Dog Child announces the launch of innovative meal mixes and a recipe-led community that empower dog parents to cook for their dogs—providing a healthy, delicious, convenient, and sustainable alternative to traditional kibble, freeze-dried, and fresh frozen food.
Dog Child’s meal mixes are for people who believe that happy, healthy dogs start with good nutrition, and that good nutrition starts with cooking. Developed in partnership with a group of leading dog nutritionists and veterinarians, they’re designed to be prepared without any time consuming prep work or hard-to-find ingredients — just add ground protein, oil, and water.
“We are motivated by a simple belief,” says founder (and proud dog mom) Nicole Marchand. “It’s time to raise our standards and feed our dogs like we feed ourselves. We believe that wellness is a lifestyle, and are excited to help parents go above and beyond for their dogs by cooking meals that support their immunity, enhance their skin and gut, and of course, taste delicious.”
Dog Child was born when Marchand, a former banker and venture capitalist, realized that there had to be a better way to provide her own dog with the nutrition she needed to thrive. A deep dive into the dog food industry uncovered how limited options for dog parents were. Fresh food delivery seemed like a good option in terms of nutrition and quality, but came with wasteful packaging and inaccessible pricing. And a conversation with her vet verified that many home cooking recipes were lacking the essential ingredients dogs need.
The result is three nutrient-rich meal mixes that are formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition, and can be enhanced with upcycled ingredients from dog parents’ kitchens that would otherwise end up in the trash. Products include:
Organic Oats& Berries Meal Mix
- Made with organic oats, organic apples, organic cranberries, organic strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and Dog Child Essential Nutrient Mix
Mixed Veggie Meal Mix
- Made with organic sweet potatoes, organic broccoli, organic parsley, organic kale, pumpkin, and Dog Child Essential Nutrient Mix
Grain-Free Meal Mix
- Made with organic coconut, chickpeas, pumpkin, peas, and Dog Child Essential Nutrient Mix
In addition to mixes, dog parents will have access to a first-of-its-kind digital destination full of recipes, inspiration and advice. “We’re more than just a dog food brand,” says Marchand. “We’re here to support people as they invest in their dogs’ wellbeing. We realized that while dog parents had access to countless websites and communities that supported their own cooking journeys, they lacked a similar resource dedicated to their dog’s wellness. We’re thrilled to fill that gap.”
The company is also committed to giving back. One percent of all profits are donated to Love Puppies, a Canadian nonprofit on a mission to banish puppy mills by raisingawareness, promoting adoption and donating funds to assist with large scale rescues.
Dog Child is one of the startups selected to take part in Leap Venture Studio’s 2022 accelerator–the industry’s first pet care-specific program. A partnership between Kinship, a division of Mars Petcare and Michelson Found Animals--and with support from R/GA Ventures--the accelerator offers consulting and mentorship to selected businesses, helping them refine sustainable long-term growth plans and prepare for their next strategic milestones. In this fifth cohort of the accelerator, a total of six global startups have been chosen, each of which will receive a $200,000 USD investment to boost innovation across the pet ecosystem.
Dog Child’s products are now available for purchase at www.dogchild.co and can be found at Stackt Market in Toronto from July 18-24, where dog parents can also enjoy cooking demos as part of itsrfirst community pop-up. Later in 2022, the brand is slated to expand its product assortment and commercial presence while continuing to host activations that cultivate its community.
