13 Black-Owned Pet Brands to Put on Your Radar · The Wildest

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13 Black-Owned Pet Brands You Should Absolutely Shop

Customized meals, sustainable toys, handmade sweaters, and more.

by Heven Haile
Updated February 7, 2024
House Dogge designer Angela Medlin and her dog
House Dogge designer Angela Medlin and Wubbi
The letter "W" from the Wildest logo

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As pet parents, we have to consider a lot (beyond how our little angel’s poops look from day to day). When we buy everyday pet items, we want to make decisions that matter. We don’t want to buy from just anywhere — or anyone.

Black brand founders are underrepresented in the pet care industry. Supporting Black-owned brands is one of the most straightforward and sustainable ways to help these businesses survive and thrive, while playing a part in addressing racial economic inequities. From veterinarian-designed bowls and upcycled, eco-friendly toys to hand-knitted sweaters and tongue-in-cheek dog tags, here are 13 Black-owned brands making waves in pet care.

House Paws

Drawing from her background as a designer for brands like Nike and Levi’s, Angela Medlin began designing toys for her Olde English Bulldogge, Wubbi, in 2017. Her hobby soon evolved into House Dogge, which earned a spot on Oprah’s “Favorite Things” list in 2020 for its sustainable, upcycled products including leather leashes, biodegradable rope toys, and fleece hoodies (which you can customize with your dog’s name).

House Dogge supports Oregon dog rescue the NW Dog Project, and in her free time, Medlin pays it forward through her project Faas Design Collab, which “provides creative and professional development to underrepresented creatives desiring to enter the product creation industry.”

Enjoy a Bowl

Veterinarian and founder Dr. Joe J. Owens created Enjoy-a-Bowl after growing increasingly frustrated with treating pets who had preventable health complications. His vision was to prevent issues from diabetes to obesity by helping pets develop healthy-eating habits. Simply plop your pet’s favorite aromatic food — such as chicken — in the lower compartment, place a filter on top, and then slide the bowl lid on top of that. Put your pet’s regular food in the top-bowl compartment and watch as they come running for dinner. 

homescape pets

Austin-based Nana and Marcus Pfeifer started Homescape Pets after losing their first pup to cancer. “We knew we couldn’t save her life, but we could give her a better quality of life. That included less hardcore drugs and more of what nature provides,” they say. After consulting with integrative veterinarians, they developed all-natural joint supplements, CBD oil, and single-ingredient chews that are all chemical-and-toxin-free, made in the U.S., and contain only organically grown herbs. The Pfeifers also support local shelters, including Austin Pets Alive.

lick you silly

Barbara Clarke-Ruiz worked for big players, including Adidas, Disney, and New Balance before turning her attention to her dog, YumYum, who was reacting poorly to over-processed dog treats. She launched Lick You Silly, a small line of limited-ingredient dog treats and seasonings/meal toppers, free of artificial flavors, antibiotics, and byproducts. Both savory (freeze-dried beef and chicken) and sweet (peanut butter and honey) flavors are available. And a portion of the proceeds go to animal rescues around the country.

colorful shampoo bottles

The Bark Shoppe’s line of all-natural pet products is a smart addition to any pup’s grooming routine. The woman-owned brand includes shampoos, conditioners, body sprays, and dental rinses — all of which are vegan and cruelty-free. With allergy season around the corner, you may want to stock up on their medicated antifungal/antimicrobial shampoo, hypoallergenic shampoo, and soothing hot-spot spray. And if your dog is a New Yorker, The Bark Shoppe also offers grooming, bathing, boarding, and daycare services at their Harlem HQ.

dog wearing rainbow bow tie

Following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma back in 2017, teen entrepreneur Sir Darius Brown was moved to do something to help the animals who had suffered in the storms. He started stitching together bow ties on his own sewing machine and donating them to local shelters so dogs could sport them in their adoption photos — which he shared on his Instagram account. Beaux & Paws was born. In 2022, Brown received a Global Child Prodigy Award and was sent a personal letter commending his efforts by former President Barack Obama.

writer heven haile

Heven Haile

Heven Haile is a writer living in New York City with their cat Patches.

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