Episode 3: Live from Global Pet Expo with ZIWI Pet Food & Pet Correspondent Xiomara Gonzales

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00:00:00:15 - 00:00:06:19
Voice Over

Live from Global Pet Expo in Orlando. Welcome to the Pets Add Life podcast.

00:00:06:21 - 00:00:20:02
Voice Over
Pets Add Life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal. Bond with Kristin Levine and Chris Bonifati a fan powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

00:00:20:04 - 00:00:30:12
Kristen
Live from Orlando, Florida. This is the Pets Add Life podcast at Global Pet Expo, and I have a very special guest today, Doctor Courtney Campbell. Welcome.

00:00:30:12 - 00:00:39:13
Courtney
Well thank you. I don't even know if I'm that special, but I feel energized to be here. This is something I've been looking forward to all day long, so thank you for having me.

00:00:39:16 - 00:00:43:12
Kristen
Oh, absolutely. I love working with you. And I, you know.

00:00:43:12 - 00:00:45:08
Courtney
Complement of the year, right there.

00:00:45:10 - 00:00:49:02
Kristen
I think you told me this is your first global pet expo.

00:00:49:04 - 00:01:07:12
Courtney
This is my first global pet expo on the exhibition floor. And when somebody started to give me an inclination on what it would be like, I talked to Pete Scott and he said, this is the size of six Home Depot. Now, I've been in a Home Depot and it's huge. He said six of them. I said, good Lord.

00:01:07:12 - 00:01:10:11
Courtney
So I put on different shoes. I had to put on my walking shoes.

00:01:10:12 - 00:01:14:08
Kristen
So those are really nice looking, comfortable walking shoes. I got to say, well.

00:01:14:08 - 00:01:36:04
Courtney
Thanks, I appreciate it. I was like, you know, comfort rules the day, particularly if you have to walk six Home Depots. But you know what the reality is because it doesn't feel like it. Because you see so many innovations. You see, you know, progressive movements in terms of pet tech, accessibility, eco friendly products that you're so busy looking at, everything, you don't even realize how far you've walked.

00:01:36:04 - 00:02:00:22
Kristen
Yeah. Well, I love that we were able to do the podcast live from the show because it gives us access to all this innovation face to face interviews, and, you know, you're getting to meet a lot of folks on this side of the pet world. because you're typically attending veterinary conferences and, and what's kind of neat is that this is really the first show under Pete Scott where we're kind of connecting the dots between the veterinary world and the pet products world.

00:02:01:00 - 00:02:03:07
Kristen
And you are just the perfect, person.

00:02:03:08 - 00:02:27:23
Courtney
Well, I appreciate you saying that, but you hit the nail on the head. It's like you're you're like speaking my language when you say that, because you're exactly right. The pet world and the vet world have been so siloed for so long, and it doesn't have to be that way. There's so much interconnectivity and, sort of seamless, seamless interaction and synergy that we can generate from the pet world and the vet world.

00:02:28:04 - 00:02:37:08
Courtney
And I think it's about time. This has been a long time in the making, and it's happening right in front of our eyes. Absolutely. I want to call us history makers, but I don't know what. That's a little bit too much.

00:02:37:08 - 00:02:46:19
Kristen
Yeah. Well, okay, so the audience hasn't met you? Yeah, I'm sure they many of them probably already know who you are, but. But you are a veterinary surgeon, and you work out of Santa Monica, California.

00:02:47:01 - 00:02:47:21
Courtney
Santa Barbara.

00:02:47:21 - 00:02:48:13
Kristen
California.

00:02:48:15 - 00:02:52:01
Courtney
There's a lot of Santas out there. You've got a Santa Ana. There's a lot of Santas out there.

00:02:52:01 - 00:02:54:00
Kristen
Yeah, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara.

00:02:54:00 - 00:02:54:19
Courtney
Yeah.

00:02:54:21 - 00:02:56:22
Kristen
And tell us about your typical week with.

00:02:56:23 - 00:03:16:15
Courtney
Yeah. So, you know, as a veterinary surgeon, a lot of people like, well, what's the point of a veterinary surgeon. What do they do. And veterinary surgeons do go through, you know, extensive extra training. They graduate from veterinary school and then they do something called a internship, which is one year period of your life where it is on the grind, long hours, low pay.

00:03:16:18 - 00:03:33:09
Courtney
I did three one year internship and then I did a three year residency on top of that. And so there's at least six years of extra training. And then you take this ridiculously hard test, and once you pass it, you're what's classified as a board certified veterinary surgeon. And you say, well, what's the what's the big deal about that?

00:03:33:09 - 00:03:54:01
Courtney
You know, my veterinarian in my community, he enjoys surgery or he or she enjoys surgery and they do an excellent job at it. And the reality is, veterinary surgeons are there for the more challenging cases, more technically demanding cases. Or maybe they have specialty equipment that your primary care practitioner may not have. So that's what our role is.

00:03:54:01 - 00:04:08:01
Courtney
Therefore, we are there to sort of tackle the most difficult and the most head scratching cases, that you can imagine. And listen, it gives me a lot of headache, but at the end of the day, it's so fulfilling. I mean, that's what we're there for.

00:04:08:07 - 00:04:21:11
Kristen
And it's awesome that our pets can have the same level of care that we as humans can have. You know, it's that same reason why we would go to a specialist. You know, when I had ankle surgery, I went to it, an ankle surgeon that that was his his, area of focus.

00:04:21:11 - 00:04:46:10
Courtney
So, yeah, you know, it's fascinating about, that parallel that you just drew about ankle surgery is that sometimes we will have pet parents who come in and they will have their personal experience with surgery. They'll have their knee reconstructed, or they have had a hip replacement or maybe even an ankle replacement. And one of the questions that's really popular is, hey, doc, how many of these have you done right?

00:04:46:12 - 00:05:12:12
Courtney
And so it makes me it reminds me of a question that I'll get sometimes from veterinary nurses, a veterinary technicians, where they say to me, doc, don't you get bored of doing a lot of the same surgery? And I say to them, if you were going to get an ankle replacement or knee replacement, would you want the surgeon who's done maybe one of 100 different surgeries or 100 of the same surgery, and they're like, I get it, you know what I mean?

00:05:12:12 - 00:05:31:06
Courtney
So yes, there are times in which the repetition in surgery, it just helps you get better and better and better. And so when I'm encountered with a very popular surgery, which is like dog knee surgery, that's very common. If you can get your quote reps in, then that's going to help a lot more dogs.

00:05:31:06 - 00:05:34:17
Kristen
Absolutely. do you have a favorite surgery?

00:05:34:19 - 00:05:55:08
Courtney
probably dog knee surgery. Yes. but I will say certainly, certainly. When you think about a dog who is young and healthy and has the unfortunate, event to be hit by a car and ends up with, a very complicated fracture of a bone, and you can put those bones back together. And that dog has an excellent prognosis.

00:05:55:13 - 00:06:08:18
Courtney
It's such a heartwarming feeling, because you know that that dog has its entire life ahead of them and can run and play and that species diverse family member, because that's really what they are now. They can, enjoy time together.

00:06:08:18 - 00:06:26:10
Kristen
I like that species. Diverse family member yes, I love it. The product of the week. This show has to be a lot of fun for you because it's all pet products. And, you were on the floor all day today. Just checking out different, different booths and things like that. What you do, you have a favorite or do you want to share a little bit about what you saw?

00:06:26:12 - 00:06:48:08
Courtney
You know, there is a word that pops into my head and that word is accessibility. I love where we can bring, pet care, pet wellness, veterinary medicine to more people and more families. And there was one thing on the floor that really, I think, underscores that word of accessibility. And that was a mobile pet grooming, truck.

00:06:48:08 - 00:07:15:04
Courtney
And this van is outfitted with, a tub, a shower. It has cabinets. I mean, there was a program on MTV and excuse the title, but it was called pimp my ride, right? This is pimp my ride in the best possible way. Pimp my grooming truck. Right. This is the best possible way to modify adjust this van, to give more access.

00:07:15:04 - 00:07:36:17
Courtney
Access to pet grooming to more people. Now, this not only gives the access to the pets, but it also gives people opportunity to be their own entrepreneurs. Right? It gives an opportunity for people to be their own, achieve their dreams of being an entrepreneur. So I just think for the pets, the families and just business in general, I think accessibility is the key word.

00:07:36:17 - 00:07:42:22
Courtney
Now, I hate to do this to you because you're the host, but I got to flip it back on you. Do you have a favorite?

00:07:42:22 - 00:07:51:08
Kristen
Kristen I do, I do I, I actually sat on a panel, today that was all about addressing the barriers to pet ownership.

00:07:51:08 - 00:07:52:13
Courtney
Yes.

00:07:52:15 - 00:08:11:23
Kristen
and, you know, we had a veterinarian on the panel and, gentleman from the, pet Products industry. And so we talked about it from a lot of different angles, like from from pet friendly housing to affordable, affordable care and that sort of thing. And obviously, you know, there's things have gotten really expensive lately with inflation.

00:08:11:23 - 00:08:38:21
Kristen
And one of the the biggest challenges that pet parents are facing, are the cost of care. and of course, veterinary care always comes up. And I was curious to know I thought about this while we were having the conversation. I thought how in the in the world of specialty care, how how what's being done, if anything, to help people who maybe can't afford a specialist.

00:08:38:21 - 00:08:41:18
Kristen
Yeah. To actually get that specialty care when they need it.

00:08:41:20 - 00:08:43:23
Courtney
Certainly. There is, an.

00:08:43:23 - 00:08:47:03
Kristen
Organization that was. I'm sorry, I like, threw that question back at you, but but that we know that.

00:08:47:03 - 00:09:19:17
Courtney
Absolutely. There's an organization that pops into my head that I have the pleasure of helping and doing everything I can to help promote their mission. It's called the Compassion Animal Project. And their sole mission, or Cap, their sole mission is to help those who are seeking specialty care, who run into financial hardship and financial difficulties. And that financial barrier is probably one of the largest hurdles or the most the the the the strongest and most powerful economic hurdle that a lot of pet parents have to have to contend with.

00:09:19:17 - 00:09:45:11
Courtney
And so Compassion Animal Project, please look them up if you can. It's it's an excellent philanthropic organization and they're doing great work. And, I think that there's room to tackle any of the other hurdles. Right. So if you're thinking about, well, how can I help? Well, certainly there's donations, right? Both in time and finances. Right there is the ability to help those with transportation, because that's another, limitation.

00:09:45:11 - 00:10:10:17
Courtney
And then you would mention pet friendly housing if you can lobby your local municipalities or your local politicians to increase and make room for right friendly housing. Right? There's so many ways to help increase access to care. Right. And then finally, this access you talk about it has a disproportionate impact on those who are already having, financial hardship.

00:10:10:17 - 00:10:23:07
Courtney
Right? It has a disproportionate act, you know, access impact on some in socio economically disadvantaged communities. So for me, I think you hit the nail on the head. Increasing access to pet ownership is going to be key. Yeah.

00:10:23:09 - 00:10:46:16
Kristen
Yeah. And you know, one of the things we talked about is how our industry, the pet products industry has spent the last 20 years, promoting premiumization of pet products and pet foods, humanization and, and now we have the most incredibly wonderful, diets and great nutrition for our pets and these great toys that address all types of different, you know, behavior issues and things like that.

00:10:46:18 - 00:11:04:01
Kristen
However, I think it's time that we kind of turn back and focus on making the the great care, the great nutrition, the, the great products available for those who, you know, who can't afford it because every pet and every person deserves to have a happy, healthy life together.

00:11:04:02 - 00:11:21:00
Courtney
Yeah, I know that. I think is, you know, I'm kind of following your hand motions here, and I couldn't help but notice that you did a course correction, because you're right. Sometimes when we have this pendulum, right, we're humanization and premiumization is that can we swing the pendulum in the other way to get more balance? Right.

00:11:21:00 - 00:11:23:14
Kristen
Exactly. That's what it is. It's really just finding the balance.

00:11:23:16 - 00:11:37:04
Courtney
It really is finding the balance. And to be honest with you, that's what global is all about, right? It is finding what undergirds global. And what I think is the common motif is that human animal bond. Right. And that's what we're trying to get stronger. Is that human animal bond.

00:11:37:05 - 00:11:37:23
Kristen
Absolutely.

00:11:38:01 - 00:11:43:02
Voice Over
Beyond the leash exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

00:11:43:04 - 00:11:46:21
Kristen
So Courtney, I did a great interview today. I think it was great.

00:11:46:23 - 00:11:48:15
Courtney
Why not? Yes, yes.

00:11:48:15 - 00:11:53:21
Kristen
No. I had two great guest. It was Mary Helen Horn and Jessica Kruger from Ziwi.

00:11:54:01 - 00:11:56:07
Courtney
Ou Ziwi definitely want to learn more.

00:11:56:10 - 00:12:00:17
Kristen
Yeah, I bet you don't know. Do you know what Ziwi is, tell me, you don't have a dog or a cat, right?

00:12:00:18 - 00:12:01:19
Courtney
I do not. I know you.

00:12:01:19 - 00:12:20:20
Kristen
Have a hamster. Yes, yes, yes. I don't think they make hamster food, but, they are a New Zealand based company, and they make air dried pet food, which basically locks in the nutrition. And it's my dog. Tulip eats Zoey, and she loves it. And they also have this new product that they're coming out with at the show.

00:12:20:20 - 00:12:23:06
Kristen
But I'm not going to tell you what it is. You're going to have to listen all right.

00:12:23:06 - 00:12:29:15
Courtney
I'm going to check it out. But when you say New Zealand, I'm thinking lamb and I can't wait to find out.

00:12:29:17 - 00:12:32:16
Voice Over

Pets add life.

00:12:32:18 - 00:12:46:16
Kristen
We are back. And this is our special Global Pet Expo series. And I've got two guests with me this time, two longtime friends in the industry, Mary Helen Horn and Jessica Kruger from Ziwi Thank you ladies for joining me.

00:12:46:18 - 00:13:04:22
Jessica
Thank you for having us. We're so excited to be back here at Global Pet Expo. Gosh, we've been interning for quite some time. Mary Helen being in the industry as long as she is. Yeah, it's been great having her show me the ropes and get to know and understand me. Our distributors, retailers, you know, everyone face to face and it's been an awesome experience so far.

00:13:04:22 - 00:13:08:22
Jessica
And being here with a new product has been very exciting for us.

00:13:08:23 - 00:13:30:17
Kristen
You guys are like such great innovators in pet food. I'm so excited to talk about this and to to educate our pet parents that are listening about, well, let's let's just dive right into it. Zoie, you guys have been, since 2002, I think. Yes, in the market, making air dried pet food. New Zealand based. Yes. So tell us a little overview about Ziwi for pet parents.

00:13:30:17 - 00:13:45:15
Mary
Well, I think we know pet parents have so many different decisions to make. What does my cat need? What does my dog need? Which one's really going to be a great food? And the heart of Ziwi it was to set out to say, how can we make the very best food possible and what consumers need and what our pets need?

00:13:45:16 - 00:14:12:07
Mary
Yeah, right. But still in a shelf stable bag that's easy to buy and you can just scoop and serve like your standard kibble. And that's really how Air Dried was born. So okay. Created a process way back in 2002 that took about five years in the making. And because nobody had ever said, how can you put the highest amount of meat into a product without carbs and fillers and anything else and put it out into a, a finished product that's going to feed really well but still be incredibly nutritious.

00:14:12:07 - 00:14:29:21
Mary
And that's really how the brand was created, and that's how Air Dried was. First born. So over this last, journey since 2002, it's been about perfecting the process and about creating the category. Right? Because for years and years and years, there was only we making air dried. Now, today, we're still the leader of the air dried market.

00:14:29:21 - 00:15:00:09
Mary
And what why a consumer would want to buy air dried is because they're looking for something that has more meat in it and less fillers. Right. They're looking for, health benefits from feeding a nutritious meal. So. Right. We know that they're worried about weight management. They're worried about, dental hygiene. They're worried about skin and coat and how a product, this high end meat and cater to the dog and cat, they can feed something every day that's going to help them have a happier, healthier, longer life, which is really what everybody wants for their their babies at home.

00:15:00:09 - 00:15:05:10
Kristen
Not to mention the way you source your ingredients, which is really unique. You want to talk about that? Jessica?

00:15:05:10 - 00:15:25:19
Jessica
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we are so lucky that we are born out of New Zealand. Their farming practices are just light years beyond what we really could imagine. If I come back in another life, I would love to be a free range and grass fed animal in New Zealand. Yeah, but the best thing about kiwi, as you know, quality is number one, ethical sourcing is just what we've been born out of.

00:15:25:23 - 00:15:52:07
Jessica
So our grass fed, grass finished, free ranging beef, lamb, chickens. I mean you really can't get better than that. Our pets who feeds Kiwi. You know they're eating better than most humans are. And that's the thing that's so great about that air drying process is that it preserves the nutrients from those high quality ingredients. So there wouldn't be much sense if you were sourcing the quality of ingredients that we do out in New Zealand, if they were just being baked into a kibble or something like that, which is also how that air dried technology was born.

00:15:52:07 - 00:16:02:09
Jessica
It's just we have such great agriculture, we have such great ingredients. What can we do to preserve that and get those final nutrients, you know, into our pets bowl as best as we right.

00:16:02:11 - 00:16:18:10
Kristen
And I've seen firsthand the results my dog Tulip eats week. And, I also love the versatility that you can feed it as the main meal. You can feed it as a topper, and you can feed it as a treat. And I use it for all three. I don't have any.

00:16:18:12 - 00:16:32:01
Mary
And we talk about that all the time for consumers because it's such a crowded space. And how do you make a decision? And sometimes they feel like, you almost need a prescription. You need to say, hey, this is what I feed for this. And so sometimes it's a bit of a jump when you're going to say, hey, here's a new product.

00:16:32:01 - 00:16:47:14
Mary
This product's actually going to be able to do a lot of things for you, and you can choose how much you're going to feed. And we know that not every pet parent's going to feed 100% of product, like, sure, air dried, but, we have many that train with it. We have many that talk with it. We have lots that mix it into their products.

00:16:47:14 - 00:17:09:04
Mary
And then we also have the true champions that complete feed the the bowl. And so we just want to help educate them wherever they are in their journey. Right. And say a little is better than nothing. Of course, any time you put at least 25% of the product into the, your pet's diet, you'll start seeing the benefits of feeding, Zoey air dry, which is that weight maintenance, skin and coat, dental hygiene.

00:17:09:04 - 00:17:22:09
Kristen
Right. And I want to talk about what's new, but, something else you said. oh. Do you find that a lot of your customers, start you start using seaweed as a topper or a treat and then move into feeding it as a full meal?

00:17:22:14 - 00:17:36:21
Mary
The number one reason somebody buys it is actually because they've had a health issue. They're okay struggling with something. they could be really picky and they don't like to eat things. And every time they say something home, they're like, oh, mom, I don't like this food anymore. Like, get me something new to eat.

00:17:36:21 - 00:17:37:08
Kristen
Ahh .

00:17:37:08 - 00:17:59:01
Mary
Or they're having some other issue, like, they've got weight issues or they've got digestive issues because their bodies can't maybe digest, allergens that are in the food or fillers. So that is the number one path for us to get, consumers into our, base. And then we also get a lot that want to just talk and treat with it and say, hey, I know I want something better.

00:17:59:03 - 00:18:05:09
Mary
but I can't go all the way there. How can I start bringing some of that into my bowl? Sure. They kind of come in those to to pass.

00:18:05:09 - 00:18:22:04
Jessica
Yeah. And I think one of the coolest things is that we've been exposed to a new network of pet parents through our trainers. And we do have a trainer program that is absolutely incredible. We work with a handful of different trainers, supply them with seaweed so they can get it into the hands. You know, they're all actively using it in their own day to day lives.

00:18:22:10 - 00:18:40:01
Jessica
So to watch them, you know, forge that bond with new pet parents, the best thing about it is that, I mean, you take it out of the bag and the dog goes crazy. We all know you open that seaweed. Yes, yes. No, this dives in and immediately it's true. So a lot of people who are exposed to CB the first time at a training session think, oh my gosh, what is that?

00:18:40:01 - 00:18:58:09
Jessica
Could it be good for them? And the good thing is, you know, not only are they going to go crazy for it, it's really good for them right. Breaks apart easily. So in that way, you know, people are able to step into it. Because if the product solves a problem, even better. And if that's helping you correct negative behavior, it creates just such a loyal customer, which is great for us.

00:18:58:09 - 00:19:17:15
Jessica
Absolutely. That's how it's worked for myself. You know, being able to use it with my own pets and being able to grow the bowl. See those direct benefits, right. You know, I came into the pen industry two years ago and something for me is I had no idea what the baseline was and getting to learn about and really look at the back of my kibble back, it was like, oh, lightning.

00:19:17:15 - 00:19:29:06
Jessica
And I've been a pet owner my whole life. Yeah, but learning, you know, we say 96% me Oregon spans New Zealand cooking like mussels. But I didn't understand how much farther above and beyond that was than what your average.

00:19:29:06 - 00:19:30:08
Kristen
Day to day right.

00:19:30:10 - 00:19:36:07
Mary
Would be. Most people don't know that to be a pet food, you only have down 3%. Me so like, you know, the starting point is.

00:19:36:07 - 00:19:38:02
Kristen
Low, very low, very low bar.

00:19:38:04 - 00:19:55:16
Mary
Very low bar. And in most pet food companies you don't find out how much meat is in the food. And that is one of the challenges because there's so much messaging. You know, I pet parent, I spent years of my life thinking I was doing the best thing for my purse. And then I do think the benefit is that once you learn, you get so excited about what you learned in the business.

00:19:55:16 - 00:20:11:23
Mary
It's about sharing it, right? Exactly. Sharing that there's this whole market out there that says, put more meat in our food, treat the pets the way they're supposed to be treated, and you're going to feel better about feeding your pet. And the pets are going to be really excited about it because they're going to love the food. And then we all know everybody are happy, happier and healthier.

00:20:11:23 - 00:20:31:20
Kristen
Yeah. That's fantastic. You know, every pet and every pet parent deserves to be able to feed their pet the very best quality. And I love that you guys have addressed this new market. You know, it's there's a lot of talk about, you know, the cost of care these days with inflation and things like that. So, but it's always possible, you know, to find a way to feed the best that you can.

00:20:31:20 - 00:20:40:12
Kristen
And I love what you guys are doing. So thank you so much for having us. And oh, by the way, where can people find, Debbie or semen dried? Where would where would they look for that?

00:20:40:12 - 00:21:00:03
Jessica
Yeah, absolutely. So look soon for steam and dried. Coming to an independent pet Partners near you. You can find our store locator at us.Ziwipets.com. We also sell through there Amazon and Chewy. And we're just excited to get out on the market and hear what people think. So love to know the feedback and excited to know that it's going to make a lot of dogs and cats happy.

00:21:00:03 - 00:21:07:11
Kristen
Awesome. Thank you, Mary, Helen and Jessica. And by the way, tulip said to say hello. Oh, okay. Have a great show.

00:21:07:12 - 00:21:10:19
Mary
Thank you as well. Thank you so.

00:21:10:21 - 00:21:31:03
Courtney
Well thank you, Christine, for that suggestion. That was outstanding. I want to let you know. Had an outstanding interview with your mother Gonzalez. Gloria. She is a journalist. And we got a chance to talk about accessibility. And we got a chance to talk about pet news. And she speaks with the Latin American community. And this is a little teaser, a little spoiler alert.

00:21:31:03 - 00:21:33:12
Courtney
You get to hear a little bit of my horrible Spanish.

00:21:33:12 - 00:21:38:00
Kristen
So yes, I was going to ask if you did the interview in Spanish because I know, not completely.

00:21:38:00 - 00:21:43:01
Courtney
But stay tuned because buckle up. Because it gets pretty exciting.

00:21:43:03 - 00:21:43:18
Kristen
Underlay.

00:21:43:18 - 00:21:44:20
Courtney
Underlay.

00:21:44:22 - 00:21:49:20
Voice over
Beyond the Leash. Exploring the Untold Stories of pet passion and professionalism.

00:21:49:22 - 00:21:56:17
Courtney
Expo 2024 I'm here with an outstanding guest. Please let everybody know what your name is and who you're with.

00:21:56:19 - 00:22:01:21
Maria
Okay, so first of all, my English is not very good looking, so get ready for me.

00:22:02:02 - 00:22:06:20
Courtney
You way more calm guidelines released a panel.

00:22:06:22 - 00:22:08:00
Maria
To identify.

00:22:08:02 - 00:22:13:09
Courtney
You. I let you know I love your pyramid. If you don't see my work, I'm hearing it for.

00:22:13:09 - 00:22:20:01
Maria
Okay, I'm gonna put I on the panel.

00:22:20:03 - 00:22:24:01
Maria
So my name is Maria Gonzalez. Quebec and European. My name.

00:22:24:03 - 00:22:30:20
Courtney
Is Yamada. The. It is for me. It's one of my favorite first names I love zero. Yes.

00:22:30:21 - 00:22:36:18
Maria
Everybody's like, see what he's done? I'm like, think I'll see you tomorrow and say if it was here.

00:22:36:19 - 00:22:38:03
Courtney
I love it, I love it.

00:22:38:05 - 00:22:41:07
Maria
Okay. And I'm a journalist, so thank you for having me.

00:22:41:09 - 00:22:50:06
Courtney
First and first. And most important, when you say journalist, everybody wants to know, okay, what do you report on and where's your reach? Who do you reach?

00:22:50:08 - 00:23:10:12
Maria
So I work for Hispanic media. I provide context of content for Hispanic media, mainly Univision news. That's, national television for Hispanic targeting is Canales and Los Estados Unidos. So that's what I do. And I mainly report on animals. I tell my pet lover, look at this.

00:23:10:13 - 00:23:18:22
Courtney
Let me see my oh, I don't have any body art, but I might want I might get that looks right here. Just a little. Just a little paw print. You can.

00:23:18:22 - 00:23:19:08
Maria
Promise.

00:23:19:08 - 00:23:37:01
Courtney
That. Oh, my lower back. I'm kidding. No, but I love it. So you obviously report on pet news. How important is it for you to make sure that pet news reaches the Latin American community and the Hispanic community and Spanish speaking community in Los Angeles and nationally, nationally.

00:23:37:01 - 00:24:02:00
Maria
So I typically try to find out and understand through research. That's what journalists do, right? what's the main concern that our audience has when it comes to animals? Right. And one of them is, for example, we like to read a lot and we give that food to our pets. So diabetes is a huge problem. obesity is a huge problem in the Hispanic community, for example.

00:24:02:00 - 00:24:04:19
Maria
So that's one of the topics that I like to talk about.

00:24:04:21 - 00:24:22:18
Courtney
I love that it really underscores the nature of that human animal bond, but not only just the human animal bond, generally speaking, specific specific human animal bond issues within certain communities. How long we've been doing this and what inspired you to get into this, pet industry and pet news?

00:24:22:20 - 00:24:25:23
Maria
If I tell you how long I've been doing this. Corny.

00:24:26:01 - 00:24:27:06
Courtney
Okay.

00:24:27:08 - 00:24:30:17
Maria
you know that I'm long day, and I don't want them to go.

00:24:30:17 - 00:24:35:19
Courtney
Oh, my goodness. Yeah. Wouldn't have started maybe five years ago when you're 18. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:24:36:00 - 00:24:37:13
Maria
I've been doing this for 30 years.

00:24:37:13 - 00:24:40:13
Courtney
Oh my goodness. So she started when she was one year old.

00:24:40:16 - 00:24:44:03
Maria
I started with entertainment. Unbelievable when I was one year old.

00:24:44:04 - 00:24:47:02
Courtney
Unbelievable. Come on. That's not that's true I believe it.

00:24:47:02 - 00:24:48:15
Maria
I come from a media family.

00:24:48:15 - 00:24:57:03
Courtney
Okay. So you starting entertainment, but generally speaking, entertainment, celebrities, music, movies.

00:24:57:05 - 00:25:03:15
Maria
Everything. I just do interview junkets in Los Angeles and, yeah, heart singers.

00:25:03:17 - 00:25:13:16
Courtney
Absolutely. So at a certain point, you said, I'm doing a lot of entertainment news. How am I going to branch into the pet news community? And when was that pivotal moment?

00:25:13:18 - 00:25:34:18
Maria
Okay, so that moment happened when we used to receiving this satellite, right. We used to receive, in this department, when you receive all the videos and you need to choose as a producer, right now, we're seeing a lot of information about about animals. And nobody was showcasing them. So I'm like, okay, let me use this at the end of my segment.

00:25:34:21 - 00:25:35:09
Courtney
Right.

00:25:35:11 - 00:25:46:14
Maria
So I started by doing bloopers and some info there in here. And I noticed that people love animals and that's what they teach in the university. They're like animals and kids. They sell.

00:25:46:16 - 00:25:47:02
Courtney
Right?

00:25:47:02 - 00:25:49:01
Maria
And it's true. They sell with.

00:25:49:01 - 00:26:08:05
Courtney
Hearts. They do. I've also heard animals and kids. You only get one take right because. Right. They're not going to keep still. You have done so much news. You've worked with so many families, so many pets, but there's got to be a few instances that really rise to the top, that really rise to the top of your memory and say, wow, that was memorable.

00:26:08:11 - 00:26:15:12
Courtney
Is there one instance that, out of all the years where you're like, wow, that was a really heartwarming story.

00:26:15:14 - 00:26:18:15
Maria
Yes. And because of that, I became vegetarian.

00:26:18:17 - 00:26:19:23
Courtney
Okay, well, let's hear it.

00:26:19:23 - 00:26:42:08
Maria
Yeah, because I used to go. It's not only dogs and cats. I used to go to, farms where they literally mistreat animals. And you get to know where this meat and where this meal come from. So I truly believe that that was one of the hardest thing for me. And that truly change. They weren't even tell the stories, of course.

00:26:42:09 - 00:27:00:15
Maria
So that's one of them. And the other one is, many, many animals in Latin America that I need to cover abandonment and all that, that that's really important to understand the importance of, how do you call it a sterilization?

00:27:00:15 - 00:27:01:07
Courtney
Castration?

00:27:01:07 - 00:27:04:22
Maria
Oh, I was fasting. You guys.

00:27:05:00 - 00:27:24:01
Courtney
I got that one. That's the only one I got. But you're so right that the need to control the pet population, the need for animal welfare, particularly in the food production space, that's so critical. I'd love to know about the future. Zoom out. I'd love to know about the future. You're here at Global Pet Expo. What are you most excited about?

00:27:24:03 - 00:27:47:03
Maria
About Global Food Expo? what have you learned? I see that there's a lot of, need for more practical things. Right? And when it comes to practical technology, it's amazing what they're doing. I was looking at many GPS system here like that. I'm sorry. Things like that to help find pets that get lost. Halloween. during,

00:27:47:05 - 00:27:51:00
Courtney
New Years Eve, number one day of the year for lost pets. Halloween.

00:27:51:02 - 00:27:51:15
Maria
We know so.

00:27:51:15 - 00:27:57:05
Courtney
Much. Yes. Of course. Right. Actually, I believe the 4th of July. But the bottom line is.

00:27:57:05 - 00:27:59:00
Maria
I know July and all.

00:27:59:00 - 00:28:21:12
Courtney
The holidays are potential risk factors for losing your pet. And so I think microchipping is so important. We've got we could do an entire segment just on the top and finding your pet. But listen, I just want to thank you for your time, the work you're doing and speaking to communities and just to the entire nation, in my opinion, is so worth it and so commendable.

00:28:21:14 - 00:28:26:20
Courtney
and I just want to thank you for that. And most importantly, thank you for your time today at Google Pet Expo. You're fantastic.

00:28:26:22 - 00:28:30:02
Maria
Thank you. And thank you for inviting me. And thank you for what you do.

00:28:30:02 - 00:28:32:14
Courtney
I appreciate it. Thank you.

00:28:32:16 - 00:28:44:11
Maria
No know when you when you see what you get out on me from dog TV clarity. See what did I say.

00:28:44:13 - 00:28:47:11
Voice Over
Pets add life.

00:28:47:13 - 00:28:53:10
Kristen
Awesome. Yes. Well, I am so glad that you were here with with me today. And you got two more days on the floor. So you're going.

00:28:53:16 - 00:28:55:02
Courtney
To have two more days on.

00:28:55:05 - 00:28:56:23
Kristen
Floor, right? I mean, 12 more Home Depot.

00:28:56:23 - 00:29:07:12
Courtney
Yeah, 12 more Home Depot. That's right. We multiply it. Yeah. This has been outstanding. And I'm just so appreciative and grateful to have the chance to speak with you about this important conference.

00:29:07:12 - 00:29:11:07
Kristen
Feeling's mutual. I'm very glad that we're bringing you over to the pet side.

00:29:11:08 - 00:29:12:17
Courtney
I got to ask you one favor, though.

00:29:12:18 - 00:29:13:07
Kristen
Sure.

00:29:13:09 - 00:29:17:01
Courtney
So at some point, can we do a round two? Can we? Can you have me back and do a round?

00:29:17:02 - 00:29:18:01
Kristen
Of course. I don't.

00:29:18:01 - 00:29:20:03
Courtney
Mean to invite myself back to a party.

00:29:20:03 - 00:29:20:23
Kristen
But you get to I.

00:29:20:23 - 00:29:21:10
Courtney
Get to.

00:29:21:11 - 00:29:24:08
Kristen
All right? I guess to say it right live right here.

00:29:24:10 - 00:29:27:12
Courtney
I'm gonna hold you to that. Right. So I'm gonna hold you to everybody.

00:29:27:12 - 00:29:29:13
Kristen
Who's in charge there like cursing us.

00:29:29:13 - 00:29:32:10
Courtney
Right? There we go. Right. Well, we got to do a round two. Thank you so much because.

00:29:32:10 - 00:29:33:12
Kristen
All right. Great. Thanks so much.

00:29:33:12 - 00:29:40:05
Voice Over

Pets Add Life your guide to the latest in pet trends products and the joy of the human animal bond.