BIPOC
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![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.
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![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.
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![Ava's Pet Place]()
Ava’s Pet Palace was founded by 14-year-old Ava Dorsey when she was just six years old (try not to get insecure) with the aim to create a healthier world for pets. Today, Ava’s Pet Place provides pet parents with USDA-certified organic and single-ingredient treats in flavors including Cheeze Pleaze, Gone Banana, and Peanutty Paws. Dorsey features rescues and Rescuers of the Month (one of whom is Nina Love, founder of The Black Thornberryopens in a new tab) and posts about adoptable pets on her Instagramopens in a new tab.
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![ceramic pet bowls with red interior]()
Handcrafted, stamped, and glazed in Los Angeles, Kibble and Bone believes your pet should be dining in style. If these gorgeous bowls — which come in Classic ceramic, Poppy red, Mojito mint, and glossy Midnight black colorways — aren’t selling themselves, consider that for every bowl purchased, the brand donates dog food to LA’s Wags and Walksopens in a new tab animal rescue.
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![little l's bakery]()
Little L’s Dog Bakery was founded after Lenny Forde scoured his neighborhood for healthy, wholesome ingredients to create homemade dog treats for his pups, Lily and Lulu. Forde shared the treats with his community of dog parents and word got out. Little L’s “krak’ems” and “woofulls” are made with human-grade meat and other healthful ingredients, such as banana and blueberries, at Forde’s pet bakery in Brooklyn.
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![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 diabetesopens in a new tab 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.
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![Pet Plate]()
When Pet Plate founder Renaldo Webb started cooking for his own dogs and noticed near-instant improvements in their health, he was motivated to start his own company. Webb teamed up with veterinary nutritionist Dr. R.M. Streeter to create this human-grade dog food that is cooked in USDA kitchens, then flash-frozen for freshness. Available by subscriptionopens in a new tab, meal plans are customized for your pet and delivered to your door.
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![dog wearing rainbow bow tie]()
Following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma back in 2017, teen entrepreneur Sir Darius Brownopens in a new tab 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 Instagramopens in a new tab account. Beaux & Pawsopens in a new tab 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.
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![fresh pawz]()
In addition to Fresh Pawz founder Christopher Cargoni’s own line of graphic gear (hoodies, harnesses, sneakers, and more), the LA-based pet streetwear designer collaborates with everyone from Odd Futureopens in a new tab and Santa Cruz Skateboardsopens in a new tab to Death Row Recordsopens in a new tab and NBALABopens in a new tab.
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![Trill Paws]()
Bored with the pet ID tags on the market, LA-based Rachel Jones founded Trill Paws, a line of dog accessories that are anything but basic. A tag that readsopens in a new tab, “Have your people call my people” and others in the shape of Drakeopens in a new tab and a bag of moneyopens in a new tab are among some of the gems you’ll find on the Trill Paws site. The brand also donates 25 tags a month to rescue organizations, including the Labelle Foundationopens in a new tab in LA and Rescue Cityopens in a new tab in NYC.
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![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 Doggeopens in a new tab, 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 Projectopens in a new tab, and in her free time, Medlin pays it forward through her project Faas Design Collabopens in a new tab, which “provides creative and professional development to underrepresented creatives desiring to enter the product creation industry.”
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![a small brown dog looks at a PetPlate delivery box]()
PetPlate prides itself on its vet-developed, high-quality, human-grade, whole-food ingredients: “no different from what you would feed the rest of your family.” Like many of the other pet meal subscription services, you take a quiz to determine your pet’s exact needs, and then PetPlate comes up with a plan that works best for you. What sets PetPlate apart is that it has one of the widest selections of recipes. There’s Barkin’ Beef, Chompin’ Chicken, Tail Waggin’ Turkey, Lip Lickin’ Lamb, Power Packed Pork, Lean & Mean Venison, Roost Rulin’ Chicken, and Trail Blazin’ Beef.
There is the Full Plan, which is a complete eating plan that meets 100 percent of your pet’s caloric needs, as well as the Topper Plan, which is cheaper and provides 25 percent of your pet’s caloric needs. You can use this in conjunction with the regular food you’re feeding your dog already, either as a way to ease them into a fresh food diet, or as a more cost-effective way to supplement their diet with more fresh ingredients. (For Cleo, the Full Plan was $33.95/week, and the Topper Plan was $21.31 per week.)
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![Wild One Triangle Tug in blue]()
This triangle rope toy is made of natural rubber with a reinforced core, but more than anything, it’s oh so Instagrammable.
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![bark and tumble]()
U.K.-based Bark & Tumble makes limited-edition knitwear for dogs in poppy prints and from cozy materials like boucle jersey and organic cotton. Designer Leah Bertram founded the brand to prove that style and comfort are not mutually exclusive. Oh, and yes, she ships to the U.S.
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![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 Aliveopens in a new tab.
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Boba & Vespaopens in a new tab’s natural poop bags are a solid choice for picking up your pet’s solids. They’re compostable and made with maize flour, vegetable oil, and plant-based binders (naturally thick materials), so they’ll stand the test of time.
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![wild one poop bags in peach color]()
Made with a cornstarch blend, these eco-friendly poop bags are extra thick, leak-proof, and unscented, so you can get the bare essentials without all of the extra fluff. Plus, you can save more when you enroll in Wild Oneopens in a new tab’s subscription service and put that extra cash towards your pup’s college (read: treat) fund.
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![cat person wet cat food in white packaging with chicken on it]()
Containing the majority of your cat’s necessary water intake, Cat Personopens in a new tab’s wet meals have 85 person more protein than the industry-standard cat food, allowing your cat to maintain a leaner weight. Formulated for cats of all ages, Cat Person’s meal plans have 16 wet and three dry foods to choose from, so even the pickiest of cats can get their pick of the crop.
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![dog wearing colorful matching bandana with owner]()
“Mojo is a bandana boy. I love switching out his bandanas each week to show off his spunky personality.”
