When dogs needed help, their owner cooked up a solution

When Michael LaRiche’s chocolate cocker spaniel, Alex, developed skin problems a few years ago, he knew he had to do something.

After speaking with a veterinarian, LaRiche learned it was time to change his pet’s diet.

“The vet told me to feed Alex and my other dog, Jackson, only garbanzo beans and sweet potatoes,” said the Huntington Beach resident. “At the time, they were being fed lamb and rice, which I thought was good for dogs. It turns out it wasn’t the best thing for them. They were allergic and there was a lot of fillers in their food.”

Once Alex and Jackson’s snacks were switched from meat to vegan and vegetarian, their skin issues went away, LaRiche said.

The pet owner then began experimenting in his kitchen.

“I found a recipe for dog treats, changed it around and put the beans and sweet potatoes in it,” LaRiche said. “Within a few months, I was giving samples to neighbors and friends to give to their dogs.”

LaRiche, a real estate agent, now sells the treats under the name Smart Alex Bark at Home, which he founded last year. A Huntington Beach bakery produces the product.

The Surf City company’s treats come in these options: vegetarian, vegan, soy-free, grain-free and gluten-free. All are hypo-allergenic. Smart Alex sells “Growlnola Bars and Bites” as well as garbanzo bean treats and chews in a variety of flavors, including carrot-almond, pumpkin-banana and walnut-flaxseed. Prices range from $1.49 to $10.49 for individual treats and bags.

LaRiche distributes Smart Alex to hotels and cafes, as well as local pet stores, including Local Pet Market in Huntington Beach.

While the snacks are healthy, LaRiche said, they’re no substitute for actual dog meals. After discovering that a healthier diet helped his dogs’ skin issues, he kept feeding them the vegetarian and vegan treats while reintroducing meat-based food to their regular meals.

“These are not to be confused with a food, and I wouldn’t want anyone to feed their dog these all day long, because dogs are meat eaters and they need more than what’s in these bars all the time,” he said.

LaRiche said he believes people are becoming more conscious about their dogs’ diets.

“There are so many fillers and preservatives in dog food,” he said. “These have no fillers or preservatives. What you might want to call a ‘limited ingredient diet’ is probably the best for your dog.”