One of the first lessons Don Bamber needed to learn when expanding his pet treat company was that most dogs aren’t farm dogs and aren’t treated like farm dogs.
They don’t get fed scraps off the table, sleep under the front step or get to chase the cows.
Realizing that many dogs are considered part of the family was key to the expansion of Super Dog treats, a company started in 1999 by his then 10-year-old daughter, Shirley.
“We had to listen to what owners’ concerns were,” said Bamber after the grand opening of a Super Dog treats factory at his northern Alberta elk farm.
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“People love their dogs. They don’t want to lose their dogs.”
Two years ago, Bamber and his wife, Holly, bought the Super Dog treats business from their daughter and concentrated on expanding and promoting the high-end dog treats for medicinal value. The business fit well with their elk ranch and Royal Elk Products, which produces elk antler velvet products for human consumption.
During the grand opening of the Super Dog factory, more than 400 dog lovers toured and inspected the factory to learn about the elk velvet-enhanced dog treats and the rest of the elk velvet business.
Customers wanted to know how the treats were made, if the factory was clean, are the people honest or are they in it to make a quick buck, said Bamber, who bought his first elk in 1986 and has been making elk antler for human consumption for 15 years.
The Super Dog treats are now in 300 stores across Canada and the United States.
Bamber said he was surprised by the number of visitors to the farm and their response to the Super Dog treats tour. The new factory is the fourth to be built on the farm.
Many of the visitors left with “armfulls” of Super Dog treats, exceeding any sales expectations for their factory tour.
“They left extremely happy.”
Bamber said he has known for a few years about the growing interest in high-end pet food products. Customers of his human elk antler capsules have requested something similar for their pets. Pet owners who had seen benefits of elk antler velvet in their animals started requesting elk velvet products for themselves.
“We knew there was a need,” said Bamber, who worked with a food nutritionist to redevelop his daughter’s original dog treat recipe into a more refined product.
The all-natural product is gluten free, meat free and dairy free, and the key ingredient is the elk antler. A report in a 2004 Canadian veterinary journal reported improved gait and health of the dogs with elk velvet antler.
Bamber said their rule of thumb is if a dog crippled with arthritis can’t walk up the stairs, he should be running up the stairs after five to seven days on Super Dog treats.
“This is not a food. It’s a medicinal-type treat,” said Bamber, who studied markets, stores, buyers, dogs and their owners before relaunching the Super Dog treats.
“It took a lot of work, money and effort to get to the place we are now.”
Bamber said while it’s unlikely the Super Dog treats business will become their main focus, he hopes it will make up half of their elk velvet business.
“Our goal is that Super Dog treats will be a household name across Canada.”
