Entrepreneurs open local dog bakery despite gloomy economy

If deserving dogs are truly man’s best friend, they should probably get more than measly, bland biscuits for their “treats.”

IU alumna and Bloomington residents Meagan Lisby and Angela Beard have come up with another option for people’s pampered pals: their online business, The Bone Appetreat. The business specializes in handmade organic treats for dogs in the Bloomington area.

Lisby and Beard have officially had the company online since the beginning of January.
“After I graduated, I noticed quite a few dog bakeries popping up in the Indianapolis area where I enjoyed shopping for my 10-year-old lab,” Lisby said. “It seemed like a good market.”

In September 2008, Lisby and Beard were sitting in the airport on their way to San Francisco when Lisby received a call saying her dog’s birthday cake was ready. After overhearing the conversation and thinking about it for a few days, on the flight home, Beard “woke Meagan out of her slumber and told her, ‘We should do this,’” Beard said.

“After months of research, planning, trial and error and company politics, we launched.”

But with such a slow and unpredictable economy, people might wonder if any new business could be successful. The women made no delays to open The Bone Appetreat after they came up with the idea, despite the economic downturn.

“With the economy the way it was, the time we needed to educate ourselves on canine nutrition and working out all the kinks when it comes to starting a company, we thought we would start online,” Beard said.

Because of word of mouth, the Web site’s feedback so far has been mostly positive, Lisby said.

The treats are not the average and unappetizing brown biscuits in a box. Lisby and Beard create brightly colored treats that resemble delicacies for humans. Popular products include the “Bowzer Brownie Bites,” “Mutt-Fins” and “PupCakes.” Some treats even contain parsley to keep canines’ breath fresh.

Additionally, Lisby and Beard offer personalized treats for every pooch, such as birthday cakes with the dog’s name on it, as well as colorful gift baskets.

They take into consideration each dog’s preferences and each owner’s concerns as well. If a dog has an allergy to a certain ingredient, customers can e-mail the business, and The Bone Appetreat will create a special treat that won’t make the dog sick.

None of the bakery’s treats contain salt, sugar, chemicals or preservatives. Most treats consist of peanut butter with a yogurt covering.

The Bone Appetreat Web site provides dog owners with the comfort that they will be able to pronounce the basic ingredients in each treat the bakery carries, rather than struggle with the complicated names of the artificial preservatives in treats they find at the grocery store.

Before The Bone Appetreat, Beard was a real estate agent in Bloomington, while Lisby continues to work in outside sales while she dedicates her nights and weekends to the bakery.

If the positive feedback continues, the owners plan to open their storefront in six to eight months. In the future, they said they might expand their product lines to include treats for cats.

Bloomington has proved to be a profitable town for a dog bakery, Lisby said. Lisby and Beard have received a lot of support from the University and surrounding community.
“Bloomington is full of dog owners that really love to spoil their dogs,” Beard said.

To learn more about The Bone Appetreat, visit, www.theboneappetreat.com.