Rescue Dog, a Kalispell food truck, recently expanded beyond the Flathead by securing a national trademark.

Amanda and Colten Hart started the food truck in January, and they started vending locally over the summer.

At the same time they launched the business, the Harts applied for a national trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Their goal, they said, was always to market the hot dog business across the country.

“Having a national trademark is incredibly important to our franchise. It means that we can start advertising Rescue Dog across the country immediately,” Amanda Hart said in a press release. “...It won’t be long before you can go to a Rescue Dog anywhere in the country and get the same great taste, quality, and cause that you know here in Montana.”

Rescue Dog offers a variety of gourmet hot dogs, such as the Rescue Dog, made with sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and pizza sauce, as well as the Sly Dog, which comes with taco meat, cheddar cheese, black olives and sour cream.

Hot dogs are only half of the mission for the Harts, who donate a portion of all their proceeds to local animal shelters.

“We can’t wait to see what we can do for adoption centers across the country with our franchisees,” said Hart.

The Harts plan to start franchising in Missoula with two new locations. They expect to start the process of moving into Missoula this week.

Each franchisee will have a territory of 100,000 people, and the company plans on awarding 2,500 franchises across the country in the coming years. The Harts believe focusing on Montana first will allow them to give more support to their franchisees as the company grows.

For more information, contact Amanda Hart at 406-270-5297 or info@rescuedogfranchising.com