119. Dr. Pol, Ziggy the Corgi & How Pets Keep Changing Lives

Disclaimer: Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio.

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. Hello and welcome to another episode of Pets Ad Life. I am one of your hosts, Chris Bonti, and joining me as always, she recently revealed her identity as the artist known as Banksy, Kristen Levine.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
My gosh,

Speaker 1 (00:30):
It's Banksy in the Flesh, the GR artist. Okay. Why did you finally decide to reveal your secret identity while I was staring at our awesome graffiti wall over there?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Oh, it is cool.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
And I already made a joke that you built this thing. I wasn't going to do the same. We don't need to get into how Chris is. Great. We don't need to peel back the curtains that far. If I reveal too much, it's like an El chore. People get Yellow Kings, and if you don't know who the Yellow King is,

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Oh,

Speaker 1 (00:59):
It's like an Eldridge story about, do you know HP Lovecraft? No. He's like the guy who came up with Kullu like the monster. And the yellow king is something where once you learn about it, you start to go crazy. So the joke I just made is I mentioned it and now everybody's going to learn about it and then they're all going to go crazy and it's this whole thing. But hey, we're not here to talk about Eldridge Hos. We're here to honor the pet industry because we're still at Lova Pet Expo.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
That's right. Still is. And we're going to reveal two story, two guests, two products, and two questions. That's

Speaker 3 (01:33):
Eight things.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Eight

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Things.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
That's eight things in one show as we always do it, man. Let's take a deep breath.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Hey, little spoiler alert, we do have a major celebrity on this show today. That's what I'm going to say.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Well, I cannot wait to see who that is. I hope they're really, really, really famous. I think they will be. But for now, I think we have to jump into story time,

Speaker 4 (02:00):
Get

Speaker 1 (02:00):
On

Speaker 4 (02:00):
Story time.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Just get done. That's so much easier to do in person.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Jinx, buy me a Coke.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
Oh Jesus. Well, I'm on the hook for a Coke. Let's get into story time. Kristen and Chris, present story time and what do you got for us this week, Kristen?

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Alright, well, we're going to do a 180 degree turn here from Global Pet Expo to a heartwarming story in a world full of some hard news. So this is about how some Ukrainian soldiers used a war drone to rescue a dog and a cat from the front lines. So firefighters, fighters. Firefighters, sorry, start over. Fighters from Ukraine's 14th, separate mechanized brigade. They were using a drone to deliver food and supplies to frontline positions. But on the way back to the supply zone, the drone returned with some unexpected cargo. It was a cat named Baric and a dog named Zaggy bl, I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right,

Speaker 1 (03:04):
BL

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Z. They flew 12 kilometers to safety. What's that? About seven or eight miles I guess. But Baric and sbl were placed in special breathable pouches and carefully tied to the drone. And then the pilot flew them gently to safety Barick. The cat was reunited with this owner who was a soldier that had been wounded and was recovering in the hospital. And I know we interviewed a guy that was involved in rescuing animals from the front lines in Ukraine. I can't think of his name off the top of my head, but I think this might be the same group. They have evacuated more than 10,000 animals since the start of this full scale invasion, including dogs, cats, tigers, lions, camels, horses, and some wildlife like raccoons, wolves, and even bees. So yes, nice hear that those drones are being used for some humanitarian efforts. Imagine

Speaker 1 (04:03):
Being that cat. What went through that Cat's head,

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Right?

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yeah, zipping. Zipping by in the pouch flying.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Oh my gosh. Had to be freaking out.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
How did they even get the cat in the pouch? I can't get cats.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Well, I was trying to picture that carrier and were the cat and the dog in the same pouch or were they in different pouches or I don't, can't visualize this mean either. Amazing work,

Speaker 1 (04:27):
But I want to know what was going through that cat's head as it was being evacuated and scooted through the air. That's crazy.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah,

Speaker 1 (04:40):
I couldn't get Tiger in a carrier, let alone

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Drone, let alone in a drone basket. They had pictures of the reunion, but not pictures of the dog cat. I'm in the pouch, but it's

Speaker 1 (04:51):
Difficult during that operation. But wow, that's incredible. What a story. I want to talk this time. I think I'm on episode three now,

(04:59):
My four episode State of the industry series. And I would like to speak to Gen X. What's up Gen X? How are you doing? We talk a lot about millennials becoming chief, buying power, gen Z, sort of picking up steam as they grow into adulthood. But Gen X, our report shows, and by the way, if you are a pet product brand manufacturer or an A PPA member, you should go to american pet products.org and get your copy of the state of the industry. The full report, just doing some highlights here. Gen X empty nest is driving ownership growth across multiple pet species. So Gen X has now emerged as an important contributor to pet ownership, a 12% year over year increase. So this is growth beyond the younger generations, which is sort of a first. We usually see the people becoming adults deciding go, I've got my own place, I'm going to get a pet Gen X dog ownership up 12%, cat ownership, up 8%, and growth even extended into smaller pet categories as well.

(06:14):
Here's a very surprising one. Birds up 25% year over year for Gen X reptiles, 20% year over year for Gen X and freshwater fish up 17% year over year. That's incredible. Our are our research and insights person. There's a quote here, data highlights, a broadening base power of pet ownership growth from younger consumers entering the market to Gen X households, expanding into multiple species. Understanding these generational dynamics is essential for identifying new opportunities across product services and categories. And I wanted to read that quote because a lot of people have been asking me, what's the point of all this, Chris, what's the point of all this? Why does a PPA spend all this money to do all this research? Well, as a data guy, if you were to start a business and you have a product and you're trying to decide how to market that product or even just bring that product to market or your idea, you've got to decide who's actually going to be buying this.

(07:19):
What type of person buys this, where do they buy it and how can I wind up in that place where that marketplace, where they're making that decision? No, your audience, whether the internet or social media or retail store, it's really important to know your audience, which is why A PPA focuses on a lot of this pet consumer research to help our smaller brands who may not have their own research division or some of these startup brands that we're seeing here at Global Pet Expo. I say from the comfort of my own home, some of them are one person operations, literally one person standing in a booth trying their best to get this product off the ground. So any information we could give them to help guide them to the right customer is just a boon. And that's how you end up with stores filled with amazing products when you go shopping. So that's right, little behind the scenes peak for y'all. I love it. As I nearly wrap up this series, I'll have one more for you, so you better check out next week as well. So Kristen, what do

Speaker 2 (08:16):
You got for

Speaker 1 (08:16):
Us?

Speaker 2 (08:16):
Well, I'm glad to hear that my generation is pulling the forgotten

Speaker 1 (08:20):
Generation,

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Not

Speaker 1 (08:21):
So forgotten anymore, which

Speaker 2 (08:22):
Is interesting because a lot of us are empty nesters now. So you would think that more people would want to be traveling or have less things tying them down to their homes. So it's nice to hear that there's growth in all those categories for our generation.

Speaker 1 (08:34):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Super

Speaker 1 (08:35):
Beyond the leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism. And it's my honor to introduce Dr. Pole, the star of long running Nat Geo wild television series, the incredible Dr poll. And believe me folks, he is incredible with decades of experience in large and small animal medicine, he's known for his practical no nonsense approach to veterinary care and his dedication to serving rural farming communities. Through his television show, Dr. P has become one of the most recognizable veterinarians in the world, offering viewers a behind the scenes look at real life veterinary medicine and the human animal bond. Dr. Poll, it's an honor to have you on the show today.

Speaker 4 (09:16):
Thank you for having me, guys. Appreciate that. Yes.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
So you've been practicing vet medicine for decades. We're here now in 2026. I want to start by asking what changes have you seen in how people care for their animals?

Speaker 4 (09:30):
A lot of changes, of course. First of all, when I went to college a long time ago in the land far, far away, we did not have many laboratory things to help with diagnosis. So we used our five senses

(09:46):
And we made diagnosis that way. And in my book, there is a funny story about it where when we had a new x-ray machine that told and we believe that and we're wrong, so that taught me use my five sensors, but have all the other equipment ready to confirm your diagnosis. And I think that's the main thing. So yes, we have all these nice things now in my clinic we have ultrasounds, brand new one again, x-rays and we do our own blood work before we had to send it out. So all these changes are helping us to take care of petal a lot better, faster way.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
And that's what

Speaker 4 (10:29):
It's all about.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
Test. Yeah. That's what it's all about.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, and I know you've got millions and millions of fans, so a lot of people may know this answer to this question, but I wanted to ask, what inspires you to become a veterinarian? First place?

Speaker 4 (10:43):
Read my book. Read book people the book. Read the book. Have to turn you back on an Angus cow. I was 12 years old, I was the youngest of six and we had a dairy farm. My brother had bought pigs that were supposedly not pregnant and they were gild, so they were little, the small side and they were having little ones. The local veterinarian was a typical large animal muzzled man. And he stops at my place, Hey, you come with me. And I was laying behind these guilds up to my shoulders again inside.

(11:17):
Yeah, everybody thinks it's dirty, but it's not. It's clean. And I was trying to help me speak let's being born. I thought that was so much fun to get these things out. And it's still now when we pull a live cold, a live calf C-section with live puppies when they are alive, it's such an elated moment. I dunno what it is, but it's alive and that makes it so well worth it. So I came home and told my mother, I want to stick. I want to become a veterinarian. Well then you better study hard. That's right.

Speaker 1 (11:53):
Absolutely correct.

Speaker 4 (11:53):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (11:53):
Well, I think that's such a unique perspective because I don't think there are many veterinarians in the United States who come from a farming background, so you bring such a unique perspective.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
It used to be when we started where we have a approximately 45 years ago, there were family farms every mile.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
Two

Speaker 4 (12:12):
Or three. Yeah,

Speaker 1 (12:13):
Absolutely.

Speaker 4 (12:13):
They all disappeared, but they had sons and some of 'em took go over the farm, but those other sons became veterinarians and many times large animal that has disappeared. It is so hard not to find a large animal veterinarian that not afraid of horses, cows, I do. Camels I have done. Zebras are bad. They're very bad.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
We don't like zebras.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
But no, for me, a veterinarian is an animal doctor. So whatever animal comes to you used, well,

Speaker 1 (12:49):
Not a pet doctor, an animal doctor.

Speaker 4 (12:51):
Animal doctor. And if you don't know what to do it, somebody has done it before. When many years ago, the snake was brought in because the lady fed him a alive rat and instead of the snake eating the red, the red started eating the snake.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
He played the whoo reverse card.

Speaker 4 (13:12):
Yes. So I had never done anesthetic in the snake. So I look in the books and find out what it was and anesthetized the snake and sold up all the wounds. Somebody has done it before, so now you can go online and go fast. That I had to read the book day because online wasn't there. But yes, for me is whatever animal help it and try to keep the animals healthy is the main thing that we have. And this is why we have partnered with CSD with good dog food, not only dog food, they make a lot of others. And right now we coming out with our clinical nutrition.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
Yeah, let's talk about the

Speaker 4 (13:56):
Product.

Speaker 1 (13:57):
I got the bags over here,

Speaker 4 (13:58):
Let's pass

Speaker 1 (13:58):
Some of these around.

Speaker 4 (14:00):
We

Speaker 1 (14:00):
Got the packet.

Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yes. And we see so many times where now dog food has changed the ingredients just to keep it more affordable sometimes. And that is not good for the dog. So now yes, we have prescription dog food, but that is no medicine is prescription dog food. So we have found a way of making our clinical nutritional dog food to help these people that cannot afford the prescription diets. And this is then affordable. It's available in Walmart. Thank goodness Walmart really will help people too. Yeah. Walmart tries to keep the things affordable and I think that's the main thing. This is available now at Walmart for people that have dogs that have some kind of problem. They can look at it and then get this right there.

Speaker 1 (14:57):
It's a solution oriented product.

Speaker 4 (14:58):
You

Speaker 1 (14:59):
See this one's for gastrointestinal

Speaker 4 (15:01):
Care,

Speaker 1 (15:01):
Weight management, you have food sensitivities. The most common.

Speaker 4 (15:05):
Yes, those are the most common.

Speaker 1 (15:07):
And they could be handled through a type of diet.

Speaker 4 (15:09):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (15:10):
Right?

Speaker 4 (15:10):
Yeah. Just talking people, to be honest, rather than giving them drugs, try to control it with proper dog food.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
It's exactly like I keep telling my wife, you feel like crap. Maybe you have a salad and a glass of water

Speaker 4 (15:25):
And

Speaker 1 (15:26):
You'd be surprised how good you

Speaker 4 (15:27):
Feel. And there are many dogs that basically have cell feeders, but they're active. But there are also many dogs that just, and especially I have found that when animals do not get enough nutrition when they're young, they overeat later on.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
Okay. That's

Speaker 4 (15:48):
Interesting. I don't know if you saw on the show Ian or St. Bernard that we had and he was the same way. He was starved when he walked there. So when he came to us, anything and everything within his mouth and he got to be 225 pounds.

Speaker 1 (16:06):
Wow. It's almost like an eating disorder.

Speaker 4 (16:09):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (16:09):
Because

Speaker 4 (16:10):
We don't know what we have tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (16:12):
Right, right.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
That actually brings up a question I have had that is, is it better to feed your dog once a day or twice a day?

Speaker 4 (16:20):
It all depends on the size. If you have small dogs, I would say under 30 pounds be many times need to be pet twice a day. But if they are bigger dogs, like our Danes and our s once a day, and the rule of thumb is what they can eat in 10 minutes, this many enough to last 35. They don't, don't taste it, don't know it. They know this food. You gone, Allain is six, seven years old now and she's about 180 pounds. She's the first one done. How come you can eat the first you. Yes. And this is the thing. So yes, we have to control their diet, especially if they have this eating disorder where they have not had enough as a young animal. And yeah, that's what it is. Sure.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
Well, we're coming up on time. I want to ask you one more question, Dr. Poll. After all these years, what motivates you to keep doing this work? I mean, you're here at Global Pet Expo, you're walking tens of thousands of steps, you're working the booth, you're so busy. What motivates?

Speaker 4 (17:28):
Keep

Speaker 1 (17:28):
Going.

Speaker 4 (17:29):
I love life. My class is half full, it's not half empty. And I like to help people by helping their animals. Sure. That's the main thing. I want people to live with dogs, cats, horses, whatever you want as an animal because first of all, it makes you better when we come home at night and our dogs are so happy to see us again. You run your hand through the fur, all the troubles of the day basically disappear. You're right. Yep. Then the next thing is I want animals in the house with kids because it's a medical pack, not for me, that if kids crawl on the floor, be 40-year-old with animals, allergies are reduced by 40% later on. I don't know if you have found that out or not, but that's a medical fact. So less pills.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
There we go. Less pills.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
That's all I about. Fantastic.

Speaker 2 (18:26):
And we can find the Dr. Paul diets at Walmart inside.

Speaker 4 (18:29):
Yes. So this

Speaker 2 (18:30):
Is prescription food at an affordable price, least common.

Speaker 4 (18:34):
We don't call it. It always is. Clinical nutrition. Clinical nutrition.

Speaker 2 (18:38):
Nutrition for the common challenges.

Speaker 4 (18:40):
Yes. That's

Speaker 1 (18:41):
Great. Thank

Speaker 2 (18:41):
You so much Dr. Po for being here.

Speaker 4 (18:43):
Thank you for having me. I enjoy talking.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
That guy's the real deal.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
He's so cool.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
Yeah, it's always an honor to have him on the show.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
His heart is in everything he does

Speaker 1 (18:57):
And his hands and

Speaker 2 (18:58):
His hands and

Speaker 1 (18:59):
His hands. Physically metaphysically, metaphorically. I mean the guy, they just don't make 'em like that anymore.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
They sure don't. They sure don't. One of my takeaways was Chris from that, I dunno if you picked up on it, but he talked about how when young children crawl on the floor with pets, they're less likely to have allergies.

Speaker 1 (19:17):
It looks like we're signing up early for the cat situation, it seems like. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (19:22):
Than you thought.

Speaker 1 (19:23):
Well, I mean, we got to wrap up these episodes. I'm going to have to find an adoptable cat out there on the show floor. Dr. Paul said, so doctor's orders,

Speaker 4 (19:32):
Right

Speaker 2 (19:34):
Chris, we love it when guests bring their dogs,

Speaker 1 (19:38):
When our guests bring guests, when

Speaker 2 (19:39):
Our guests bring guests. Let me introduce you to Jess. She's the creator behind Ziggy the Corgi, a popular social media account showcasing her dog's adventures, personality, and participation in events like Corgi races. Through engaging in playful content, she highlights the joy, energy, and community that comes with pet ownership. Welcome Jess. Thanks

Speaker 3 (20:01):
For having us.

Speaker 2 (20:02):
And Ziggy Ziggy welcome.

Speaker 1 (20:04):
Ziggy

Speaker 2 (20:04):
Star

Speaker 1 (20:05):
Struggle. Just another reminder, everybody, you should be watching us on video, otherwise you're not getting the full Ziggy experience.

Speaker 2 (20:10):
Ziggy is so cute. And I have to say Ziggy looks really excited to be here. Yeah,

Speaker 1 (20:14):
She

Speaker 3 (20:14):
Will start talking sometimes. That's

Speaker 2 (20:17):
Fine. Hear you hear her.

Speaker 1 (20:18):
I hope everybody adorable.

Speaker 2 (20:21):
So how did Ziggy the Corey start and when did it take off on social?

Speaker 3 (20:25):
We got Ziggy, she's six years old, so we got her about five years ago as she's trying to jump onto the table. It was a time when work was stalled with COVID and it was a perfect time to get a dog. And so we got Ziggy so we could train her, have her at home and life has just never been the same ever since.

Speaker 1 (20:45):
Yeah. So Corgis have become incredibly popular. I mean, they're world famous. They're the queen's dog. But for you, Jess, what makes Corgi so unique and special?

Speaker 3 (20:55):
They have the biggest personality and everyone is very different. They are talkative, independent, sassy, and are calling all the attention. There's a viral video right now where there are some dogs that escaped their captors and a Corgi led the group back home safely. Makes a lot of sense. So that's a Corgi right there.

Speaker 1 (21:15):
There we go.

Speaker 3 (21:16):
I love it. I love it. So tell us about these

Speaker 2 (21:18):
Races, these Corgi races that you participated. What's that all about? Back

Speaker 3 (21:22):
In 2021, we got invited to our first Corgi race and my world outside of dogs and corgis is sports entertainment. I looked at it as this should be everywhere. The joy of Corgi racing needs to be in everyone's face to experience. So we started little stumps racing and we partner with over 10 NFL teams, N-B-A-W-N-B-A college football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, you name it, industry wide with sports entertainment because these corgis and a corgi race just brings you joy no other.

Speaker 1 (21:56):
Yeah, so it's like halftime shows and between periods kind of stuff. Exactly,

Speaker 3 (22:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (22:01):
That would make me smile if I was at a game. Absolutely. So we have probably a ton of pet parents who are at home thinking like, oh, my dog is so cute and I want to start a channel for them. So do you have advice for people on how to keep their content fresh and engaging a lot out there?

Speaker 3 (22:18):
When we first started on social media, it was a photo of Ziggy with an ice cream cone that kind of took off.

Speaker 1 (22:25):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (22:26):
I'm obsessed with ice cream. So naturally she's going to be obsessed with ice cream. Right.

Speaker 1 (22:29):
Yeah. That's how it works.

Speaker 3 (22:30):
And that kind of brought us into becoming known as the ice cream corgi when we go to events, interact with the community, meet ice cream makers in our local city and really leaned into that, creating content, creating community, having a lot of fun with it. And then obviously since then we've kind of evolved into Corgi racing and events and just fun of being a pet parent and a dog mom and needing other dogs outside of our coreview world. So we just are very interactive and engaging on social and commenting, reaching out to people, asking questions because everyone is willing to chat if you want to talk to them.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
Well, and what I love about what you and other influencers do is I think you really showcase all the joys of having pets for people who maybe don't have a pet, and you probably inspire people to adopt a pet or get a corgi, but how do you balance all the fun and excitement of pet parenting with the not so fun, the responsibility? Maybe the more challenging parts of pet ownership.

Speaker 3 (23:38):
I've had to learn a lot. My profession outside of this revolves around the world of social digital media. So I'm very used to always being on take a photo, take a video, capture every moment and learning to take a step back to be present in the moments. So that's been my biggest challenge. And when I experience those and take this event for example, it's so fun to create content, interact and collaborate with others, brands, creators, but also just to pick your head up from your phone and look around and smile at people and do the cool brands, companies, products that are out here to really just ask questions and learn. So that was our experience yesterday and we're excited for that today and tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
Yeah, exactly. You go to events like this or you get invited to do some type of halftime event or something really cool, you don't want to have that entire experience through the lens of a camera. You really do have to remember to enjoy it. But what about social media do you think has changed your life? Do you find that you are more well traveled or you're doing things you never thought you'd be doing? I understand you said you were in sports media before and you kind of tied that in. So what's a new normal for you now?

Speaker 3 (25:00):
Well now my two worlds get tolog. Yeah,

Speaker 1 (25:03):
They're smushed together.

Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah. I'm working with people in my professional world who want to bring a Corgi race to their event, and so I get to work together with everyone and we've unlocked other little stumps, we've did our first dachshund race. We're looking to the fan beyond the corgis of the little stumps racing umbrella there. But really, I mean, there's so much to learn and it's always changing. And again, being in that space as a profession, I know that something's going to change. It's going to be different in a year, six months, even week to week things are different. So we just like to have fun and just experiment and just figure it out as we go and see what happens. And

Speaker 1 (25:50):
If anybody's not watching on video, he's about to take a nap and I'm so jealous.

Speaker 3 (25:54):
So he's very comfortable,

Speaker 1 (25:56):
So comfortable

Speaker 2 (25:57):
Watching on YouTube. You don't want to miss this. It's so sweet. So Jess, before we let you go, what advice would you give to somebody who wants to create a build a social account for their pet to share the joy in their life?

Speaker 3 (26:09):
Yeah, I would say just be open to opportunities that are going to come your way through social media. I met my now best friend and we've done trips, we've been at each other's weddings. Our dogs are best friends, go to events. So that was something I was not expecting at all. So I think you can expect the unexpected when you lean into wanting to be part of that social media world and interacting with other content creators, other humans, sometimes you forget that there are humans behind the dogs and that's my favorite part is there's so many incredible stories of these people behind these accounts and so peeling back to, oh, it's not just the dog. There's a big story behind there and everyone's got one. So we've really enjoyed that and really tell people that. Don't forget about it. Yeah,

Speaker 1 (26:58):
I agree with that. After my experience this year with the Pet Summit and Global Pet Expo and seeing all the different influencers, I think my assumption beforehand was that a lot of pet influencers are the same, but it's actually incredible just the diversity of the personage that wind up in the pet industry through the social media stuff. You're right, it's a lot of unique stories and different circumstances that bring people together and I just think this is a really awesome opportunity to sort of peek behind the camera and meet some of these people. So before we let you go, for everybody who wants to follow Ziggy's Journeys, where should they go?

Speaker 3 (27:37):
Ziggy is across all platforms at Ziggy the Chord. And if you want to find her racing journeys that that little stumps racing site

Speaker 1 (27:45):
Amazing. I'm sure we'll all be following along. Thank you, Ziggy. Ziggy. Ziggy signing off. Yes, just

Speaker 3 (27:52):
Signing

Speaker 1 (27:52):
Off. There we go. She's signing off. Thanks so much for taking some time today. Enjoy the rest of global. Thank

Speaker 3 (27:56):
You,

Speaker 1 (28:00):
Kristen. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a Cordy race. They say it's like life's a rat race. I feel like my life is a Cordy race,

Speaker 2 (28:08):
But your legs are longer. So it's actually I've

Speaker 1 (28:10):
Got an advantage.

Speaker 2 (28:11):
I advantage longer

Speaker 1 (28:13):
Like privilege.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
You could win the Corgi right now.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
I hope so. I really hope I get out. Raise some corgis.

Speaker 2 (28:20):
Well with the long legs and the Red Bull

Speaker 1 (28:23):
Invincible Red Bull gives you long legs. Maybe those corgis need to be lapping up some Red Bull. No, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't feed your dog. Yeah, don't do that. Listen to this influencer when he says don't give your dogs caffeine. I can't wait to check out one of those races. I'm going to literally going to go on their social and see their event calendar and try to find a semi-professional sport just to go to the half done show. That'll be awesome. Can't wait The

Speaker 5 (28:50):
Product of the week.

Speaker 1 (28:52):
All right, it's time for our product of the week, global Pet Expo edition. Man, I love doing that. So much more fun to do it in real life. We got two amazing products. Kristen, why don't you kick us off with your product of the week and

Speaker 2 (29:07):
Let's see. Mine are so fun. So these are from Playology, which is a really awesome company. I want to talk to you first about their plush pen. Okay. Because this is a plush pen and makes it chicken sound, which I love.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
That's adorable.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
And it's all okay. Is it all natural chicken scent? The dogs love. It smells like chicken. Tell me what you think

Speaker 1 (29:32):
Smells like chicken.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
I have never seen that. Meat

Speaker 1 (29:34):
Smells like all natural chicken.

Speaker 2 (29:35):
It's it. So like scratch and sniff

Speaker 1 (29:38):
White and lick and sniff and scratch. And is it making the noise? You're just shaking it.

Speaker 2 (29:44):
You don't squeeze it. I was trying to squeeze it, but you just shake it seven times longer. Engagement for dogs, it's designed to keep dogs playing seven times longer compared to unscented toys. So I guess the dog's going to like this more than sense it.

Speaker 4 (29:57):
And

Speaker 2 (29:58):
Extended play time helps reduce boredom and disengagement. Now they have one other thing that I wanted to show you, and this is their jumbo ball. And this one here, smell this one. Does that smell like

Speaker 1 (30:11):
It smells like a blueberry? Yeah,

Speaker 2 (30:13):
It, it's a good blueberry material, which is better for dog's teeth than tennis balls. It's got a squeaker inside to keep your dog engaged and it has the blueberry scent built into the material. It's not coated on the surface actually.

Speaker 1 (30:26):
It's really pleasant. Yeah, it's like a candle.

Speaker 2 (30:29):
It is. And again, it's going to keep your dog playing. I don't know how they know this, but they say seven times longer. They

Speaker 1 (30:34):
Study it, man. They're in the lab

Speaker 2 (30:36):
And all of these products are tested to meet A STM guidelines and consumer product safety improvement apps.

Speaker 1 (30:45):
I'm just surprised you didn't call me out on the pun with the lab. They're in the lab. Yeah, it's still early in the morning over here. What

(30:54):
Do you have? It's 3:00 AM in a warehouse and we're still filming episodes. I have a product from Lazy Dog Cookie Company and now they specialize in oven baked dog treats with a focus on connection, celebration and community. They're basically the birthday cake company for dogs. And this is a really special one. It is their 25th anniversary. So we're celebrating 25 years of lazy dog and we've got all sorts of different treats. They're so cute. I'm going to hold this one up. These are the Mutt Mallow's birthday cake bites. And in front of my computer here are the actual pop pies, their most popular product. These are high quality treats that are made for everyday moments or for special occasions. The sprinkles are all natural. There's really no sugar in these things. They're designed entirely for dogs. They're absolutely going to love it. Take that normal occasion like graduating from their little puppy training, or maybe they just did a really good job getting babysat by their dog watcher.

(31:58):
Or maybe you had a rough day and treating your pup to something special. Turn it around. This is a great product to go that direction. So they have feeding instructions on the back of each bag so you know exactly what the limits are because obviously you don't want your dog eating cake every day just like our people, these our R treats. But I'm looking at some of the ingredients back here. I'm seeing real good stuff. I'm seeing rolled oats and oat flour, natural flavors, natural vanilla. So this is really high quality stuff. Yeah, healthy and fun. All natural sprinkles. They look great. So thank you Lazy Dog and happy 25th birthday. We'll light a candle for you

(32:46):
Q and a. Alright, it's time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions from our audience at home and audience at home. I know what your most important question is. How do I get my other questions answered by Chris and Kristen? Well, could it be easier? Head on over to pet side life.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of that page. You'll see a form to submit your question. Or if you are feeling as brave as a woman in white gloves eating a cherry flavored Popsicle in the middle of August, you can record a voice. It's very brave. Or she just doesn't care about her gloves. You can record a voice memo and you may hear your question played live on the air. Wow. Okay. Kristen.

Speaker 2 (33:27):
Sounds like a car commercial at the end there. I know

Speaker 1 (33:32):
The small print where it's like we're going to take all your money and there's nothing you could do about it. So Kristen, we've got a great question here from Andrew. It's from Andrew in Phoenix, Arizona. And Andrew asks, there's so much conflicting information online about dog food right now. How can pet owners tell if their dog is actually thriving on a certain diet? That's a great way to phrase the question.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
Yeah, I like the way you ask that question, Andrew, as opposed to, which one should I feed my dog? Which one? Shake

Speaker 1 (34:06):
Choose. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
How can I tell? Yeah, that's working. And the truth is, the best diet for your dog is the one your dog is actually thriving on. So the good news is your dog will give you some pretty clear signals that what you're feeding is right or not optimum for your dog. So I would say to start, there's a few things you could do. Look at their skin and coat. Does it look healthy? A dog that's on a good diet should have a soft shiny coat depending on the type of breed, the type of hair that breed should have.

(34:43):
Not any excessive shedding, more than usual. It shouldn't be dull or flaky. If your pet's fur or skin is oily or has a lot of dandruff, that could be a deficiency of some sort. Probably I think like omega threes are really key for skin and coat health. So look at the coat first. Also consider your dog's energy level and their muscle tone. Do they tend to have appropriate energy for their age, not sluggish and lethargic? And you also want to make sure that the food that you're feeding them isn't putting on too much weight. That could be because you're feeding too much. So that might be getting off into a different topic and obviously health conditions can cause some of these things too. But another thing to check is their stool. Check their stool consistently. I know that's kind of gross, but we all do it anyway, right?

(35:41):
If your dog's stool looks normal firm, that's a good sign. If it's runny, a different weird color, that's definitely a sign. Some of these signs, by the way, although they're tied to nutrition, they could also be tied to a health problem. So I'm just giving you an overview of things to look for. But if you see any of these weird signs, you definitely want to talk to your vet. And then I think that speaking of your vet, taking them annually for their regular checkup, getting their labs done, getting that blood work done, the blood work could oftentimes pick up deficiencies. And then lastly, I would say talk to your vet, although a lot of vets don't get much nutrition training, but considering the shape that your pet is in, your vet might be able to point you in the direction of maybe any additional supplements that he or she thinks that your dog may need. But you really don't have to be spending the most money to get the best nutrition. It's really about what your dog likes will eat and is thriving on. So I hope that's helpful.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
That is a great answer to an

Speaker 2 (36:45):
Incredible

Speaker 1 (36:46):
Question.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
Okay, so Chris, I have a question for you about, I think this is a cat question.

Speaker 1 (36:52):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (36:54):
All right. This comes from Emily in Portland and Emily asks, my cat hides every time someone new comes into the house. Is there a safe way to help shy cats become more social and competent around people?

Speaker 1 (37:06):
100%. There is, of course there is. And I actually, I've answered this question a few times and I want to touch on a technique that I've picked up recently from people who kind of learned it from the dog world. A lot of people, you don't train a cat, right? The same way you train a dog with positive reinforcement. I know there's a trend going on with clicker training cats and things like that, but I ran into a few people, again at global FedEx go, oh, Chris can't stop talking about Global Pet Expo. But they were talking about how they helped socialize their cat through positive reinforcement and a first things first, your cat should have their own safe environment in their home, whether it's a closet with a cat door or their own little room, their own little corner, that kind of stuff. Make sure there's verticality in your home, make sure your cat's comfortable in your home. But this is more about routine and how we could break through that shell, if they have their safe spot, they're always going to feel safe. So then you could begin with this sort of thing. When you have guests arrive before they enter your house, hand them some high value treats and literally have, most cats won't immediately run away. They'll scope it out first, they'll scout it out. So they'll be all the way on the other side of the hallway doing one of these, hold on.

(38:31):
And they're staring at that guest and you know exactly what they do. As soon as that guest steps forward, then they run away. It's like they're waiting to see what happens. So in that stare off, literally have them take the treats, throw them on the ground, and then go somewhere else and ignore the cat. And this will allow the cat to begin to associate visitors with treats being on the floor and available for them to eat. And they literally may not come out the first couple of times. They may decide the treats ain't worth it, and then the visitor will leave and then they'll eat the treats later, but over time, they're going to begin to associate visitors, not scary visitors bring food, and that's sort of how you could do a little training. Cats aren't trained the same way as dogs. They're a little too wise and instinctual and breaking that instinct that a cat has to fear outsiders, fear animals that don't belong in their pride. Is that what you would call a group of house cats? A pride still?

Speaker 2 (39:37):
I think so. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:38):
So why not? They're pride. They're all lions. They're all lions and at heart. Right? Then you could start to break down those walls and make them understand that it's okay to have visitors and things like that. But then again, there's some cats who are just not going to be social, so you could try, it might fail, but I don't think there's no behavior here to worry about.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
Can you do that cat again? That

Speaker 1 (39:58):
Oh yeah, the cat. Hold on. I'll get way out of frame this

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Time. Yeah, love it. That's great.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
Every cat that does that thing with the video, we all know it. Great reminder, watch us on video. You won't see my cat impression without the video aspect of the show, so be sure to check us out there. Kristen, another one Bites the dust here at Global.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
It makes it sound like it was bad. No. Well

Speaker 1 (40:22):
Good thing. Another one,

Speaker 2 (40:23):
The dust

Speaker 1 (40:24):
And another one gone and another. I'm going to get us sued. Oh geez. Well, before we get us ourselves suited, yeah, we're going to a party. We're going to have a dance party here. It's 5:00 AM in a warehouse. They built this thing off of Sand Lake Boulevard right under I four. If you hear any noises, no air conditioning, no air conditioning. If you hear any noises, it's the trucks beeping past us on the overpass as they do their daily commutes. I told Ron next year, can you get us on the show floor please? I heard there's an amazing pet influencer studio. Would've been nice to be there, but hey,

Speaker 2 (40:56):
They just want to hide us. I dunno why.

Speaker 1 (41:00):
Probably my fault.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
I'm turning. I'm

Speaker 1 (41:01):
Sure I did something that pissed off the production team and now we're in a warehouse at five

Speaker 2 (41:06):
The morning. We be back in this warehouse next Tuesday bringing episode

Speaker 1 (41:09):
Never miss. Great episode. Episode. Whether it's at home in a warehouse or at Global Pet Expo, we're bringing you an episode every single week. So come back next Tuesday and we'll have eight. We do eight things, eight more things. We'll do eight more things for all of you. We'll see you next time. Pets, add 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 6 (41:40):
This episode was recorded at Global Pet Expo 2026. Here's some other moments from this year's show.

Speaker 7 (41:48):
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 8 (42:09):
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 (42:21):
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 7 (42:31):
Many people here, many people there. I heard it's so many exciting things happening in the expo. So what are we waiting for?

Speaker 8 (42:41):
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 of growth.

Speaker 6 (42:56):
Oh my gosh. Whatcha 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 gotten there. Let's

Speaker 7 (43:04):
Have a ball guys. Let's do it. Yeah. This is where trends don't just appear. They're created.

Speaker 1 (43:15):
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 7 (43:27):
From cutting edge technology to breakthrough products. Global Pet Expo sets the tone for what's next.

Speaker 1 (43:33):
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 have

Speaker 8 (43:58):
Ever 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 7 (44:10):
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 1 (44:36):
Okay, three more questions and then we'll keep it going.

Speaker 7 (44:40):
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,

Speaker 8 (44:50):
But I'm very passionate about what I put in my dog's mouth, right? Great stocking stuff for four year pits.

Speaker 6 (44:56):
We 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 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.

Speaker 7 (45:14):
This is actually great for those who are working in the hospital.

Speaker 6 (45:17):
When your dog is having a really stomach, this is the thing that saves your day.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
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 7 (45:39):
Pets in the classroom.

Speaker 2 (45:41):
What's so amazing is just met them yesterday. Once you hear about this organization, you can't unhear it. It would've been a synergistic brain session and it was like a total mind meld.

Speaker 7 (45:54):
This is where partnerships are built. Ideas turn into opportunities and the global pet community comes together. You

Speaker 6 (46:00):
Guys want to know what you want, right? Ready? There's so many brands out there. It truly is a big win.

Speaker 7 (46:13):
Real quick, what got you into the animals? What was your first bet that you like? I love animals. Love animals. I love animals. You repeat things mentally, physically, emotionally. Wanted to be able to get in this space and find ways to be able to make a connectivity between pets and people and mom. Hair.

Speaker 6 (46:27):
Do you hear the music? I hear it. The party means we get to dance to the dance. That's true.

Speaker 7 (46:43):
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. It's

Speaker 8 (46:56):
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 pet's lives. It is. I get excited about it.

Speaker 7 (47:18):
It makes life a lot better on the human animal bond. I am for our piss. We will see you next year.

Speaker 5 (47:35):
So what exactly is pet's ad life you're asking? It's a weekly podcast with two hosts sharing two pet stories, interviewing two amazing guests, recommending two awesome products and answering two questions from the audience. And all this is produced by two major pet brands, I guess you can say is too good to be true. You're right. Check out pets. Add life with new episodes every Tuesday.

Speaker 1 (48:00):
If you encounter a snake, don't be a crisp. Just walk the other way.