Pet Industry News
The deals, launches, and strategic moves behind the brands and operators shaping the industry.
Pets will shape travel plans for 68% of owners, Subaru survey finds
A Subaru-commissioned Talker Research survey of 2,000 pet-owning drivers, released October 13th, 2026, says 68% expect their pet to affect travel plans this year and 73% would drive instead of fly to bring the pet. New in this release, 10% may host, 10% may shorten a trip and 8% may skip gatherings. In our view, the trip-length and planning numbers are the ones sitters and kennels can use.
The Farmer's Dog Follows Its Oprah Deal With an NFL Partnership
The Farmer's Dog has been named the NFL's first-ever Official Pet Food Partner in a multi-year deal spanning Super Bowl LXI, the Combine, and the Draft. It's the company's second marquee marketing commitment this year, following a two-year Oprah Podcast partnership, as fresh pet food's biggest players keep spending on attention.
Fi's Supplement Push Hits Its First Recall
Fi, the GPS-collar maker, is recalling two dog supplements sold on Amazon and Chewy after testing found potential Salmonella contamination in a supplied ingredient. No illnesses have been reported, but the recall lands inside the company's first full year selling consumables alongside its hardware.
Temptations Opens a Cat Bodega to Buy Attention, Not Shelf Space
Temptations, Mars's top-selling cat treat brand, opened a free three-day pop-up in Manhattan built around the internet's love of bodega cats. The experiential play signals how a category leader spends on earned attention once shelf space and distribution are already won.
Can Your Dog's DNA Really Explain Its Behavior? Embark Bets $39 On It
Embark launched a $39 Behavior Insights upgrade pairing genetic markers with a year of Dogo training, extending its DNA-test business into recurring engagement. The science behind predicting individual dog behavior from genetics remains unsettled, per a November 2025 UMass Chan study.
Chewy Raises Its Own Guidance Three Months After Cutting It
Chewy raised its full-year fiscal 2026 outlook on Wednesday, three months after cutting it, as autoship retention and vet-care revenue outran the "cautious consumer" thesis that drove the June cut. Petco posted a similarly strong quarter a week earlier, suggesting the pet retail pullback was overstated.
uCloudlink Leans Into Pet Tech as Its Core Business Slips
uCloudlink unveiled an upgraded AI pet-tech ecosystem at IFA 2026 under its petpogo brand, even as the parent company's core connectivity business missed estimates and cut full-year guidance. The pet-tech segment is the one part of the business uCloudlink chose to keep funding at the expense of near-term profit.