Our Story...

Who We Are (the abridged history of The Organic Hound Co.)  

There are certain things in life, that once you’ve had them long enough, you start to take for granted – things like electricity, cable TV, and a job.  At the time Jess and I started forming the idea for The Organic Hound Co., we still had electricity and cable TV.  It was that last thing, a job, which we found ourselves without in April 2010. We worked together at a financial newsletter company in New York, Jess as the creative director and me as a writer.  When you abruptly lose your job, you can respond in one of two ways. You can curse the universe for delivering you such an unlucky lot or you can seize the opportunity to figure out what you really want to do with your life and well…do it.  Fight or flight, so to speak. 

This is the story of how we fought – against the mounting bills, the disbelievers, the logistical nightmares, the little obstacles, and the big hurdles – to turn a dream into The Organic Hound Co.

One day, post job loss, I was on my way to visit Jess at her home in New Hampshire when I got a call from her on my cell phone. The conversation went something like this (I paraphrase loosely):

Me: “Hello.”

Jess: “I have an idea that I think you are going to love.  We’ll talk when you get here.”

Me: “C’mon, you have to give me more than that!”

Jess: “I’ve been thinking about what we can do for work, and I think we should start a company for dogs that carries environmentally friendly products.”

Me: “You’re brilliant. That’s it.”

I knew what Jess described was the exact mental image that played over and over in my head while daydreaming from my windowless cubicle. It made sense, perfect sense.  So, we went to work.  We brainstormed company names, researched products, reviewed industry stats, and even discussed ways in which the company would grow.  And that was all on the first day. 

By day two, Jess’ original idea had already evolved into something entirely different. During one of the many informal meetings conducted in pajamas over coffee, we asked ourselves a crucial question.  Wouldn’t it be more rewarding to sell a product we make ourselves?  Since neither one of us could fashion a dog toy out of hemp, we thought of the next best product we could put on the market – dog biscuits. So, we went to work again. We bought ingredients, researched recipes, dusted off some old bone shaped cookie cutters, and baked our first batch.

By day three we had baked peanut butter, liver, tuna, and pumpkin flavored treats. We were on a roll, but we felt like something was missing. So, we put Jess’ original idea back on the table for yet another round of revisions. We wanted to bake biscuits for dogs. That much we knew for sure.  But we wanted to do more than that.  We wanted to set our biscuits apart from your everyday average dog treat.  See, we wanted to bake the healthiest  treats for dogs made from the best ingredients available.  This is the mission we established when we became The Organic Hound Co. In the months we spent fully developing The Organic Hound Co., life threw us one proverbial curve ball after another.  But remember, this is a story about how we fought, and trust me when I say that the challenges we faced only made us fight harder to uphold our core company values. 

Starting a business is tough, especially when you are unemployed and have limited resources available. This is the hardest we’ve ever worked without having a paycheck to show for it!  On the flipside, this is also the most passionate and fulfilled we ever felt about what we do for a living. Forget 9-5. Molding The Organic Hound Co. into the company it is today was a 24/7 labor of love.  We set out to make nutritious organic biscuits for dogs and we are pretty proud of what we’ve created.  We hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoy making them for you.

What We Do (The Organic Hound Co. in a nutshell)

We bake nutritious, great tasting organic treats for dogs.  That’s the basic description of what we do, but we want you to know what we’re really about.  The process of developing a healthy dog biscuit can be as easy or as complicated as you make it. For some people, it is a hobby.  For us, it is an art form.  When you look at a stunning piece of art, there isn’t just one factor that makes it remarkable.  Artists rely on multiple elements to create a true masterpiece. We take a similar approach when baking our dog biscuits.  

Aristotle is attributed with saying, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” We fully believe this is true, which is why every ingredient we use is carefully selected to create a final product that tastes good, looks good, and most importantly, is good for your dog. We experimented with dozens of recipe combinations before deciding on the ingredients we feel carry the most nutritional value for your dog.  

This is why we do things like use coconut flour, which has the highest amount of dietary fiber out of any flour. This is also why we use flaxseed meal instead of whole flaxseeds.  See, ground flaxseeds offer more nutritional benefits for your dog than whole flaxseeds. This is the same reason we use high protein garbanzo bean flour to create a grain-free beef dog treat, and why we use antispasmodic ginger powder in our tummy taming pumpkin ginger biscuit.

When you purchase any one of our homemade treats, you can be sure your dog will enjoy a snack that contains no wheat, corn, or soy – the most common sources of food allergies in dogs.  We also make it a point to only use easily digestible grains like brown rice and oats that won’t be harmful to your dog’s system. We hold our organic dog biscuits to the highest standards of health and nutrition. Nothing makes it into our organic dog biscuits unless it has a positive nutritional impact on your dog’s daily and long-term health.

So that’s what we do at The Organic Hound Co., but if anyone ever asks, you can just tell them that we bake the healthiest treats for dogs made from the best ingredients available. 

Why We Do It (The Organic Hound Co.’s mission)

It’s simple, really. We love dogs! I know what you are thinking –lots of people love dogs, so what makes The Organic Hound Co. different? When faced with the sudden loss of our jobs, we were forced to examine our lives, our careers, and essentially, our values. In doing this, we arrived at an important conclusion – we are dog people. We always have been and we always will be. Acknowledging this simple truth inspired us to embark on the life-changing journey of starting The Organic Hound Co.

Along the way we learned that a little conviction can go a long way, hard work really does pay off, and that everything happens for a reason. We did not start this company merely as a means to an end. The Organic Hound Co. celebrates the special relationship shared between a person and their dog. This is why we are dedicated to creating healthy, organic dog treats to help your dog enjoy more happy years on this earth.  As a matter of fact, promoting the well being of dogs through health and nutrition is nothing new for one member of The Organic Hound Co.

Jess, a professionally trained dog trainer and K9 Search and Rescue training officer, has always maintained an active interest in dog nutrition.  In 2006, Jess teamed up with Dr. Ian Billinghurst, the man behind the BARF Diet, to educate dog owners about the benefits of an all natural diet.  Now, through The Organic Hound Co., Jess continues to apply her interest in dog nutrition by sharing her knowledge and passion with you.  And trust me when I say that her passion is contagious! She inspires us all to operate this company with an unwavering commitment to our mission, vision, and values.

So yes, we do this because we love dogs. The fact that we look really good in chef coats might also have a little something to do with it.  Thank you for visiting our site and learning about our products and our company.  Most importantly, thank you for making a commitment to raising a happy, healthy dog!

The Organic Hound Co. is owned and operated by Michelle Clark, Jessica Hendelman and Deb Harmon