Making Connections

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One of the things that makes my job fun is the chance to meet so many amazing people.

This includes retailers, manufacturers, public relations firms, the various associations that work on behalf of the pet industry, as well the consumers who are buying the products we write about.

I love learning about someone’s business, hearing about how they got started, understanding the challenges they are trying to overcome, brainstorming ideas to better the industry and really connecting with them.

It helps us shape our editorial coverage, as we try to help you run your business.

This is why one of my favorite features we do is “Crash Your Store,” where we stop by a random retail store, take a few photos and write about them. Sometimes, we have the opportunity to speak with the owner, like we did a few months ago at Sloppy Kisses in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

But other times, since we don’t want to interrupt the business, we just write about our experience in the store and surprise them with a fun article. This was the case recently with The Dog Park in Alexandria, Va.

What each of those visits had in common is that I, of course, purchased something for my dog while there. The first being a New York Yankees jersey, and the other being a New York Yankees dog collar.

Both were licensed products that immediately caught my eye, because I wanted to get Toby something that reflected my love of baseball. That brings me to this month’s cover story on licensed products.

Consumers look for these types of products for their pets to show their personal style, brand loyalty and to give their pet the same quality products they use themselves. It’s nice to be able to offer this to customers.