News Articles

  • PIA Innovator Spotlight: Designer Dog Treats - Are they for the Sophisticated Pet, or the Sophisticated Pet Owner?

    January, 2010

    PIA Innovator Spotlight - What do you do if you were a 20 year retail industry veteran who had worked for companies like Kmart and was sick of seeing the "junky" dog treats that were all that was available for dogs and other pets? If you were Andrew Gelsey of Smokey's Doghouse, you develop your own trademarked line of organic dog treats using a proven "human" recipe, starting in this case with biscotti and call it "Barkscotti.". BARKscotti, "the biscotti for dogs"®. These are available in 3 flavors, oatmeal apple cranberry, peanut butter carob chip and carob. Read more

    WB man bakes 'fetching' dog treats

    April 1, 2009

    West Bloomfield Beacon - Andrew "Augie" Gelsey is in the "DogHouse" seven days a week, but he's not complaining. The DogHouse is a Commerce Township kitchen and office where Gelsey hand-makes dog biscuits for his business, Smokey's DogHouse Treats. Read more

    Tasty dog treats bark up sales

    Thursday Jan 8, 2009

    Detroit News - After starting Augie Brands in his kitchen, owner plans to sell more pet products in future.
    Andy Gelsey had a hairy problem: His dog loved the all-natural treats Gelsey created, but he needed a target test sample to be sure.
    So Gelsey enlisted the help of his friends, sending his Smokey DogHouse treats to a lucky group of dogs nationwide. A few satisfied chomps later, a business was born. Read more

    Dogged Visionary

    His preservative-free, locally made dog treats are coming to Hiller's

    Thursday Jan 8, 2009

    Detroit Jewish News - Andy Gelsey of West Bloomfield had a vision. So when he was laid off from his job in December 2007, he put his energy into starting a company that creates a niche for him in the growing pet product industry.
    Earlier this year, he launched Augie Brands Inc., an innovative dog treat manufacturing and distribution company based in Commerce Township. His first employee was Smokey, the family's 2-year-old black lab/beagle mix, who was immediately named "chairdog" of the board. Read more

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