Supermarkets around the world have entire aisles packed with treats and food for dogs and cats. With so many options to choose from, the question that arises is, “which one should I buy for my pet?” Pet owners will naturally look at the ingredients of these food brands to see which are the healthiest and tastiest for their furry companions. This can often be a challenging task with some of the ingredients sounding completely unrecognizable.
This was a problem that Tao Zhu and Dan Christensen ran into so often that they decided to create their very own fresh meals for their pets. They founded Penny’s Food Studio to provide pet owners with quality food options for their dogs and cats which anyone could buy via e-commerce channels Taobao and WeChat. In addition to this, earlier this year they started SPACE, a hospitality concept for dogs. We asked them to tell us more.
Can you tell us a little about Penny’s? What inspired you to start a business solely for dogs and cats?
Penny’s is China’s first fresh food brand for dogs and cats. We provide subscription service to cats and dogs across China. We started a fresh food concept because we both abhor typical commercial pet foods, and feel that feeding such garbage to a family member you love doesn’t make very much sense. We basically think of feeding bad quality food to a dog or cat (or child) as tantamount to abuse.
How do you ensure the quality of the dog and cat food you provide?
Our factory is actually a human food factory. They are an excellent production partner and we put a great deal of trust in them. Ingredients are checked on arrival – the same day as production – and anything that we wouldn’t happily use as an ingredient in our own food isn’t used. That is our own personal standard, on top of the Sheng Chan coding system that replaced QS (Quality Standards) in 2015. In short, we use human food chain ingredients and processes.
What are some of the most common ingredients on your menu?
Animal proteins – quality meats and organs – are the most common ingredients in our food. We use fairly common ingredients such as duck, chicken, beef, and rabbit. We also use sardines in almost every recipe as they are a genuine super food packed with valuable things like omega 3s and vitamin B12. There are also often some veggies and fruits in our (dog) foods.
What is SPACE open-format boarding?
SPACE is Penny’s new hospitality concept, basically a social club for dogs. Open-format refers to the fact that there are no cages or kennels at SPACE. Dogs intermingle and socialize in groups that are assigned based on factors like age, size, and temperament. Because of this, we don’t accept aggressive dogs. To make sure, we conduct a two-part interview with potential guests, typically just a list of questions over the phone, followed by a face-to-face meeting with other dogs and people. SPACE isn’t just for dogs, though, it’s also a clubhouse for people who are into dogs. People love SPACE as much as dogs do.
How do you make sure the dogs in SPACE get along with each other?
Dogs, unlike a lot of people, tend to naturally get along quite well. A shy dog might need a little encouragement to help come out of his or her shell, but our experience is that within just a couple of hours, under professional guidance, just about all dogs can sort themselves into a comfortable social arrangement. Additionally, we group dogs accordingly based on energy level and size. Last but not least, there are always managers on hand keeping an eye on the crew.
What does a normal day look like for these dogs?
The idea at SPACE is to create a home-like experience for the guests. A typical day would start with a walk, followed by breakfast, followed by some group play time, then a longer walk for the dogs that desire it. We also make sure there is some downtime in the afternoon. We may also do some reinforcement training for basic commands and manners. Dinner is popular, and there is usually some playing around after that too. Finally, we have an evening walk and then eventually everyone (dogs and people) go to bed around 10pm or 11pm. There is always at least one person that sticks around and stays with the dogs overnight.
How do the dogs respond to SPACE?
One funny thing we’ve noticed is that the dogs often don’t even notice that their humans have left when they’ve been dropped off. It is always the people that get emotional. The dogs are generally too busy socializing with their friends. We also see some of the more challenging dogs that had been branded as “anti-social” developing into the beautiful, social creatures they were always meant to be.
What are your thoughts on Beijing’s pet community?
Beijing might be a challenging place to be a dog owner at times, but we are always impressed by the strength and unity of the pet owning community! I’ve not seen anything like it anywhere else.
What does the future hold for Penny’s?
We want to grow Penny’s and SPACE into the biggest and best providers of food and hospitality for dogs and cats in the world. Look out!
This article appeared in the beijingkids October 2019 Best Friends Fur-ever issue
