While serving in the U.S. Army, Kevin Thompson developed immense respect for working dogs.
A near-death experience after contracting Covid-19 that included Thompson spending nine days on a ventilator ended his active duty earlier than anticipated but also gave him the time to become a small business owner.
Now, through a pet treat and wellness company called Mountain Dog, which Thompson co-founded with his wife Hannah, he is aiming to support the same active lifestyle in dogs across the country as he saw in the ones working alongside him in the military.
"When I was overseas, I was always in awe of the military working dogs and just all the things that they would do," Thompson told SeafoodSource. "That dog will give its life for you without a question."
To ensure pets like the two German shepherds Kevin and Hannah own can enjoy healthy and active lifestyles, Mountain Dog has created freeze-dried salmon treats that are free of artificial preservatives and added sugar.
"I was going to go into the supplement market, but a friend of mine who’s a veterinarian was like, 'Kevin, can you just make me a healthy dog treat? If you look at most of the dog treats out there, they're packed full of salt and sugar. These dogs are getting gout. They're having digestion issues. They're fat. We need something that somebody can give a dog that's actually good for the dog,” he said.
Besides his military experience, Thompson said he has also drawn on his upbringing as part of his entrepreneurial venture. He grew up on a farm, which he said taught him the importance of utilizing every part of a crop or livestock product to maximize efficiency and reduce waste. Thompson said he "completely geeks out" on taking something usually perceived as waste in an industry and turning it into a profitable product.
Mountain Dog achieves this objective by taking parts of a salmon's belly that are typically discarded by processors and freeze-drying it into a light, crunchy treat that's near weightless. The brand said on its website that animal treats are typically either freeze-dried or dehydrated, but dehydration cooks out moisture and takes many of the essential nutrients out of the product. The company said freeze-drying the product preserves nutrients and enzymes, resulting in a product that is high in oil and fat content but also trim and shelf-stable.
A pack of 30 Mountain Dog mini treats costs USD 9.99 (EUR 9.00).
"I think as good businesspeople, we have a responsibility to make [a product that is] accessible for everybody," Thompson said.
Mountain Dog now ships to 46 U.S. states and has active retailer partnerships in 15 states, as well as three partnerships in England. In just four years, the firm has won three awards, including Alaska’s 2025 Manufacturer of the Year Award.
Though the company has found some solid footing in the four years it has been in business, Thompson said the price of running the firm in Alaska is becoming increasingly unmanageable, largely due to the rising price of fuel, exorbitant shipping prices, power grid issues, and more, forcing him to consider moving states to continue the business.
While he’s still in Alaska, however, Thompson's goal is to co-promote Alaskan-made and national products alongside his own because he sees all competition as positive. One of his closest partners, he said, is Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A.-based freeze-dried pet treat company AlaSkins.
"We're looking at a USD 54 billion [EUR 49 billion] industry in the U.S. for pet food. If you drill it down to specialty proteins like salmon, you're still looking at about a USD 16 billion [EUR 14.5 billion] industry and growing at a compound annual growth rate of 12.5 percent. Every industry in the United States would kill for that,” Thompson said, highlighting the fact that there is room for competition. “There are some really good people up here who are working their tails off trying to build a living for their family. If the state of Alaska is not going to promote them, heck, I'll promote them. The advantage of having a small community like that is if people are willing, we will lift each other up, but we have to change the narrative from unhealthy competition to healthy competition."
Looking further ahead, Thompson also has set out goals to work with national and foreign governments to get his product to working military dogs.
