffering from arthritis or joint and hip dysplasia, kangaroo pieces, marrowbones filled with beef, chicken twisted around chewy rawhide strips, salmon skins, sweet potato slices . . .
There is also an extensive range of oven-baked biscuits, which contain an assortment of functional ingredients. “Demand never wanes,” says Davis. “People want to do nice things for their dogs, and they want it to be natural and good quality. ”New to the market is the Blackdog range of premium dried food for puppies and adult dogs. Like the treats, these are made with all-natural ingredients, are gluten-free, with no preservatives, flavours or colours. “They are highly palatable and contain glucosamine for healthy joints, pre- and probiotics for a healthy gut and omega-3 with high DHA to strengthen the dogs’ immune system, give them healthy skin and coat, and boost their general health,” says Pelar. “We thought it was only reasonable that the entire range contains all of these potentially beneficial nutrients, so that consumers didn’t have to compromise when choosing the variety.” At the moment, the range comprises three proteins – chicken, lamb and fish (salmon and ocean white fish) – with vegetables for essential vitamins and fruits, such as blackberries, for their antioxidant properties. The full range hit the market through independent pet specialists last month with wider distribution happening in the coming months.
“They are complete and balanced meals. You don’t need to feed your dog anything else.” Meat-based raw materials are sourced from human-grade abattoirs and boning rooms throughout Australia and manufacturing practices are in accordance with Australian standards for pet food certification. Blackdog products are available from specialty pet food stores and several online retailers.
