About

Founded in 2022

About Our Company

Chocolate Rescue for Dogs was founded by Amadeus Benitez and Arek Schmocker, but inspired by his dog Leo (pictured below). Leo's near-tragic encounter with chocolate poisoning, having eaten twice the fatal amount of baker's dark chocolate inspired our company to find a better solution. Fortunately, Leo was able to be treated at the local 24-hour emergency vet. However, Amadeus knew that not everyone would be so fortunate to live close to quality pet care.

Chocolate Rescue for Dogs

Meet the Team

Amadeus Benitez

CEO

Amadeus attended Harvard Business School, has his Certificate in Electrical Engineering from MIT, a degree in Physics from the University of Wisconsin, and a BS in Aviation Science. Amadeus holds patents in food science and biotech.

Arek Schmocker

CFO & COO

Arek Schmocker holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin, specializing in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Arek has more than 10 years of experience in new product development in start-ups, mid-sized, and global organizations.

Carrie Cook

Quality & Regulatory Officer

Carrie holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering/biomedicine from UW-Madison and a B.S. in chemical engineering/food science from UC Davis.  She has over a decade’s experience in research and product development, primarily in biotech start-ups. Most recently she served as Chief Quality & Regulatory Officer for a technology commercialization firm.

Leo

Golden Retriever & Mascot

The inspiration behind Chocolate Rescue for Dogs, Leo survived a near-fatal incident when he devoured an entire package of baker's dark chocolate. Leo loves sharing his toys, dog parks, and supervising Chocolate Rescue for Dogs production (from the office).

The Story

Meet Leo

Leo is the reason Chocolate Rescue exists!

Leo is known by the neighborhood as the most friendly and approachable dog anyone has ever known — and also as a dog who'll eat pretty much anything. Tragedy almost struck when Leo ate an entire bag of baker's dark chocolate and was rushed to the emergency room. Leo spent the night in the hospital and ultimately survived.

Leo's owner, Amadeus, was inspired to find a solution to prevent other dogs from going through what Leo experienced.