Get to Know Milwaukee’s Good Hound

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Photo by Cassie Murphy

Brit Matyas

Brit Matyas has always had two passions in life: making art and helping dogs. In 2017, she opened Good Hound, a purpose-driven company focused on creating quality goods for dogs and humans with the community and planet in mind.  

While her business is mostly e-commerce, you can also find her products at local markets throughout the holiday season. From tasty dog treats to fashionable leather goods, Good Hound has something for every man’s best friend. Shop goodhound.com and follow @goodhound on Instagram for product updates and company news.  

Tell us how Good Hound got started. 

As a child, I painted rocks and sold them at my sister's lemonade stand, donating the proceeds to the Wisconsin Humane Society. In college, I convinced my professors that my public health degree and love for animals went hand-in-hand, leading to an unconventional internship at the Coulee Region Humane Society focused on bite prevention. A few years later, I had a full-circle moment when I worked at the Wisconsin Humane Society, the place I had donated to as a kid. Today, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to be my boss doing what I love at Good Hound. It has allowed me the flexibility to be at home with my three-year-old son, Clifford (yes, like the big red dog!) while doing what I’ve loved doing ever since I was a kid. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Milo, my 11-year-old beagle, who is the face of Good Hound and has been named employee of the month every month for the past seven years! 

Where do you pull inspiration behind your products and services?  

I pull inspiration from important people, memories, and life events. I draw the most inspiration from my dog, Milo. Milo is a brown, white, and black beagle; you’ll notice that color scheme throughout our products and packaging. It's consistent with his coloring, from the leather I use to make leashes and collars to our new beef and chicken liver jerky dog treat packaging. When developing new products, I often think about how they would look and feel on Milo and then go from there. 

Another of our newest products, our green stripe ceramic dog dish, was inspired by a mixture of my childhood dog’s dog bowl and my son’s tube socks—an unlikely pairing that came together nicely. Our ceramic dog dishes are thrown by hand on a pottery wheel in small batches, handcrafted exclusively for Good Hound in partnership with Kim Eckroth of Covet & Ginger. When I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, I sent a photo of my childhood dog’s dog bowl and Clifford’s tube sock to Kim, and we were able to come up with something special.  

How do you compete with more prominent brand names around the community? 

I keep going and have found that as long as I stay true to myself, it resonates well with others. People want to feel a sense of connection through realness, and I’m fortunate to be able to explore that idea through Good Hound. At a market in Milwaukee in 2019, I came across a linoleum block art print by Sarah Reed McNamara that says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It instantly resonated with me, so I bought it, and it’s been sitting on my desk in my studio space ever since. It’s the perfect reminder that regardless of what other brands in the community are doing, I stay true to myself and the meaningful work. 

Can you go into detail about your involvement with the greater Milwaukee community?  

We occasionally collaborate with other local artists and like-minded makers to invest in the community that has given us so much support. In terms of our philanthropic efforts, we are committed to supporting the well-being of dogs and the humans who love them through our Do Good with Good Hound initiative. Our “Do Good with Good Hound” program has evolved and is always focused on helping needy dogs. We’ve partnered with like-minded organizations to host fundraisers and food drives and donate thousands of toys to local shelters. Our initiative has two goals: raising awareness for adoptable dogs through our website and social media and supporting Pets Helping People (PHP), a nonprofit that trains therapy dog teams in Southeast Wisconsin. We donate 100% of our profits from our “Do Good” products to PHP. This cause is close to our hearts, as Milo, now retired, was once a registered therapy dog visiting schools and memory care facilities. I’m brainstorming ways to focus our 2025 efforts on adoptable senior dogs. 

Are there other people or businesses you’d like to shout out who helped you along the way? 

Absolutely! I want to shout out Whitney Nettles, who has patiently worked with me over the years to bring my classic and timeless style branding vision to life; Kim of Covet & Ginger, who continues to make our stunning dog bowls; Michelle from Stone Bank Farm Market in Waukesha for helping us launch our jerky dog treats, Samantha from Mill House Goods for providing such a stunning space to sell my products in person, Tereasa from Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn for generously providing such a nostalgic and charming backdrop for our recent photoshoot, Lakeland Animal Shelter for allowing us to feature their amazing adoptable dogs in this shoot, Milwaukee photographer Cassie Murphy for taking the stunning photos (and being a longtime supporter of our goods for her three adopted dogs!), Ashley from Bay View Printing Co. whose attention to detail does not go unnoticed, and small-business owner Rose of Camino Woodshop for being the most extraordinary hype woman and safe space to bounce ideas off of. This list hardly covers everyone! I’ve been extremely lucky and fortunate to work with many supportive individuals and organizations. 

What challenges do you face as a female business owner in Milwaukee and the current state of the economy? 

One of my biggest challenges is that I’m up against companies that sell less expensive, fast fashion-style goods or large-scale manufactured products, which appeal to many people in this economy. I take pride in the quality of our goods and feel it’s essential to source textiles and ingredients free of harmful chemicals, including those not yet regulated. While this may cost more, I think it’s worth it. Not everyone agrees or can support this business decision, and that’s okay. Still, the internal struggle of wanting to please everyone while being committed to ethical practices and conscious business decisions is challenging. 

Do you have a favorite product or service that you offer? 

A current favorite Good Hound product is our leather collars, leashes, and poop bag holders. I recently launched these items in natural vegetable-tanned leather, which will soften and develop a unique patina as they age. I love the idea that over time, these products will tell the story of every adventure that the dog and their human go on through the developing unique character of the product. 

I love our new organic dehydrated beef and chicken liver jerky dog treats! They’re made with 100% single-ingredient, organic, human-grade liver and sourced locally from trusted Wisconsin farms. They contain no synthetic hormones, antibiotics, fillers, or artificial additives and are the perfect way to spoil your dog while keeping things simple and healthy. They’re a labor of love, though—every batch of Good Hound jerky dog treats spends 20+ hours in the dehydrator, ensuring each piece is packed with natural flavor and nutrients. It's a slow process, but we believe good things take time. Milo agrees and has been an eager and willing taste tester!