Local business owners use dog days of summer to make, market products for dogs

WESTMINSTER – The dog days of summer are proving to be a good time of year for two local businesswomen who specialize in providing canine-related products to pet owners.

One business features homemade bandanas to help dogs look their best online, while the other offers homemade healthy treats for dogs.

Dogs in bandanas are an internet favorite

Fifteen-year-old Cali Laliberte of Westminster started her company, the Aussie Pup Co., after she adopted her dog, Charlie, during the height of the pandemic. After establishing an Instagram account for her new puppy, Laliberte realized just how popular photos of dogs in bandanas were on the platform.

After buying a few bandanas for Charlie, she decided to try her hand at designing and creating some handmade "dogwear" accessories of her own.

“I had a sewing machine, but I had never sewed before in my life,” Laliberte explained. “But I made an Instagram page for my new business, and I started sewing. It took a while to get the hang of it, but eventually I did.”

Using social media to market

Orders for her bandanas began to roll in, no doubt helped by the fact that the products were being modeled by Charlie, an Australian Shepherd who had over 1,000 Instagram followers even before Laliberte made her first bandana. She also created an Etsy page for her new business.

“I was able to build my business Instagram through Charlie a little bit at first,” said Laliberte, who will begin her sophomore year at Oakmont Regional High School in the fall. “And it was amazing when I started to get the first orders.”

Word of her new business began to spread online after several customers ordered bandanas for their own dogs to model for their Instagram followers, Laliberte explained. Those customers who included a link to the Aussie Pup Co. received a discount code that they could pass along to their followers. Customers who got at least 10 of their own followers to follow her company received a specially designed scrunchie for their dog, she added.

“That turned out to work really well because (those customers) would usually buy at least one bandana from each collection, and that really helped to boost my business,” she said.

Designs keep up with the times

Laliberte constantly updates her collection of bandanas, with most of her designs reflecting upcoming holidays or the seasons. Her current summer line includes bandanas adorned with flamingos, sunglasses, beach accessories, the stars and stripes, and patriotic paws.  She has also begun adding canine bow ties to her inventory.

Laliberte, who works a few hours every day on sewing her bandanas and coming up with ideas for new designs, said she was surprised at how quickly her business became a success. But she says she’s loving every minute of it.

“I love seeing the finished products, I love seeing the dogs enjoying it, I love when I’m bored just being able to sit in my room and do something productive instead of just sitting there on my phone or something,” she said, adding that she had plans to expand her business in the near future. “I’d like to add dog bows and maybe collar covers – and doing more with customized bandanas.”

Laliberte is also exploring ways to donate some of her earnings to charity. Charlie, whose breed inspired her company’s name, has epilepsy, she explained. She said she would like to use her business to raise awareness of canine epilepsy in the future.

To keep up with the Aussie Pup Co.’s new products, follow @aussie_pup_co on Instagram and TikTok.

A Chick and Her Homestead

There’s nothing a sharply dressed pup enjoys more than a delicious homemade treat, and that’s where Katie Alden of Hubbardston comes in.

Alden started her company, A Chick and Her Homestead, after her German Shepherd, Kovu, began getting rashes that were not going away with traditional veterinary treatment. After trying allergy shots and prescription medications to no avail, Alden decided to switch her dog to a raw diet – and Kovu’s symptoms cleared up within a week.

“And it’s been two years since I’ve had to bring him to the vet,” said Alden, who added that the experience inspired her to do more research about pet nutrition, especially when it came to what kind of ingredients went into dog food and treats. She said she began making her own dog treats, mainly so she could control what her dogs were eating.

“I also began making dog treats for my friends and family, and everyone was telling me that their dogs loved them and that they were so good for their dog’s skin and coat, and that I should be selling them,” Alden said. “And then everything just kind of happened.”

Bringing dog treats to summer markets

Alden, who is the school nurse at the Sizer School in Fitchburg, began selling her single-ingredient dog treats this summer, mainly at the Street Market in Sterling on Saturdays and the Farmers Market in Westminster each Friday. The response, from both pets and owners, was overwhelmingly positive.

“I love the dogs that are coming over to my table and getting a treat – I have a lot of samples – and I’m very passionate about what I’m doing,” Alden explained. “It’s fun, it’s not work.”

She said she was hoping to make her treats available at a few more local markets if she can fit them into her schedule.

Getting state approval

Alden’s dog treats come in three flavors: Dehydrated Sweet Potato, Freeze-Dried Smelt, and Freeze-Dried Beef Liver, and she produces about 10-15 bags of each flavor weekly. She said that each time she comes up with a new recipe, she sends it off to a food laboratory for testing, and then sends those results to the state Department of Agricultural Resources for approval.

Alden said she is hoping to expand her business to include online sales in the near future, but she said she wanted to further educate herself about the necessary requirements of selling canine treats over the internet.

“Massachusetts has a lot of requirements, it’s actually really crazy,” she said. “There are actually more requirements on selling dog food than there is for selling human food. They want to know the amount of proteins, the amount of moisture, and stuff like that.”

A change of heart

Alden admitted there was a certain irony in the fact that she has built a successful business specifically catering to canines and had an interest in expanding her services to include doggie daycare and training lessons in the future.

“It’s funny because I was deathly afraid of dogs when I was little but, now I love them,” she said.

For more information about Alden’s dog treats, visit her Facebook page:   Achickandherhomestead Farm Fresh Treats or visit her YouTube channel at A Chick And Her Homestead - YouTube for a look at how her treats are made.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Westminster business owners use summer to make, market items for dogs