🚨UPDATE: We’ve been experimenting with moving the newsletter to bi-weekly and after successfully doing so for the last 2 issues, we will be continuing with that cadence for the next several months.

Why?

Well the main reason being that the Dogonomist family gained a +1 recently. So we’d really like to spend as much time possible together as a family during these first few months.

Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere!

Just slowing down a little bit to enjoy this timely part of our lives. ❤️

THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:

• 🛩️ BarkBox is launching an airline

• 🎁 Chewy’s legendary customer service

• 🏄‍♂️ World dog surfing championship

🛩️ BARKBOX IS LAUNCHING AN AIRLINE

It’s finally happening! We’ve spoken about the resounding pain point of dog owners being able to fly comfortably with their dogs - well….

Bark, the company behind Bark Box, introduces Bark Air, an ultra-luxury airline service for pets and their owners.

Starting at $6,000 for a one-way ticket, from New York to Los Angeles and $8,000 from New York to London, focusing on comfort and luxury for pets and humans.

Here's the scoop:

• 🥂 Luxe Travel for Pets: Forget cargo holds or unrealistic restrictions. Pups fly in the cabin with comfy beds, calming pheromone-scented blankets, and "dog champagne" (chicken broth). Even the music and plane colors are designed to appease canine passengers.

• ☺️ Stress-Free Experience: No more TSA hassles! Owners can mingle with their furry companions in a private terminal area before takeoff. Anxious pups get noise-canceling earmuffs, calming treats, and special jackets.

• 🤝 Owners Needs Aren’t Forgotten:  While no lie-flat seats, humans get pre-flight gourmet meals prepared by a chef and complimentary mid-flight snacks. Leather seats and a complimentary car service to the destination round out the experience.

But There's a Catch (and a Big One):

• Limited Routes:  Currently, Bark Air offers only two routes: New York to Los Angeles and New York to London.

Analysis: Niche Market or Game Changer?

Bark Air caters to a very specific clientele: wealthy pet owners who prioritize their dog's comfort above all else. While the price tag is undeniably high, Bark Air fills a MASSIVE gap in the market by offering a comfortable alternative to stressful pet transport options.

Check out how many people in this FB group with 42K members that are constantly looking for flight solutions 👉 Chartered Air Travel With Pets

The success of this venture hinges on whether enough dog owners are willing to shell out big bucks for their pup to fly in style. Meeker, Bark's CEO, acknowledges the hefty price tag but hopes to bring it down in the future.

Only time will tell if Bark Air takes off or remains a niche service for the ultra-pampered pooch.

However we think in the next 10 years, more airline services like this will emerge and begin to introduce competition and ultimately drive costs lower.

🎁 CHEWY’S LEGENDARY CUSTOMER SERVICE

These days we don't expect much from large companies aside from good prices and convenience.

So when a large company goes above and beyond with their service, they have a great opportunity to create loyalty and stand out amongst their competitors.

Chewy is a great example of a large company that has been able to create raving fans by doing more than expected when it comes to customer service.

Paws-itively Stellar Service

Chewy is a behemoth. Publicly traded with $11.14b in revenue, 21k employees, and growing 10% from last year, it's able to compete with the likes of Amazon and Walmart.

One reason they've been able to grow so quickly is that customers return often and stay loyal. This could be for many reasons, but one that is clear when perusing social media is that people love their customer support.

Here's one example of them going viral a few years ago when one of their customer's dog passed away:

That is a pretty great touch.

All of this stems from using personalization as a strategy.

Chewy has a lot of data about pet parents and their fur babies, and they use that information to personalize different situations.

They send out the above wishes when a pet crosses the rainbow bridge, they celebrate birthdays, and they use you and your pet's names in communication.

This is of course no accident. 

A 2021 McKinsey study found that “companies who excel at demonstrating customer intimacy generate faster rates of revenue growth than their peers, and Chewy understands this is a big way.

There are tons more examples across multiple platforms that show that this isn't just a one-off but instead is part of their process:

We think one of the reasons this works for Chewy is that they have committed to it fully.

A company might send out wishes when a pet passes, but flowers?

That is an extra step.

Another example being instead of a happy birthday email, Chewy sends an actual hand written card. Yep, a human writes them, not some robot:

Customers have unlimited options.

So when you go out of your way to make them feel “seen,” it leaves a lasting impression. 

That is the type of service people remember forever. 

And that is how you turn customers into raving fans and win them for life.

🏄‍♂️ WORLD DOG SURFING CHAMPIONSHIP

This August, a group of surfers will try and win the World Surfing Championships in Pacifica.

What's unique about this event is that two legged surfers aren't allowed (well, they can help), and only those of the four legged variety can participate.

That's right, there is a World Dog Surfing Championship (website could use an update 😉).

Now we've seen the occasional video of a skateboarding or surfing dog, but we didn't realize this had enough legs to spawn an actual competition.

Apparently we've been living underwater, because the tournaments started back in 2006.

While there are other competitions, the one in Pacifica is part of a collection of events across the world created by TCB Cafe Publishing and sponsored by TasteTV.

The idea was originally pitched by Kevin Reed, the author of the book "The Dog's Guide to Surfing: Hanging Ten with Man's Best Friend".

Reed and TCB Publishing approached a San Diego hotel to host the competition, and it turned out to be a hit.

From there the events grew to other spots in the US, as well as Australia and the UK.

The competitions break dogs into different groups based on weight. Then, each dog gets 10 minutes to catch as many waves as they can, with each wave being judged on the following criteria:

• ⏳ Length of ride

• 🤸 Technique

• 🙌 Confidence

• 🌊 Size of wave

• 😎 Style

The competition is a charity event, and proceeds go to the local Human Society and SPCA.

This sent us down a rabbit hole looking for other fun dog competitions around the world:

• 🍺 K9 Keg pulls

• 👗 New York Pet Fashion Show 

• 🥇 Olympic Style Dog Festival 

• 😋 World's Ugliest Dog Competition

So, if your dog has some athletic skills, or is a killer dresser, or maybe has the face only a mother could love, you now have some events to enter them in!

DOGGYDEX™

Winner 🏆: S&P 500

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.

• 🖼️ Family pawtraits are back: Check out this whole family in matching sweaters, including the two pups.

• ⚾ NY Mets first mascot was a beagle: Read the story of how a Beagle, Homer, was the original mascot for the Mets’ inaugural season in ‘62. He was trained by the same guy who trained Lassie.

• 💦 Pittie goes on weight loss journey: This poor pittie weighed 120lbs before her foster mom came in and took over. Watch her transformation as she sheds 65lbs to become a real dog again.

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.