Brighten your pup’s holiday with Pete’s Treats

Monday, November 25, 2019

Dog owners looking for a new tasty treat option to offer “man’s best friend” are in luck now that Oklahoma State University has announced Pete’s Treats.

OSU First Cowgirl Ann Hargis, co-founder of Pete’s Pet Posse, always wanted the university to have its own dog treat and thanks to a partnership with alumnus Travis Brorsen, now it does.

Pete’s Treats are available at the OSU University Store, the Boren Veterinary Medical Hospital or online through the University Store.

Starting in February, anyone who purchases the treats from the University Store, either online or in person, will get a trading card featuring a member of Pete's Pet Posse, OSU’s pet therapy program. A different dog will be featured each month. 

A portion of sales of the orange treats benefits Pete’s Pet Posse, which was established in 2013 to enhance physical and emotional health among students, faculty, staff and campus guests.

The partnership also provides jobs for adults with developmental disabilities who bake and package the product at 4RPUPS in Enid.

“It’s been a great partnership so far,” said Brorsen, host of Animal Planet’s “My Big Fat Pet Makeover.” “When people buy these dog treats they’re providing … their pets with a treat that is way healthier than any treat they can buy in a store.”

Registered dietitian nutritionist Elizabeth Lohrman, who is also a Pete’s Pet Posse owner/handler, created the created the all-natural, preservative-free recipe.

“Dogs love peanut butter, so that was a natural choice,” she said. “The ingredients are just wonderful and healthy for the dogs.”

The treats are made with human-grade ingredients and packaged in environmentally friendly 100 percent compostable/recyclable material.

Engineering students created the treat cutters at OSU’s ENDEAVOR lab, and President Burns Hargis’ mother, Rosalie Hargis, who passed away in 2011, funded the entire project through an endowment.

To learn more about the Pete’s Pet Posse, visit pettherapy.okstate.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Mack Burke | Editorial Coordinator | 405-744-5540 |  mack.burke_iv@okstate.edu