Unless you’ve been living under a rock or completely avoiding the news, you’ve heard about the long string of dog treat recalls happening over the last few months. Dog treat recalls have been happening for many years, and one of these recalls in 2011 actually ended up leading to something good in the end. Unfortunately there was a tragedy before there was anything positive.
If you ask Karen Probst, owner of Apple Pie Pets, she’ll tell you that October 8, 2011 was one of the worst days of her life. That was the day that she had to rush her healthy 7-year-old dog to the vet. After spending the entire day running tests, the poor dog passed away 12 hours later. Ultimately the veterinary team determined that the dog was poisoned by recalled jerky treats.
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After researching the incident, Probst realized that this was a wide spread issue that was happening all over the country. She also found that the major source of the problem was the imported chicken and other ingredients that weren’t meeting the United States’ high standards. Probst decided to begin making her own treats at home so none of her other dogs would suffer the same fate.
She shared experimental treats with friends and family and honed her skills for making jerky and dog treats. She was encouraged to sell her products, and that’s how Apple Pie Pets was born. Probst is proud to offer a healthy option to pet parents, and also to educate anyone who doesn’t know about the dangers of foreign-sourced ingredients.
Her mission is to manufacture and deliver nutritious, safe, 100% American jerky treats to dogs, while delivering peace of mind to pet parents at the same time. Apple Pie Pets only uses the best American-sourced, human-grade ingredients in their homemade products. In fact, she chose the company name to convey the All-American, nutritious, and wholesome nature of the jerky treats that she sells.
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Probst says that the secret to her products is the aroma of the fresh syrups and fruits that entice dogs. She says she refers to the treats as “aromatastic.” The products have even been taste tested by humans. The fruits, yams, and maple syrups that are used in Apple Pie Pet products are all from Wisconsin, and the fresh chicken comes from several farms in the Midwest that Probst and her husband have personally visited.
She’d love to expand the brand in the future, and she says their first new venture will be a grain-free beef treat. However, it takes a lot of time and experimentation to get the recipe just right, so the product may not hit store shelves for a while.
