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Before scrolling, we just want to let you know that we put a lot of bark and soul into our newsletter.

We appreciate your time and eyeballs for reading this weekly.

Our only ask of you in return is to forward ↪️ this email to one other dog lover you know!

THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• 🧻 The $1M dog diaper business

• 🏛️ Barkitecture is on the rise

• 🐕 Facebook for dog owners

🧻 THE $1M DOG DIAPER BUSINESS

In the realm of pet care, few stories resonate as profoundly as that of Dundies, a niche business turning the tide in the arena of dog bowel movements and sustainability.

Founded by Emily Martin, Dundies emerged from a compassionate act that blossomed into a million-dollar enterprise.

The genesis of Dundies lies in Martin's encounter with Sophie, a British bulldog suffering from Spina Bifida.

Witnessing the challenges faced by Sophie, Martin recognized a dire need in the pet care industry: managing incontinence in a way that was both effective and humane.

This realization led to the inception of Dundies, a brand specializing in reusable pet nappies.

Initially, Martin's venture was a leap of faith, fueled by her deep love for animals.

Her determination soon paid off.

Within three years, Dundies achieved a remarkable turnover of $1 million, a testament to the demand for such a product.

The success of Dundies isn't just in its financial growth; it's in the impact it has on the lives of pets and their owners.

Statistics reveal a staggering number of pets are euthanized or abandoned due to incontinence-related issues.

Dundies offers a lifeline, providing a practical and eco-friendly solution.

Martin's commitment extends beyond just product sales.

Through Dundies, she has created a community of pet owners, sharing stories and offering support.

Dundies' range has expanded, now offering various pet care products, all echoing the brand's ethos of compassion and sustainability.

The company has set a benchmark in the industry, showing that business success and ethical practices can go hand in hand.

Dundies stands as a beacon of hope in pet care.

Emily Martin's journey from a pet lover to a successful entrepreneur is not just a story of business acumen but a narrative of love, resilience, and the belief that one small step can make a world of difference in the lives of our furry companions.

🏛️ BARKITECTURE IS ON THE RISE

Barkitecture is our new favorite word. We are also considering going back to school to get a degree 🤣.

But in all seriousness, we aren't alone in enjoying this new word.

As we did some digging we noticed a trend in the last few years of people redesigning their homes and spaces with their animals in mind.

You might ask, what exactly does barkitecture look like?

Well, take a gander:

As you can see it's adding physical elements to your house that also service the needs of your pets (not just limited to dogs, as "catifying" your house is also a thing).

A Growing Trend

Credit Pinterest with noticing this.

Likely due to the fact that pet focused architecture is still in the DIY phase, and DIY is Pinterest's bread and butter.

They shared the following search term growth from last year:

We did a little bit of our own research and found the following for the search term "Dog Room":

A quick search on Reddit also turned up a subreddit on Barkitecture with 20k members and posts around dog beds, kennels, dog bars(?), and more.

Who Does This?

Following the trail of search crumbs brings us to the people that are riding this wave.

First off we found Tyler Cameron, previous Bachelorette contestant turned host of the 2020 show Barkitecture.

In said show, Tyler would build luxury dog houses for celebrity guests such as Joel McHale, Wilmer Valderrama, Kyle Richards, and more.

While the show was short lived, and we aren't sure that Tyler is still building houses, it was the first major cultural spotlight for pet housing.

Next up, meet Rashida Banks.

She's an interior designer & influencer in Washington DC who likes to go one step further with her designs to include canines.

In one such project she converted a playhouse into a "paw-lour" for the pooches:

Rashida shares a lot of stylish DIY content online for dog beds, artificial turf, and more.

All this goes to show that more and more owners are looking for stylish ways to incorporate their dogs needs into their home.

So all you stylish people out there with the entrepreneurial itch, here is another interesting opportunity to get your paws on!

🐕 FACEBOOK FOR DOG OWNERS

Two weeks ago we covered the social media site Reddit as a place for dog owner communities, along with some examples of what you can find there.

This week we continue our ongoing focus of communities to another little known social media platform, Facebook.

We don't think Facebook needs any introduction, but here are some quick facts and differences between it and Reddit:

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Size - Reddit isn't too shabby, clocking in an impressive 1.6 billion monthly users. Facebook? They've got that covered at a whopping 2.9 billion monthly users.

• 👤 Anonymity - Reddit is mostly an anonymous platform. Everyone has a unique user name, doesn't have profile pictures, and doesn't really revolve around "friends". FB on the other hand is all about your friends and acquaintances, and is mostly a representation of real people.

• 📍Location - This one isn't as cut and dried, but you'll notice a lot of FB groups are based on location, while Reddit is mostly a free for all. This means that Facebook is better for local grouping of people with similar tastes / interests.

Let's jump into the type of communities (or Groups as they are called on FB):

One thing we noticed is Reddit has a lot more communities around very specific topics, while FB is more general topics in certain areas.

So we think as an owner, there are different reasons why you may want to join one vs. the other (or both).

FB is better suited if you want to connect w/ owners in your area, while Reddit is better if you have a very specific interest you want to dive deep on.

The other thing is that FB has a lot more interaction w/ businesses. Many groups are organized by local trainers, vets, etc, via their facebook pages.

In our mind this is a big benefit over Reddit since you really have no idea who the other users are and what competency they have.

This is the perfect time for us to caveat that YOU SHOULD ALWAYS consult your vet or health professional with any health issues or big changes you are making.

Strangers online (anonymous or not) are not a replacement for professional advice, but the reason we like communities is it exposes us to more points of views and ideas we can discuss w/ our vets and other professionals.

After all, we are in charge and care the most about our dogs, so it's our duty to think broadly about their health and well being.

DOGGYDEX™

Winner 🏆: BITCOIN

Proudly introducing the DoggyDex™, an index comprised of 10 publicly traded companies whose primary focus is the dog/pet industry.

List of tickers used can be found at the very bottom of the newsletter.

The yellow line-plot in the chart represents these companies above (DoggyDex™) and their combined performance against both the S&P 500 and Bitcoin on a weekly basis.

Pawformance is measured by % gains & losses.

• 🏞️ The mecca of dog ranches: Check out this 33 acre dog shelter in Loxahatchee, FL, it’s the largest no-kill shelter in the US.

• 🧶 Turn your dog into a rug: Need another way to memorialize your pup? Check out these custom portrait tufted rugs.

• 🛻 Dog takes the wheel: This very stoic lab is driving his owner’s truck while the owner and his other pup nuzzle next to each other strolling down a country road.

DOGGY B-DAY

• $CHWY - Chewy: E-commerce platform for pet supplies

• $IDXX - Idexx Labs: Vet point of care instruments and vet software

• $FRPT - Fresh Pet: Pet food company

• $PETQ - PetIQ: Pet health products and medicines

• $PETS - PetMeds: Online pet pharmacy

• $ZTS - Zoetis: World's largest producer of meds and vaccines for pets and livestock

• $TRUP - Trupanion: Pet insurance company

• $WOOF - Petco Health & Wellness co.: Pet health & wellness company

• $BARK - BarkBox: Subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences

• $PET - Wag! Group Co.: Tech platform that allows pet owners to connect with industry professionals for services such as, walking, training, etc.