Here at Hiro + Wolf, we're lucky enough to be surrounded by people who love pets just as much as we do! We were very excited when we heard that our good friend Danielle had launched her very own doggie shampoo brand called Puddles & Fetch back at home in Australia. We chatted to Danielle to find out more about this exciting brand & get the lowdown on what it's like being a business owner...
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Puddles & Fetch?
My name is Danielle and I, along with my sister Bianca, are the founders of Puddles & Fetch. I am 29 years old and Bianca is 31, and we were born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. Puddles & Fetch is a high quality 2 in 1 natural Conditioning Shampoo for dogs with both normal and sensitive skin types. Our product is lovingly made using gentle, natural ingredients to ensure your best friend’s skin is safe and not aggravated by hidden nasties. Our 2 in 1 product cuts bath time in half, making it quicker, easier and less stressful, especially for those doggies who feel anxious about water and the whole bathing experience.
Danielle (left) & Bianca (right)
Do you have any pets? Tell us about them!
Yes, we do! All up we have 9 fur babies…3 dogs and 6 cats! We have Luna our 10 year old golden Labrador, Gideon our 12 year old Maltese Terrier Cross, and Pandora our 15 year old black Labrador. We then have Lily and Daisy our two older cats who were adopted almost three years ago and are close to 3 years of age. Late last year Bianca rescued 4 little kittens who were born on our five-acre property in Melbourne. She took them in, and we now have 4 male cats named Jasper, Charlie, Benji and Leo who will turn one in October this year.
Bianca with Luna, Gideon, Pandora, Lily & Daisy
What inspired you to create your own product from scratch?
Puddles & Fetch was created after using many products that were claiming to be natural on our golden Labrador Luna who has many skin allergies. Luna is allergic to several different environmental allergens and suffers with doggy eczema. We were finding that a lot of products we were purchasing were further aggravating her skin making her scratching and licking unstoppable. It was very important that we were not further impacting the health of her skin by using products with hidden, harsh ingredients. With our passion for spreading compassion and kindness to all living beings we wanted our product to reach as many different dog parents as possible who might also be struggling to find a suitable product that won’t further aggravate their fur baby’s skin.
What has been the most challenging aspect of setting up Puddles & Fetch?
I would have to say the most challenging aspect of setting up Puddles & Fetch has been learning on the job and doing it all ourselves. As a small business, we have to wear many hats meaning that Bianca and I are doing everything from packing orders, running the social media accounts, creating content, marketing, creating FB ads, email marketing, setting up a website and learning a thousand different skills needed to run an e-commerce store. It can become overwhelming at times, but I have loved learning all these different skills.
We know you have a passion for sustainability & cruelty free products - was this important to you when creating your dog shampoo?
Absolutely! It was a MUST that our product was developed using cruelty free methods and genuinely natural, vegan ingredients. This was such an important aspect of our product development, that we had our Conditioning Shampoo certified with Vegan Australia. We have also aimed to be as sustainable as possible from the product itself to the packaging it is delivered in. As a start-up we couldn’t afford biodegradable bottles, so our next best option was recycled plastic. Our formula is also 100% biodegradable.
What 1 piece of advice would you give to doggie owners when bathing their pooches?
Make the process as calm and positive for them as possible. Washing them in the comfort of their own home and by their dog parent can ease a little bit of stress. And always have a treat ready to reward them for their bravery.
Where do you see the future for Puddles & Fetch?
Hopefully in the future, Puddles & Fetch will be selling worldwide in stores and online. Unfortunately, we are only selling in Australia at the moment due to the high overseas shipping costs. Eventually we would like to become completely sustainable, by using a biodegradable bottle to hold our formula.
You can shop Puddles & Fetch dog shampoo here.