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THE BLUEPRINT:
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Big Old Pup debuts with 5-in-1 hands-free dog leash system
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Product includes mobility hoist, seat belt, and storage features
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Company plans to release 2–5 innovative dog products annually
After spending a couple of decades in the consumer electronics industry, Corey Lieblein‘s career is going to the dogs.
The Port Washington resident has just launched Big Old Pup, a pet solutions company and its first self-proclaimed revolutionary product, the 5-in-1 Hands-Free Leash and Seat Belt System. The 5-in-1 system combines five functions into an ergonomically designed tether that provides hands-free walking, in-car doggie seat belt, reflective safety features, mobility hoist support and integrated storage, according to a company statement.
Lieblein says the idea for the new leash system came to him last year, when he saw an elderly man struggling to lift his small dog.
“After seeing him finally pick up the dog and walk off, it was a flood of memories of my own struggles that I’ve had with my dogs my whole life,” Lieblein told LIBN. “Whether it was getting my big dog in the back of the car, and some of the saddest days when my last yellow Labrador who was 15 would have a hard time walking. All the struggles, getting them into a bathtub, everything just flooded in.”
That’s when he went to work, searching the internet and not finding anything that would address the problems, he decided to come up with his own innovative solution. For Lieblein, who had previously brought hundreds of consumer electronic products to market, innovation wasn’t one of his shortcomings. The 5-in-1 crossbody leash system just earned its first patent.
“I made the decision that we really want to create patented, unique, solution-based dog products,” Lieblein said. “And it became the thesis of the business.’
Big Old Pup’s 5-in-1 leash system retails for $79.99 and is currently sold on Amazon, TikTok Shop and the company’s website. The product is made in China, where Lieblein had forged connections when he was in the electronics business.
“We have great relationships with supply chain management companies there and manufacturing,” he said. “So that is where we’re manufactured today.”
So far, Big Old Pup is self-financed by Lieblein, who as president and CEO runs day-to-day operations with help from a team of contracted lawyers and a digital marketing agency, with a logistics and operations director to join the company shortly.
And though the company launched with just one canine-centric product, Lieblein believes he’s barking up the right tree when it comes to focusing on his furry friends. Spending in the U.S. pet industry reached $152 billion in 2024, with $157 billion projected for this year, according to the American Pet Products Association. And pet ownership continues to expand, with 94 million U.S. households now owning at least one pet, up from 82 million in 2023.
Lieblein himself has two, a 10-year-old yellow lab named Rudy and a 5-year-old golden retriever named Riley, and the growing pet industry is why Big Old Pup has more products in the pipeline. Those include a specialized mat that offers a hands-free solution for cleaning dogs’ paws and a four-in-one dog harness equipped with a seat belt attachment and a poop bag dispenser.
“We love the innovation side,” Lieblein said, and his company’s website encourages visitors to submit their own product ideas.
“Someone saw one of our advertisements on Facebook and already submitted a really cool idea that I never even thought of. And we absolutely love it,” he said. “And if it works and we start going forward with it, we will
pay that creator. We’ll take care of all the expenses and pay them a royalty on everything we sell.”
For Lieblein, it doesn’t matter where the ideas come from, as long as they keep coming.
“The goal is to create between two and five innovative products every year,” he said.
Another goal is for Big Old Pup to become an omni-channel business, first bringing its products to third-party online retailers like Chewy, Walmart and Petco. The company will be exhibiting at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla. next spring, in hopes of landing its products on the shelves of major brick-and-mortar retailers.
Meanwhile, Lieblein sees Big Old Pup as his true calling.
“I’ve built some pretty good-sized businesses,” he said. “But I’ve never felt as passionate about a project.”
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David Winzelberg
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