Young entrepreneur starts pet treat business, donates to area animal shelter

Published 5:40 am Tuesday, February 15, 2022

When 9-year-old Margot Peters made a New Year’s resolution to help animals, she didn’t envision how popular her endeavor would become.

Margot approached her mom, Gillian, with a project in mind to make treats for cats and dogs.

Friends, family and teachers from Margot’s school started supporting her effort — and the orders started pouring in.

Margot, who lives in Diana, has made about 35 dozen pet treats for eager clients. On nights when she didn’t have a lot of homework, she’d make 10 dozen batches at a time and deliver them with her mom the next day, Gillian said.

“I think it ended up being probably a lot more than (Margot) expected, but she was very even-keeled about it and just kind of plugged away. .. She stayed up late sometimes,” Gillian said with a laugh.

The reception to Margot’s pet treats can be seen in photos of the “clients” patiently awaiting their order. When she’s had extras left over, Margot gives the treats to her pets as a test. She said her dogs loved them, “but it’s kind of hard to understand ‘cause they eat anything.”

According to Gillian, the treats do not have a set price, and Margot only accepts donation. Since starting Jan. 3, Margot has managed to make a little more than $600.

The Peters family has two dogs, Goosey and Birdie, and four cats, Jackson, Punk, Maui and Galle, all of which were adopted.

Galle was adopted from the Longview Animal Care and Adoption Center, which is where Margot is donating the proceeds from her treats. Some customers were very generous with their donation knowing it would go to the shelter, Gillian said.

Gillian said the shelter sent a wish list of everyday items that the facility needs, and Margot used half of the donated funds to purchase towels, blankets, collars, toys, cleaning supplies and more.

Margot said her reason for wanting to help animals is because “I just really like them — they’re always there for you when you need it.”

Margot’s dog treats are made of sweet potato, whole wheat flour, chicken and eggs. The cat treats have the same ingredients, except tuna is substituted for chicken. Margot said she found the recipes online.

The treat-making process usually starts with finding the recipe and prepping the ingredients, Margot said. She cooks the sweet potatoes first and turns them into a mash. She then combines the rest of the ingredients to make her dough and then uses a heart-shaped mold to cut out the treats.

After baking, Margot counts them out, sometimes with help from her mom, and bags them for customers.

Gillian said Margot’s personality has always been “fast out of the gates.”

“She gets an idea, she wants to start it immediately,” she said.

Margot’s treats have traveled as far as Austin and Dallas for friends of the Peters family.

Margot hopes to someday start her own animal shelter. She has considered expanding her treat-making business for other pets such as hamsters and birds, but doesn’t have concrete plans.