115. Dog “Safaris,” Loneliness & The Future of Pet Innovation

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pets ad Life, your guide to the latest in Pet Trends products and the joy of the human animal Bond with Kristen Levine and me. Chris Bonti, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog tv. Let's get started. Hello and welcome to another episode of Pets Life. I'm one of your hosts, Chris Bonti, and joining me is Master Swordsman, Kristen Levine. Kristen Master

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Swordsman. I never know what you're going to say.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
That was a little bit more of a swashbuckler move.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Whoa.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yeah. I know a few things about swords. I play too many video games. We're not going to be talking about what's

Speaker 2 (00:35):
A sword move a

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Sword. I mean, there're more direct if you're just going like this, that's not going to work. How's not going to work?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Clearly, I'm a lousy swordsman.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
She's a lousy master. Swordsman, first of her kind. And the second chair on the excellent Powell podcast. Kristen, we're still at global. How's the energy levels holding up? It's

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Great. It's great. Yeah. We just had some, they actually fed us. They let us. They did. They gave us

Speaker 1 (00:59):
15

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Minutes.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
They gave us three and a half minutes to eat. They said, take these mashed potatoes, shove it down your face as fast as you can and get back in that studio. You pig. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
And

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Then they inked at me.

Speaker 2 (01:15):
I didn't get that treatment.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
You didn't get that treatment? No, no, no. That was a little weird,

Speaker 2 (01:19):
But No, doing great. Excited. I just ordered a coffee. Just keep me going through

Speaker 1 (01:22):
The rest of the shows. Little coffee. Yeah, a little caffeine. I had a sugar-free Red Bull with my lunch, and I'm sure that with the old Bay shrimp is going to sit real well in my stomach. But that's not for you to worry about. What you have to worry about at home are the two excellent guests. Two incredible stories, two amazing products. And the two questions we're going to answer at the end of the show. Stick around, put that dial up to 11. If you still have a dial that goes to 10, get a new dial and get one that goes to 20 and stick it to 21. Let's hop into story time. Kristen and Chris. Present story time,

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Story time,

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Story time. You're looking at me. I guess I'm going first. No. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I'm going first. I'm going first. So I was talking to Steve Feldman from Ha I know Steve, and he's part of Hari Human Animal Bond Research Institute. And we talk about their research all the time. And this isn't official research, but it's just sort of a trend that he had spotted that I've seen around about a change in ways people are walking their dogs. Interesting. And typically, I mean, I've never really owned a dog for an extended period of time, so I'm not speaking for experience, but you take your dog and you have a set route, or you have a set scheduled amount of time that you go and you go for the walk and then you come back home. Steve was talking to me about what he calls a sense safari, where the goal of the walk goes from distance or time and becomes about the number of different sense your dog can experience. So

Speaker 3 (03:02):
Whether

Speaker 1 (03:03):
That's happening in parks like regular parks or dog park where there's a lot of other animals. If you're in a city, maybe it's a more commercialized area where there's lots of businesses and things like that. And they haven't published research on it yet. They're still doing the studies, but he sees very promising results in both the cognitive health of the dog as well as the mental health of the handle. Because it turns out that those walks are great opportunity to break your routine because our lives are a lot of routine. I have the same stuff for breakfast. I drive the same route to work every day, the

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Same cohost every week,

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Same cohost every week, which until I have another kid, I guess. And then Kristen gets a break from Chris. But I think the idea is that you could use your dog walk as an opportunity to break up the mundane for both you and your animal. And I just thought that was a really cool little anecdote I learned here at Global Pet Expo.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
A sense safari. I love that. And that reminds me of something that when I lived in the Tampa Bay area, the Hillsborough County Animal Services, it was an county run animal shelter. And they had their volunteers create a scent garden

Speaker 1 (04:17):
Of

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Just all kinds of different grasses and

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Flowers.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
And so that the dogs, it was part of their enrichment for

Speaker 1 (04:24):
The

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Shelter dogs when they go on their walks. So that's really cool

Speaker 1 (04:27):
Idea. I'm idea they appreciated that. I'm

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Sure they did. So my story also comes from Hari.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
Oh, we're hari up.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah. Yeah. We're doubling down on Hari today. So I think I mentioned in a previous episode that I got to judge a marketing innovation lab

Speaker 1 (04:42):
Here

Speaker 2 (04:42):
At the Pet Summit, which

Speaker 1 (04:43):
Is still don't know why they didn't pick me as a judge, but I

Speaker 2 (04:47):
Tell you what, it was fun being a judge, but afterwards I felt so bad for the ones that didn't win. They were all so great. They were good. This is where five different nonprofits came together and some marketing pros in the pet space, they pitched really great campaigns and the winning campaign winning organization got $10,000. But one of the groups pitched was this whole idea about how social isolation and loneliness is a growing public health epidemic. And more than a third of Americans that are older than 65 and a half of Americans over 85 are living alone

(05:21):
And low and can't speak. Loneliness can lead to depression and profoundly affect mental and physical health. So the scientific research shows that if these people had a pet or access to interact with a pet, that they're much healthier, they're more well socialized, less depressed. And the whole pitch was about how can we get this message that there's actual scientific data that says, for instance, 85% of respondents agree the interaction with their pets helps reduce loneliness. 76% agreed that the human pet interactions can help address social isolation and believe that the human animal interaction is good for the whole community. So it's just about getting that word out to more folks who might be living alone and just need that companionship. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
I think it's great. It's not just the companionship, but I don't want to call pets a hobby, but it is. It's a hobby. It's something you could find something to do in common with another person too. When you're walking a dog or going to a dog park or you see somebody else with a cat, it gives you something to talk about. It makes it easier to talk to somebody. Exactly. We were at the party last night and I was exhausted and I didn't want to talk to anybody, but then I saw this big main coon cat, and I had a main coon growing up, and I went up and I talked to this person despite me feeling incredibly on social at the moment. And I think that's just the power of pets, the magnets,

Speaker 2 (06:49):
They're like people Magnets. People

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Magnets.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
Love it.

Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yep. Okay. Beyond the leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
Alright, Chris, this guest might be our biggest social media influencer we've ever had on the show.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
Ooh,

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Are you ready?

Speaker 4 (07:03):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
Alright.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
This is Peter Carlos. He's a registered veterinary. Is it technologist or technician?

Speaker 4 (07:08):
Technician. Technician.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
Okay. Okay. Registered veterinary technician based in Florida and popular content creator known for sharing real life stories from inside veterinary clinics through humor and education. He gives pet owners a behind the scenes look at what really happens in both routine visits and emergency situations. But I know you're also actually do specialty dentistry. I do. I specialty. We'll talk

Speaker 4 (07:31):
From there. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
Okay. Okay. He helps people better understand their pet's health and the work that veterinary teams do every day. Welcome Peter.

Speaker 4 (07:38):
Oh, thank you for having me. This is awesome.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
It's so great to see you. I got a chance to meet you at a veterinary conference last. Yeah, I was just saying it's great

Speaker 4 (07:44):
To meet you again.

Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah. Yeah. So lemme just start off by asking what inspired you to become a vet tech?

Speaker 4 (07:50):
Oh, so much stuff inspired me. To tell you the truth. My very first job was actually in pet industry. I got my first job in high school, 17 years old at Petco. I worked there for 10 years. 10 years,

Speaker 2 (08:03):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (08:04):
Worked my way up the chain. And then for some reason, I just started noticing everything that was coming in the door, wanted a remedy, wanted a this, wanted a that. How can I do it? Where can I get it? And it's like, well go to the vet. And then I just kind of wanted to pursue it and build myself and go further in the industry where I was actually helping and doing more for the vets. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:22):
Yeah, exactly. And now let's assume that Chris knows what a vet tech does, but all the people at home don't. What role does a vet tech play in our pet pet's

Speaker 4 (08:35):
Lives? You might be surprised that we do not sit there and pet kittens and puppies all day.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
Well, as

Speaker 4 (08:41):
A veterinary technician, we are a crucial role in what would be considered like the healthcare of animals.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
Sure.

Speaker 4 (08:47):
The doctors have their skill and their platform of what they do, and the veterinary technicians are doing absolutely everything else from anesthesia, the dentistry, the imaging, filling prescriptions, talking client communications. It's all happening in the vaccines of all that. So that's what we do is we're on the front lines of pretty much everything when it comes to animal care. Cool.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
It sounds like you're a jack of all trades, but do you have a particular area that Yeah. I'm Peter Carlos, and I'm really good at this thing.

Speaker 4 (09:14):
I started an emergency, I'd say that's where I wanted to be. And then I evolved into loving dentistry. The simple and easiest fix that can happen right away by cleaning and going in there. And if you've seen any of my videos, I love dentistry. I love everything that has to do with the mouth because it's so easy and so preventable.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
Yes. And underappreciated in animal under appreciated.

Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
But let's just dig a little deeper there. Because your family veterinarian can do a dental cleaning. Yes, they can. But you work in a veterinary dental specialty practice. So what's the difference between the dental care you provide there?

Speaker 4 (09:50):
The way I explain it to quite literally, everybody is every veterinarian can perform dentistry, but not every veterinarian is a dentist. So when it comes to specialty, we provide more. And I'm not saying that your general practice or your general veterinarian can't do these things or they can't perform dentistries or extract or clean, but there's an extra value that comes with anesthesiology. Having an anesthesiologist available, having board certified veterinarian dentists doing and performing the work and having licensed technicians doing monitoring and anesthesia and things like this. It's a quality that comes with it as well. Yeah,

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah. So you were saying before you started in emergency and emergency, it's got to be a pretty interesting place to work, but what are some of the common emergencies you see come in that you're like, man, this easily could have been prevented?

Speaker 4 (10:40):
Gi, anything

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Having

Speaker 4 (10:42):
To do with gastro intestines? I mean, dogs eating random.

Speaker 1 (10:46):
Yeah. They eat stuff,

Speaker 4 (10:47):
That's

Speaker 1 (10:47):
What they do. They're

Speaker 4 (10:48):
Dogs, wine's changing their diets, and they've got diarrhea owners doing new things and trying new remedies and all these things. And you get these common GI issues. Not to mention lacerations would probably come in a strong second for pets getting hurt and things like that. But for me in the industry and seen it all, it's always just gi, vomiting, diarrhea, gi upsets, things like that happening. And we see it a lot in emergency.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
Yeah. Well, let me shift gears a little. Let's talk about social media. I want to know when you started your account, because you are on Instagram and TikTok, Instagram,

Speaker 4 (11:20):
TikTok, Facebook, and amalgam of all. Oh,

Speaker 2 (11:23):
And over a million.

Speaker 4 (11:25):
Over

Speaker 2 (11:25):
2 million.

Speaker 4 (11:26):
Over

Speaker 2 (11:26):
2 million. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh my gosh. So what do you think it is about your content that resonates so incredibly well with people?

Speaker 4 (11:34):
You know what? It has to be the humor. And when it comes to veterinary medicine, there's that dark humor application to it. And quite honestly, I try to mix that in quite a bit with everything else because you don't want to stay on that dark humor too long. But you want to have something that's going to relate to not only veterinary professionals, but also pet parents, pet industry, things like that. Because you don't want to over bog em, but it's got to be the humor. It's got to be the relationship in which we're characterizing ourselves as veterinary technicians and just we're venting a lot. And people can resonate with that because they also do it, whether you're in human healthcare or anything, it's the same. And they can kind of build that together and take it with them.

Speaker 1 (12:14):
It comes down to the three ease of social media, engage, educate, and entertain. And I think a lot of people in the medical fields who try their hand at social media, forget about, entertain that nobody really goes to social media to learn. No, you have to trick them. You got to trick them into learning with something. Right, exactly.

Speaker 4 (12:36):
Well, think of when you go on your social media, you have free time. Nobody's going on social media to learn or educator, you want free time, but why not sprinkle an education, sprinkle it in when it's there because you can grab 'em with a hook, grab 'em with a laugh, and then you tell 'em a story.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
Exactly. And that's what keeps 'em coming back.

Speaker 1 (12:51):
Yeah,

Speaker 4 (12:51):
Exactly.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
It's like a little sprinkle of MSG on some steamed broccoli, you know what I mean? Yeah. You just trick 'em and you eat their vegetables.

Speaker 4 (12:59):
We were just talking about GI issues, so sprinkle it all.

Speaker 1 (13:02):
Well,

Speaker 2 (13:03):
I would imagine, and tell me if you get comments like this, I would imagine that you've probably inspired some veterinary technician careers.

Speaker 4 (13:10):
I have. My entire value of this entire industry is to carry on a legacy and to build up the next generation of veterinary technicians. I am now in this to promote the title, what veterinary technicians are, and I feel like I hear it all the time. I see it all the time, and I'm seeing these green technicians come in and they're wanting to start social media, start a new career, and I'm like, you have a long way to go and we can start you there and there's a good place to go. And you just have to be involved. And networking is a good way to do it as well. It's just really just get your foot in there and run. And

Speaker 1 (13:43):
Run. Yeah. Don't walk and be rough

Speaker 4 (13:45):
At all.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
Be ready to work hard.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
Yeah, absolutely. Have some tough days, some pretty tough days along the road. Well, before we let you go, Peter, I'm just wondering if there's one thing that you wish pet owners understood about veterinary care, this one thing that people might not appreciate or understand that I'm busting out the soapbox and let you stand on it.

Speaker 4 (14:10):
I could go so many routes. I've got so many directions. I will say this, in my practice of dentistry, I'm just going that round. Animals will hide absolutely everything until the point that they can no longer take that anymore. They will mask pain, they will mask discomfort, they will do everything. And just because a dog is still eating does not mean they aren't painful. I've had a toothache and I still have to eat. I still have to do all the things. So I would tell pet owners just because you don't know it, you don't see it, have those regular exams, have those regular vet visits because you can find something that you may not know or see or are in that same realm. And just know that pets can hide things and you really want to be there and available for them in all aspects because you are the ones who are providing for them. So just knowing that and love your pets. That's all I do with that.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, it was so great to have you on the show, Peter. Tell us where we can follow you on social.

Speaker 4 (15:07):
So I had to look up my own account. Hey,

Speaker 1 (15:09):
Don't

Speaker 4 (15:10):
We? All right, now go. But it's Peter Carlos, RVT, and you can find me across all platforms, whether it's Facebook, I think I just started a YouTube, I can tell you. But TikTok and Instagram are my platforms of choice. That's where you find me and that's where I hang out. Well,

Speaker 2 (15:23):
You do a great job and I enjoy all your content. Well,

Speaker 1 (15:25):
We'll see you on the tiktoks. Peter, thanks for taking some time at Global Pet Expo to join us.

Speaker 4 (15:30):
Awesome. Thank you for having me. This has been absolutely phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (15:32):
Awesome. Thank you.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
So Chris, I've been following Peter ever since I met him at that veterinary commerce. His content is great. He's really funny. You need to follow up. Alright,

Speaker 1 (15:44):
I will. But I don't appreciate calling other people funny on this show. That's my thing. It's the only reason I'm here. He's a different kind

Speaker 2 (15:52):
Of funny,

Speaker 1 (15:52):
Oh, that's what they all say. He's

Speaker 2 (15:54):
A veterinary,

Speaker 1 (15:54):
Don't worry about him. He's a different kind of funny. And then suddenly you're homeless on the street. No job, no podcast. Poor

Speaker 2 (16:01):
Chris.

Speaker 1 (16:01):
Poor Chris. Looking to, I'm looking for a foster if anybody wants to adopt me, I'm 33 years old. I'm potty trained and I'm really good at animal puns.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
Alright, Chris, we have got three awesome guests in

Speaker 1 (16:17):
This

Speaker 2 (16:18):
Next

Speaker 1 (16:18):
Segment. Yeah, first time three at once. I know

Speaker 2 (16:19):
I've never had three guests all at once. They're from the Pet Care Innovation Network, a collaboration involving active capital and Purina that supports emerging pet startups. Starting off with Dustin McAdams, you are the entrepreneur in residence at Active Capital and CEO at Pup Joy. Jay DeLong is partner at Active Capital. And Brian Lester is Senior Director of Strategic Planning at Nestle Purina. How'd I do?

Speaker 5 (16:44):
You did great. Perfect.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
Sweet, sweet.

Speaker 1 (16:46):
It almost seems like we're prepared.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
I know. Don't be fooled. No, thank you guys for joining us. Thanks

Speaker 6 (16:53):
For our pleasure. Yeah,

Speaker 2 (16:54):
Wonderful. Let's just kick it off with just tell our audience, which is primarily pet parents. What is the pet care innovation network and prize all about?

Speaker 7 (17:05):
Well, the Pet Care Innovation prize from Purina started about 10 years ago, and it is an opportunity for Purina to support innovation in the pet space by supporting pet care startups. So this is a prize that's given annually to five companies that are across the pet spectrum. So dogs and cats we've had over the years, dog foods, dog snacks, cat foods and snacks, which is where Purina's Heritage ins.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
But

Speaker 7 (17:34):
We've also had digital apps. We've had IOT devices and wearables. We've had pet services, veterinary services. It really runs the gamut of pet care and it's just another way that we can help to support entrepreneurs support innovation, which ultimately makes for happier, healthier pets, more informed pet owners, which creates a healthier pet category for all of us.

Speaker 1 (17:57):
Great. Yeah, I think that's really impressive, especially since Purina, you are a brand of pet food and the fact that you are, it's almost like you're supporting competition, but I think that really shows the community of the pet industry and how we always put animals first. And I think it's just really impressive what you've done. I'm interested to get active capital's take on all this and sort of what your guys' role is in this process and sort of how you work with some of the winners to help them succeed in the future.

Speaker 5 (18:32):
Well, we get the final role. We get to facilitate all of it.

Speaker 1 (18:34):
Yeah, you do the work, you do the work.

Speaker 5 (18:38):
We see a little over 200 applicants every year. So we get to see kind of everything that's emerging out of the pet industry and it's an interesting bird's eye view on things. And then obviously we get to facilitate a process of distilling it down to five winners and we're going to have the five pitching for the brand prize here. So it's fun to really kind of bolster the cream of the crop of the industry, but nice to just, it's a great vantage point to see everything that's up and Kai and who's innovating in the industry.

Speaker 2 (19:09):
Right?

Speaker 6 (19:10):
Yeah. Puria has had so many years of success in the marketplace and they're so big that the things that are moving the needle for Trina are very different than what we look for when we're trying to measure entrepreneurship innovation at the very tactical level. So we can act as that go-between. And I think it's really important in the language and the cadence that entrepreneurs use and go at to be a middle organization to ground interpreter between Carina and the way they look at things and how they were marketing.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
Right. And Dustin, you're the entrepreneur in residence on this team here. I am. So how do you help facilitate the process from your standpoint?

Speaker 5 (19:54):
I'm the entrepreneur that speaks the language of entrepreneurs. So I was lucky enough to win the prize eight years ago. It was in the second cohort, and I've been kind of attached to the network as it grew and now for the last few years of helping facilitate this. So I feel very lucky. So I still get to run my business, but also kind of get to step outside of it and do this. I think maybe the thing I bring to the table is I've walked in their shoes, I've been there, I've pitched starting out a company and just kind of know the day-to-day grind that entrepreneurs are going through. So I think it helps.

Speaker 6 (20:31):
Wounds are still raw,

Speaker 5 (20:32):
Wounds are still wrong, wounds

Speaker 1 (20:33):
Are still raw. Yikes. Well, we're here at Global Pet Expo and I know it's still early in day one, but we have that awesome startup pavilion down there near the back of the show. I'm curious your guys takes on what trends you're seeing in this next generation, this new crop of pet startups, if there's anything cool that consumers should keep their eye out on.

Speaker 7 (20:55):
Yeah, I think the pet industry often takes a lot of guidance and incorporates trends that are happening in the human space. We've talked about that for a long time. Certainly you can't look too far in the human space and not think that personalized nutrition, personalized wellness, personalized healthcare is certainly on trend. We've seen early stages of that start to develop 7, 8, 9, 10 years ago in the pet industry. But it's really starting to come to the forefront now. And that could be through things like smart wearables, your apps, things that are providing that overlay where it's not just about tracking the information and telling you what your pet did today, but it's providing some knowledge on top of that and it's making smart recommendations for food or care, other therapies that are going to help to improve your pet's overall wellbeing. So that's certainly something that I think we're seeing quite a bit of. And I think closer to Purina's core business, and it's such a big segment of the pet space being food. We've all seen what's happened with the fresh segment

Speaker 3 (22:07):
Over

Speaker 7 (22:08):
The last seven, eight years that continues to drive growth in the category. I think one of the things we're going to see is continued to experimentation of different manifestations of fresh, if you will, different food forms, different ways of still delivering that product experience that pet owners are looking for, but maybe without requiring you to dedicate whole appliances to storing that food or having just other good meal experiences for your path.

Speaker 5 (22:40):
We have one of those pitching on a company that falls into that category pitching for the grand prizes tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (22:45):
Oh yeah, there

Speaker 1 (22:46):
We go. Ooh, big grand prize.

Speaker 2 (22:48):
How many companies actually apply before it's whittled down to the five?

Speaker 5 (22:51):
We were a little over 200 this year. I think last year was just under 200. So we get a lot of applicants. Yeah,

Speaker 1 (22:56):
That's amazing.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
And what is the criteria? What did the five that are chosen to compete, what do they have that the others do not?

Speaker 6 (23:04):
Well, it's changed a lot since it first started 10 years ago and you consider what the market looked like 10 years ago. We wanted to make sure that the companies are taking a new approach, maybe a new ingredient, maybe a new business model. But 10 years ago when we thought about, well, what does that look like and how do we demonstrate traction? We had a minimum that they had to have about a hundred thousand dollars in trailing revenue. And we thought that kind of demonstrates their at traction. And then if you remember, some of the challenges or some of the business models of startups getting funded no longer was revenue an issue. It's just eyeballs and traction was measured different ways. So there were some services and some platforms that provide it and never charged for, but we still found that there was innovation there. So the measurement has changed substantially and nowadays there's so many terrific tools thanks to AI video that companies can have great success pretty quickly. You can go and dress the consumer, you can get on a show, you can have a great influence or make a big hit. You can have

(24:18):
A very ugly dog take you very far. So it's really interesting that each year that the profile of the winners change, but what's typically consistent among the founders are driven and that the product has found an audience and that it's relatively, and whether or not it competes with Purina. To your point about whether Purina makes a product like that. There are some things that do look like they could potentially be competitive to purine and other things that won't ever be competitive to Purina, but they've been picked up as a winners were.

Speaker 7 (24:52):
And as an example, this year's five companies I think really represent across the entire pet segment innovation that's happening. We have a pet treat company, we have a company that's doing at-home assessments or diagnostics on gut help that then recommends diet and supplements. We have an AI company that's helping vets automate processes in clinic, get to diagnoses quicker and recommended therapies. We've got a smart iot device that is all about pet wellness and helping to solve pet anxiety. And then the fifth one is an appliance that makes fresh food for your pet in home in a complete balance. Well, so it really does kind of represent where innovation is happening across the pet

Speaker 1 (25:46):
Industry. And I certainly do not envy the judges who have to make that very difficult decision. I'm sure. One thing I wanted to ask you guys before we let you go, we've got three incredibly successful gentlemen here, and I hear all the time from people, whether they're listening to the show or just part of the pet industry just as pet parents, that they'd love to take their passion for pets and turn it into a business. So before we let you guys go, what's one piece of advice you would give someone who wants to take the plunge and maybe they've been baking their own dog treats in their house for their dog and they love it and they want to transform that into a real business. What would you say to them?

Speaker 5 (26:26):
I would say a couple things. Sure,

Speaker 1 (26:29):
You got time for a couple things.

Speaker 5 (26:31):
Do your homework, make sure there's a business there, but you got to take a leap at some point. Test it depending on where you are. So if you're talking somebody who's coming up with a new type of treat, that's a little easier testing. Some of the ones we get into are hightech. That's a little more sophisticated investment profile, but know you got to market there, surround yourself with good people, whether that's advisory board members, investors, whatever. But surround yourself with a good network work of people and test it out. But at the end of the day, you got to take a leap at some point and that's the entrepreneur.

Speaker 1 (27:03):
Excellent.

Speaker 7 (27:04):
I think another thought is know what it is that you're doing that's differentiate every immediately jumps to, well, our product is differentiated or it isn't, so we should or we shouldn't go. It may be a positioning thing that's differentiated or a route to market or a different type of influence channel that doesn't exist. It might be a cause you're associated, but there are so many different ways you can differentiate even in the saturated category of the pet space that I really know what is that one thing that we're going to clinging to and really drive home because there is a lot of things that look very similar out.

Speaker 2 (27:42):
For sure. Jay, anything to add to that?

Speaker 6 (27:44):
Well, that's a lot of good advice. I totally agree with testing. Know your customer, give some advice from people that are in the industry. Maybe build an advisory board. I think I'd only add that. Do it as cheaply as you possibly can because things are changing so quickly. I would not advise you going out and trying to gather too much investment from your family or outside investment until you really proof your concept and do that as cheaply as you possibly can. First,

Speaker 2 (28:15):
Excellent advice, Jay, Dustin, Brian. Oh, you had one more thing

Speaker 5 (28:19):
I was going to say the only last thing is if you're an entrepreneur starting out these days, leverage ai. There's so many tools that can accelerate things.

Speaker 1 (28:27):
Absolutely.

Speaker 7 (28:27):
And if there is just one additional thing I could add because we talk a lot about the prize, but at the very beginning you asked also about the networks and wanted to

Speaker 1 (28:36):
Network the network.

Speaker 7 (28:38):
So our prize winners each year do get a non-dilutive cash prize that they can use on whatever they want. It's a relatively small amount, but nice for a founder to do some of that earn. Absolutely. The grand prize winner gets a second little push of money as well. We provide a lot of PR exposure for our five winners. Everybody comes into St. Louis. We pay for them to come into St. Louis for a week that we call our bootcamp week where they get extensive pitch coaching, they get access to Karina and industry subject matter experts, industry veterans, investors.

(29:14):
And we kind of help them refine sort of their business model and their itch. But probably the most valuable benefit that they get out of being a prize winner is an automatic entry into what we call the pet care Innovation network. It's an in by only network of exclusively pet founders. Most of them have been former prize winners, but there are some other ways you can get in. There's some other pitch competitions that they can win that we sponsor can be from referrals. But this is really that power of the peer to peer founder, founder working together, sharing best practices. Hey, I've got this problem. Oh my gosh, I did that last year. I spent six months trying to get to the answer that I could have found in a week. Oh my gosh, you just saved me three months worth of time. Thanks so much.

(30:02):
We've seen companies do joint product development together, joint marketing together. So that really is that valuable network of these founders who are able to connect with themselves. And then Purina supports that network through orderly meetings where we're bringing in experts that are engaged in topics that are important to the membership at that time. We host events, dinners at industry events like Global Pet, where the founders have a physical place to come back and connect with each other. It also helps us see how those founders businesses are evolving. And it may be something where there's an opportunity for a partnership with Purina, maybe not right out of bootcamp, but maybe it's a year or two down the road as their business evolves. So that is a really nice feature and something I would say extremely differentiated and unique in the industry like it is, it's

Speaker 5 (30:53):
About 60 well, well-vetted companies over the course of 10 years now. Pretty powerful network.

Speaker 6 (30:59):
And as a pet parent, if you're looking for products, these are great curation of all these companies@petcareinnovation.net.

Speaker 1 (31:08):
There it is. Pet care innovation.net. Got

Speaker 2 (31:12):
It.

Speaker 1 (31:12):
Not.com. Ding dongs out there.net.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
And by the time this show airs, we'll know who the winner is.

Speaker 1 (31:18):
So we don't know now, but maybe we'll put it at the bottom of the screen. Ron, if you're producing properly, you'll put it right here. Who the winner is.

Speaker 7 (31:25):
Well all five are winners, but we'll have

Speaker 1 (31:27):
One grand prize. One grand prize winner. Very good. Well thank you gentlemen for all coming in and giving us a nice full table here at Global Pet Expo, a very rare opportunity. You did quite well. You were afraid of talking over each other, but I think we nailed it in one.

Speaker 7 (31:42):
Super. Thank you guys. Appreciate it. Chris. Chris, thanks so much for the invitation. Our pleasure. Of

Speaker 1 (31:46):
Course. Well that was some really good stuff.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
It was our first round table.

Speaker 1 (31:54):
Yeah, first round table at a square table.

Speaker 2 (31:57):
Well,

Speaker 1 (31:57):
Rectangle table. But I think it's really just one of those really cool things about Global Pet Expo that kind of goes a little unnoticed, so much going on here, but really makes me proud of the work we do here that we're able to convince some pretty big companies to sexually endorse competition. Right. That's a big deal. And that's what makes the pet industry so special is it's about the animals at the end of the day. Absolutely. And you know what?

Speaker 2 (32:22):
I think that's what if

Speaker 1 (32:23):
You could make a little money on the side, why not? That's

Speaker 2 (32:25):
Right. I'm

Speaker 1 (32:25):
Not, you make

Speaker 2 (32:26):
Money doing something you love

Speaker 1 (32:27):
Or

Speaker 2 (32:28):
Something you love. I mean, doesn't get any better than that.

Speaker 1 (32:30):
That's the dream. Maybe one day they'll pay me for this thing.

Speaker 8 (32:34):
Product

Speaker 1 (32:35):
Of the week. Alright, it's time for our product of the week, global Pet Expo edition. And I love these because we have the product in our hand. I'm going to kick it on over to Chris and what you've got.

Speaker 2 (32:49):
Okay. This is so cool. So this is a puzzle, A puzzle toy by Outward Hound. Oh, okay. Designed and created by Nina Sen. And Nina is a Swedish dog trainer, and we're actually going to be talking to her I think in a future episode. But anyway, she designs these incredibly engaging puzzle toys for dogs.

Speaker 1 (33:12):
As you can see, they're incredibly engaging. I tied up over here.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
He's already lost. He's already lost

Speaker 1 (33:16):
The puzzle pieces. Oh goodness. Oh, goodness gracious.

Speaker 2 (33:20):
All dogs need more mental skin wish. Bottom line.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
And so PU toys are a great way to do that for indoor enrichment. And you can pine trees. Look at this little honeycomb

Speaker 1 (33:28):
Style they shown up to the camera. Camera two. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (33:30):
Look

Speaker 1 (33:30):
At that. Treat.

Speaker 2 (33:31):
You can hide it. This is actually a pretty easy one. All the dogs to do is flip this up. So this would be a good starter.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
This one was complicated. Chris spilled it. Don't give it to a dog that's smarter than Chris.

Speaker 2 (33:40):
Yeah, but that one be okay. This is a little bit more complicated. The dog's just got to kind of flip these.

Speaker 1 (33:49):
Yeah, that's cool. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I didn't even want to touch that one.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
I'm going to feed you your dinner in this

Speaker 1 (33:55):
Thing. Oh, please don't. Yeah, I actually need a puzzle feeder. I definitely eat way too fast. But

Speaker 2 (34:01):
It's actually a really good idea to start with the easy toys and then build up, do a complexity. And I tell you what, if your dog does this puzzle, gets all the treats out, they are going to go take a mat.

Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
Immediately following. And they're going to be calm and they're going to be sweet and they're not going to be destructive.

Speaker 1 (34:17):
Yep. I'm exhausted just looking at 'em.

Speaker 2 (34:20):
So that's my product of the week. I'm sure you can find them online. We'll put a link in the show notes.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
So I am here with Nature Vet and we were just talking with Bill Bookout about supplements. So we decided to go out and find a great example of a supplement that is at the top of its class and works really, really well. This is a four in one vitamin for dogs. And I was speaking with the person who developed this product and they said that their inspiration came from the fact that humans take vitamins every day to support their health. And they developed a vitamin that specifically addresses a few things in dogs, their skin and coat, their digestive enzymes, their joint support, and of course additional vitamins and minerals. And now yeah, it's a multivitamin and you give them one a day. And here is what I really like about the product. We were talking to Bill and Todd about how to be careful. So the first thing I looked for on this product was my NASC emblem there.

(35:22):
That's how we know it was independently audited by the National Animal Supplement Council. And then I see a whole list of ingredients here. All the different vitamins and minerals that are in this product are listed by volume in a clear list. We have directions and a full ingredient list as well as a calorie count. So this is just, it's all there. It's all there. It's a great example of the proper amount of transparency and supplements. A product that works is supported by science and will help your dog live a longer, happier, and healthier life. So good job nature bet. Taking all the right steps. Excellent product. This is a great example of everything Bill and Todd were talking about. Right? Q and as. Alright folks, it is time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions from our lovely audience and I know what you're thinking.

(36:14):
Lovely audience. How do I get my question answered by Chris and Kristen? Well, it could not be easier. Hey baby, it's easy. I've done it myself. Head on over to pet sad life.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of that page and you'll see a form to submit your question. Or if you're feeling as brave as an entrepreneur with only five minutes to picture their product on the spotlight stage at Global Pet Expo, you can record a voice memo and you may hear your question played live on this show. My lung capacity is getting real strong. I feel like I could hold my breath for 10 minutes. A breath for a wolf

Speaker 2 (36:47):
At the end. Well,

Speaker 1 (36:48):
Me Houdini. Okay, you want to start? You want me to give you a question? Sure. We've got a question here from Melissa in Austin, Texas. Thank you Melissa for your question. She asks, I've heard so many different opinions about what dogs should eat, kibble, fresh food, raw diet. How do I know it's actually best for my dog?

Speaker 2 (37:11):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (37:12):
Good question. Loaded

Speaker 2 (37:13):
Question. Good question. It is a loaded question. It is. There's a lot of opinions from a lot of different people, a lot of different experts about what you should feed your dog. I guess I would just say that you can feed them all three fresh kibble and raw. You can mix them up. Sometimes the raw versions or the freeze dry, the premium products, they're a little more expensive or sometimes they're a lot more expensive

Speaker 1 (37:35):
For sure.

Speaker 2 (37:35):
And what I find works for a lot of folks is that they might feed a more affordable kibble but then put on top the more premium type of food for the freeze dried or the raw. Raw feeding raw. You really got to know what you're doing. I mean, first of all, it's a lot of work and if you're not careful, you can introduce bacteria into your pet's digestive system. So I'm not a big fan of raw, I just don't have the time to learn about it or to do it. But talk to your vet. Although vets don't get a lot of nutritional education in vet school, but that is a good place to start. Especially if you have a dog that has a breed specific condition or an age related dietary need. I guess I'd say just feed the best diet that you can afford and that your pet will eat, that your pet enjoys.

Speaker 1 (38:23):
Is your dog eating? Is your dog healthy? If the answer is yes to both the questions, you pick the right food. Exactly. Here we go. Exactly. Alright, what do you

Speaker 2 (38:33):
Got for me? I've got a question for you Chris. This one comes from Jessica in Phoenix. Jessica says, my cat suddenly started going outside the litter box. What are the most common reasons for that and how should I handle it?

Speaker 1 (38:47):
Great question Jessica. Most common reason is that litter box, be dirty, clean it, but if you have already cleaned it, number two is UTI. Cats get UTIs, male female, doesn't matter. Also has to do with the litter box being unclean, but also just has to do with litter in general. Especially if you're using a mineral or I call it like a dusty litter. That dust can get places that will make the cat uncomfortable and cause an infection. So I would say those are the two most common reasons. UTI, you'll notice that they're uncomfortable too, that they're going to the box more often or outside the box more often. It's a vet visit a hundred percent of the time. It's usually a single antibiotic injection. And then you're good happen to tiger a bunch of times. She

Speaker 3 (39:39):
Was

Speaker 1 (39:39):
Our little UTI queen. Anything other than that, you're looking at much more advanced problems. And I would recommend a vet visit. When cats change their behavior in a way that's clear to their owners, it's usually, and I hate to say a pretty big problem if it doesn't have to do with hygiene. Cats are incredibly notorious for hiding their problems. And when they are express, one of the ways they may express that they're having an issue is by intentionally not using the box to get your attention. So if you are using an automatic litter box and you haven't cleaned the filter, do it. If you're using a regular litter box and you haven't deep cleaned it in a while, do that. Take the cat to a vet check for any infections or other health issues. And I'm sure your kitty cat will be back in tiptop shape using the box as recommended in no time.

Speaker 2 (40:32):
Great advice. I think you covered all the reasons.

Speaker 1 (40:34):
Well, there's probably a bunch more. There's probably a bunch more. Yeah. I'm not a veterinarian, but I do play one on tv. It's not true either. I play a podcaster on tv. But thank you for your question Jessica, and best of luck to you. Alright. And there it is. Another episode of Pet's A Life.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
We're just knocking 'em out.

Speaker 1 (40:53):
We're just knocking 'em out.

Speaker 2 (40:54):
Bang, bam.

Speaker 1 (40:55):
And I'll tell you this much. I've been doing so much walking. I'm going to be knocked out soon. You are. And it's only what it's like. It's, you

Speaker 2 (41:01):
Know what, you've been sitting for four hours.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
It's incredible.

Speaker 2 (41:04):
Your step goal is you're not going to make it.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
I'm at 13,000 steps. I think we're good. It's only two o'clock. Wow. Yeah. I've done 5.6 miles yesterday. I got well over 22,000 steps. I'm losing weight over here. Alright. If anybody was concerned that Chris was looking a little shapely, you need not worry because I'm pretty sure I've lost 15 pounds this week. Oh

Speaker 3 (41:27):
God.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
But hey, it's fun. It's good stuff. It's a lot of walking. It's a lot of stuff to see down here. And I'm looking out now I'm looking down the camera, but past it as well. There's just so much activity happening in our area. So I apologize if I look like an animal in a cage looking outside because we kind of are

Speaker 2 (41:45):
Are We're in this bubble in a podcast bubble

Speaker 1 (41:47):
Podcast Can two beans in a can. That is our show. I hope you're watching us on video. The studio is amazing. Check us out on YouTube dog tv. Unleash their fast channel or dog tv if you're a subscriber. Share this episode with a loved one or somebody you just despise. Share this episode with someone you hate.

Speaker 2 (42:08):
What is that? What are you doing

Speaker 1 (42:10):
Up for? I don't know. I just feel like we are always sharing things with people we love. You're not going to make the world better unless you share with the people you hate.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
Oh, that's a good point. Okay.

Speaker 1 (42:17):
Well there you go. Your tail end tidbit is Make the world better by sharing podcasts with people you hate. We'll see you next week. Every Tuesday. We'll never miss an episode. Bye. Pets A Life Your Guide to the latest in Pet Trends products and the joy of the Human Animal Bond with Kristen Levine and me, Chris Bonti, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog tv. I not say dog tv, I say it weird.

Speaker 3 (42:43):
This episode was recorded at Global Pet Expo 2026. Here's some other moments from this year's show.

Speaker 8 (42:51):
This is where the pet industry comes alive. Welcome to Global Pet Expo 2026, more than 20,000 attendees, over 1000 brands and thousands of products shaping the future of pet care all under one roof.

Speaker 5 (43:12):
The coolest part is there's so many people that are passionate about the work they do. It's like walked in multiple football fields. I am so excited.

Speaker 1 (43:23):
We have over 350,000 square feet of just booth space that doesn't include any of the special areas. That area is the equivalent to 11 US football fields.

Speaker 5 (43:34):
Many people here, many people there. I heard it's so big exciting things happening in the expo. So what are we waiting for?

Speaker 9 (43:44):
A PPA was one of the original associations that came together to bring the industry together. And then we partnered up with the Pet Industry Distributors Association here a number of years ago to bring their organization in and make sure that we're creating an ecosystem that will fuel the next 60 years ago. Oh

Speaker 3 (43:58):
My gosh, what you guys excited to see? My goal is to find stuff I've never seen before. And I think I'm going to find that here. I'm also really excited about the new product showcase and seeing what they've got in there.

Speaker 8 (44:06):
Let's have a ball guys. Let's do it. Yeah. This is where trends don't just appear. They're created.

Speaker 1 (44:18):
We had over 800 products submitted to our new product showcase. This is an amazing opportunity for exhibitors to show you and the buyers exactly what's new in the industry. There's so much innovation happening behind me

Speaker 8 (44:30):
From cutting edge technology to breakthrough products. Global Pet Expo sets the tone for what's next.

Speaker 1 (44:36):
This is the year the Cat. Cat is really having its moment. It's a huge shift in the industry and it's only duplicated here by this amazing new product showcase. So for all those cat moms and dads out there, you're going to be seeing some of this awesome stuff. Hit your retail shelf soon. Another huge hit at Global Pet Expo was our startup pavilion. We've been talking a lot about new products. These are the newest, some of them haven't even hit market yet. Kyle,

Speaker 9 (45:01):
It been for you? Jeremy. It's been great. You know what? We're just having so much fun and love seeing this industry. Love being a part of it. Love seeing the community come together. That's what it's all about.

Speaker 8 (45:13):
The all new pet fluent studio where content meets commerce and innovation takes center stage, capturing the energy of the show and turning it into powerful storytelling beyond the floor industry. Leaders shared insights shaping the future from retail media and AI to shifting consumer behavior and data-driven growth strategies.

Speaker 7 (45:38):
Okay, three more questions and then we'll keep it going. And that was really unique. I hadn't seen that much in that kind of setting, so I wanted to show people today the basic nuts and bolts, the stuff as trainers that we all deal with the messy stuff. Yeah, because things get messy before they get clean, but I'm very passionate about what I put in my dog's mouth. Right? Great stocking stuff for four year pits. We

Speaker 3 (45:59):
Are going to head to the Wellness Pet Company booth because I heard they are celebrating their 100th year anniversary. You guys found a really fun way to celebrate that

Speaker 2 (46:09):
Crunchers. I'm going to have to buy one of these off of you. My dogs are going to lose their mind. Oh my gosh. Look at that thing. That's so fun. This

Speaker 5 (46:17):
Is actually great for those who are working in the hospital.

Speaker 3 (46:20):
When your dog is having a really stomach, this is the thing that saves your day.

Speaker 1 (46:24):
And I'm here at our aquatics and exotics lounge, which is one of my favorite parts of the show with all sorts of tropical fish, some really beautiful creatures as well as exotic animals. It was really cool to be able to see that. I've always wanted to own a reptile

Speaker 5 (46:42):
Pets in the classroom.

Speaker 2 (46:44):
What's so amazing is just met them yesterday.

Speaker 4 (46:48):
Once you hear about this organization, you can't unhear it.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
It would been a synergistic brain session and it was like a total mind meld.

Speaker 8 (46:56):
This is where partnerships are built. Ideas turn into opportunities, and the global pet community comes together. At its core, this isn't just about business. It's about improving the lives of pets and the people who love them. Global Pet Expo doesn't just reflect the industry. It defines where it's going next.

Speaker 9 (47:26):
It's cool to see these early stage companies that are bringing new innovation. And here's the thing that's also really amazing, is that we're bringing more capital to these founders now. We're bringing them money now to take these brilliant ideas and to bring 'em to market. That's what every healthy industry does, is we disrupt. We continue to innovate, we get better. And you know what? More than anything, it's better in these pets lives. I get excited about.

Speaker 7 (47:48):
It makes life a lot better on the human animal bond. I am for our piss.

Speaker 8 (47:59):
We'll see you next year.