Whatever Happened To BarkEm's To Go From Shark Tank?

If you're a fan of "Shark Tank", you may have seen the 2012 episode featuring BarkEm's To Go. This product came in single-use packaging that allowed pet parents to grab and go a pre-portioned amount of dog food for travel, RVs, and more. BarkEm's To Go was created by Blake St. Clair after he needed a solution for bringing his dog Rummy's food with him on his adventures.

St. Clair came up with the idea for a pre-packaged product that contained everything required for travel. This included food, a tray for holding it and eating out of, and pet waste bags for easy clean up. In addition, BarkEm's To Go also featured a small portion of water and a treat for dessert. Unfortunately, this product failed to impress the investors on "Shark Tank", leaving St. Clair with no deal. As of 2024, BarkEm's To Go no longer exists.

During the episode, Blake St. Clair asked for a $100,000 investment for 51% equity in the company. However, none of the "Shark Tank" team wanted to seal the deal, for several reasons. The first problem was with BarkEm's supply chain. The product relied on pet food and treat manufacturers to buy-in to fill its food portion — and none had. BarkEm's To Go was also only in its prototype stage by the time it appeared on the show. By the episode's airing, BarkEm's still hadn't sold any units.

BarkEm's track record failed to impress the "Shark Tank" investor team, leading to all of them backing out. Instead, the team suggested that St. Clair first make some deals with pet food companies to help increase interest and get a viable product released. Even after joking about "investing in Rummy" instead, the team still said no.

While Blake St. Clair failed to get a deal on the show, his product did have some interest afterward with the public. St. Clair was able to secure a deal with a pet food supplier, allowing him to start selling the product on Amazon. In addition, he launched an Indiegogo campaign to try and gain additional funding for the company. However, despite initial public interest and some sales, the project did not meet its funding goals.

BarkEm's To Go also failed to fill any niches, even within the travel sphere. Swapping to a travel food different from your dog's regular diet can lead to digestive upset, causing more concerns for dogs and their families. Unless BarkEm's contained your pup's usual food, it could potentially cause this issue. Lastly, the amount of waste produced by a single-use product like this quickly adds up. Pet parents looking for sustainable options may have been turned off by this.

The lack of interest, potential waste, and issues surrounding changing diets all may have contributed to BarkEm's To Go going out of business. In addition, there are already several ways to easily travel with your pet that may have added to the product's failure. Canned foods, reusable travel bowls, and waste bags already exist, making it hard to compete.

Keeping extra dog essentials in an RV can make traveling with your pooch easier already. Pet parents who often travel can keep extra cans of their dog's regular food in convenient locations, such as a car trunk or travel suitcase. Kibble can quickly be split into smaller travel-sized portions that are easier to store and take on the go. A good airtight storage container can also keep kibble fresh long enough for an entire trip. In addition, some of the best dog waste bags are already easy to keep with your pup's food for fast clean-up.

Even though BarkEm's To Go is no longer in business, and its website and X account have been abandoned, Blake St. Clair seems to still be working on other projects. Currently, St. Clair runs ProductGoGo, a company that helps create, develop, and launch inventive products. The website is still active with lots of prototypes listed. However, its social media accounts, including Facebook and X, appear to be inactive.