Port Washington Man Creates Product To Make Life Easier For Walking Dogs

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — A Port Washington native has spent a quarter-century working as an entrepreneur and innovator.

Corey Lieblein is now steaming ahead with his new venture, which aims to help dogs and their owners alike.

Big Old Pup launched earlier this month as an innovative hands-free leash system. The idea came to fruition while Lieblein was working in Manhattan last year.

"I see this elderly gentleman, probably in his early-to-mid 80s, struggling to pick up his five-pound dog," Lieblein, 53, told Patch. "He looked very unstable. He struggled for two minutes."

The man ultimately picked up the dog and went on his way, but what Lieblein witnessed didn't go away.

"The rest of the day I couldn't stop thinking about my life with my dogs," he said. "I started thinking about all the problems that I have faced with my own dogs."

As Lieblein began to create the Big Old Pup system, he addressed the must-haves for his leash design.

It combines five essential functionalities into one ergonomically padded cross-body design solution: hands-free walking, in-car doggie seat belt, reflective safety features, mobility hoist support and integrated storage.

"I started to look for what products and what solution-based products are out there, and in the entire market," Lieblein said. "I was really shocked by the lack of innovation for this massive industry."

The void was there, as was the experience for Lieblein, who in his 30s launched consumer electronics audio products at appealing prices. While at a Hong Kong trade show in 2004, Lieblein fell in love with a product on display —a wooden music center— that had a record player, AM/FM radio and a cassette player.

"I brought it back and I showed it to my two customers, which were Bed, Bath & Beyond and Linens 'N Things," he said. "We sold 20,000 record players the first year. A 100,000 record players the next year. Over the course of 15 years, I became the worldwide market leader in record players and nostalgic electronics."

Before rolling out Big Old Pup, Leiblein was able to retire and spend the last five years mentoring and investing in companies. But the lifelong pet lover was drawn back to work.

"This is what I want to do for the next chapter of my career," he said.

In just 14 months, Lieblein's vision for Big Old Pup materialized: From creating the first product to hiring the first industrial designer, he was on the way to bringing it to market. It's available for purchase on bigoldpup.com.

Lieblein filed six patents, including two in the U.S. The product made its way to their California warehouse, and their website officially started selling the item. What began as a way to solve a problem for the older population turned into an effective solution for all ages.

"It goes on like a crossbody, so when your dogs are pulling you while you're walking, there's no stress on your shoulders, your elbows, your wrists and your hands," he said.

As Lieblein builds Big Old Pup, he wants it to be known "as the premier pet-solution innovation company."

A second product has completed the design stage, and although he couldn't discuss specifics, "it's going to allow pet owners to clean their dogs' paws of moisture, mud and dirt, hands-free, in a way that you don't have to bend over," Lieblein said.