Austin, Texas

Designed by the sister and brother team of Susan Mravca and James Mravca within their family business BarkerFun, The Treat Clincher is created to be an elegant product that pet owners could use for the lifetime of their dogs.

The innovative pet product design has been recently awarded a 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The Treat Clincher is a simple, elegant solution to a complex and potentially dangerous problem. It creates personal time for yourself while your dog is fully occupied and safe.

Dogs – especially puppies – try to bite off more than they can chew. Pizzle sticks, cheese sticks and bones pose a major choking hazard, and can be the cause of esophageal damage, intestinal blockages and more. Broken chunks and slimy, chewed sticks can make a disgusting mess of carpets and floors.

The Treat Clincher will hold a variety of long-lasting pet treats. Securing a dog’s treat to a fixed object allows the dog to chew safely while you can peacefully take care of your business and keep a watchful eye from a distance.

No more holding a bully stick with your hands or pliers. No more slobber on your carpets. No more worry about your pet swallowing chunks or choking.

It is a long-lifecycle product. It is made to last for the generations of dogs most families raise. Solid aluminum and stainless steel represent the permanence of pets in our lives.

Instead of throwaway devices, BarkerFun is building lifetime dog accessories. The Treat Clincher is patent pending.

The product serves two users. The dog and the human. The dogs stay engaged from an hour to a whole day. The humans get some peaceful quality time to themselves while the dog is occupied always under their watchful eye.

The designers call it “having time to yourself with your dog”.

Project: The Treat Clincher
Designers: Susan Mravca and James Mravca, BarkerFun Inc.
Manufacturer: BarkerFun Inc.