Our Story | Tricky Treats

Tricky Treats

Our Story

Tricky Treats was inspired by dogs, designed for dogs, tested on dogs (and 1 cat), so dogs get what they really want to play with…. their own stuff!

After replacing many dog beds, door mats, shoes, buckets, reticulation hoses, sprinklers, garden beds and more (not to mention a few Ranger fines for dog barking), I needed to find a solution to keep my dog happy at home whilst I was away at work.

This was the birth of Tricky Treats.... keep reading.


How it all started...

A message from Cherelle

Necessity is the mother of all invention, or for me it was more like ‘a difficult situation inspired an inventive solution’!

My inventive solution was strongly shaped by two men.

Douglas who is a brown and white Beagle who I found on the internet. SAFE (Saving Animals from Euthanasia) was looking for a new home for Douglas and for me it was love at first sight.

Adam who is a blue eyed country boy (who I also found on the internet)… And again was also love at first sight!

Douglas and I together are a great team but apart, well…Douglas is not at his best! (Probably the same goes for Adam too.)

I was working long hours, away from home and leaving Douglas alone. Every time I left for work I felt guilty and sad that he was bored and unhappy. As dog owners, you all know what happens next - destruction! And in my case, neighbourhood disturbance as well.

After replacing many dog beds, door mats, shoes, buckets, reticulation hoses, sprinklers, garden beds and more (not to mention a few Ranger fines for dog barking), I needed to find a solution.

I talked to Adam about my ‘crazy idea’ to keep Douglas entertained and happy during the day. To my surprise he didn’t think it was crazy and encouraged me to see if it could actually be made.

That was in 2011.

Since then we have worked with an industrial design company in Perth to transform my original idea I presented on a scrap piece of paper into engineering drawings, colours, features, mechanics and electronics. We are now working with another Douglas (a non-furry one) who helped commercialise the Tricky Treats and is overseeing the manufacturing and testing.

It has taken hundreds of hours of hard work in research, testing prototypes and refining my ‘idea’ into a realistic pet product ready for sale. In addition we have had the help of friends and family in so many ways I can’t begin to list them.

We have created a film clip, facebook page and website all with the support of school friend and owner of Tinderbox in Perth and we were so very lucky to discover my best friend’s husband knew a professional dog trainer. It is her dog Talle who stars in our short film clip, coming out of retirement at 14 just for us.

The first Tricky Treats arrived in Australia in December 2016 and were delivered in time for Christmas. 

Be one of the first in to own a Tricky Treats for your furry family!

Tricky Treats is available for order now!.

Thank you for helping to make our idea, a reality.

Furry Hugs, Cherelle x