Angie Hoxie

Angie Hoxie, Barkin' Biscuit - all natural dog treats

Angie Hoxie, creator of Barkin' Biscuit, places her all-natural doggie treats on a baking sheet in her Exeter kitchen as Jake, her shepherd, watches intently.
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"It's so hard to find a good treat," Hoxie says."Especially healthy, low-fat treats.So I started looking into it."

Hoxie combined her research with her own ideas of what dogs would like, and began making treats.She sold them to the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for training classes, never dreaming that just a year and a half later she would have her own business, Barkin' Biscuit.Now Hoxie sells her treats to wholesale clients as well as to individuals through her Web site, www.barkinbiscuit.com.

"I wasn't thinking about it from a business standpoint," Hoxie says.
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Hoxie says she was able to break into the market because it was hard to find a good, small training treat.

"Anything like that is usually made by a small company, and it's expensive," she says."A lot of people recommend hot dogs for training, and it's just not healthy."

Next on the product line is a wheat-free treat, which Hoxie will introduce next month.

"Many dogs have a wheat allergy," Hoxie says."They deserve good, natural treats too."

Hoxie adds that she is also working on cat treats.

"Many people ask about them, and my two cats are jealous that the dogs get all the treats.Unfortunately, it's hard to get treats to stay soft the way most cats like them without preservatives.But it's definitely on the horizon once I find a way around that obstacle."

Along with selling training treats to the SPCA, Hoxie also helps smaller shelters such as the Friends of the Manchester Animals Shelter by leaving jars of treats at the counter.People visiting the shelter may take a treat and are encouraged to leave a donation.

"All the proceeds go to the animal shelter," she says."I like helping the smaller ones that don't get a chance to raise as much money as larger shelters."

Hoxie also contributes her treats to pass out at dogwalks for shelters such as Cocheco Valley Humane Society.

"It's a great way to help get my product out," she says."I just want to raise awareness for the health benefit of natural treats."

Right now, 100 percent of Barkin' Biscuits proceeds are going straight to Ella's surgeries, but Hoxie, who works out of her home, eventually hopes to expand her business.

"The treats are overtaking my kitchen," she laughs."It's getting kind of big for my house."

She hopes to have a bakery spot with a retail shop someday, in the Exeter or Portsmouth area.