💩 Dog Toys Hit The Supreme Court?!

In Today’s Email:

• Jack Daniels vs A Dog Toy: The poop-themed dog toy battle of the century.

• Frenchies Are #1: After 31 years, the Frenchie dethrones the Golden as the #1 breed in the U.S. and it’s a sign of what’s to come.

• The Global Pet Industry is climbing to $500bn…?!

• “The Squeeze” AKA The Internet’s Best Dog News in 60 seconds.

• The Last Laugh: What we’re laughing with. Not at.

Jack Daniel’s vs A Poop-Themed Dog Toy

As if SCOTUS doesn’t have more important things to discuss, Jack Daniel’s is clogging up SCOTUS’s pipes with…well…poop.  Jack Daniel’s sued VIP Products, LLC, alleging that their “Bad Spaniels” poop-themed dog toy violates its trademark rights. On Wednesday, Jack's lawyer told the Supreme Court that the poop-themed dog toy violates its rights under the Lanham Act by “confusing consumers and tarnishing its reputation.”

According to Jack’s brief, “Jack Daniel’s loves dogs and appreciates a good joke as much as anyone. But Jack Daniel’s likes its customers even more, and doesn’t want them confused or associating its fine whiskey with dog poop.”

Someone should tell the Jack Daniel’s lawyers that this isn’t the first time their whiskey has been associated with dog poop.

This also isn’t the first time that a big brand sued a dog toy manufacturer for trademark infringement. You might recall the 2007 case where LVMH sued Haute Diggity Dog over a Louis Vuitton Handbag dog toy and lost on grounds of parody, with the court concluding that “Haute Diggity Dog’s ‘Chewy Vuiton’ dog toys were successful parodies of LVMH’s trademarks, designs, and products,” and ruling that the dog toys did not infringe LVMH’s trademark rights.

And guess what, you lucky dog…Haute Diggity Dog isn’t just hocking handbags anymore.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a bottle of Jack Daniel’s but for some reason find yourself in a pet store and your next fifth of whiskey is making a squeaky noise, it might be time to stop drinking for awhile.

Want to buy the dog toy? Here you go.

Want to read the docket? Here you go.

Want to read more about the case, First Amendment violations and The Lanham Act? Here you go.

Overheard at The Dog Park

“You can have the ball, but I wanna sniff your butt first.”

- Bella, Golden Retriever, Syosset, NY

The French Bulldog is the New #1 Dog Breed in the U.S.

The Golden Retriever has been the #1 dog breed in the United States for the past 31 years, and has just been dethroned by a small breed dog.

The French Bulldog is the new #1 dog breed in the country, which signals a global shift in pet ownership that’s been years in the making. So, what does this mean for the pet industry?

Here’s the rest of the 2023 top ten with a couple of hot takes:

1. French Bulldogs

2. Labrador Retrievers

3. Golden Retrievers

4. German Shepherd Dogs

5. Poodles

6. Bulldogs

7. Rottweilers

8. Beagles

9. Dachshunds

10. German Shorthaired Pointers

Takeaways:

• Large → Small - There aren’t many small breeds on this list — only two (French Bulldog, Dachshund). And with the top five nearly all large breed dogs, it’s interesting to see a French Bulldog take the #1 spot for a few reasons. This rise to the top can’t just be because French Bulldogs are really, really, really ridiculously good-looking. With all the recent products and services that make pet parenthood easier than ever, combined with the boom of “pandemic puppies” and a realization that maybe we should all enjoy life a little more, more humans are able to bring a pet into their lives more easily and, at least for city-dwellers, are opting for a more portable breed than your oft-seen Retriever.

• Influencers & Celebs - French Bulldogs are a favorite amongst celebrities, from Lady Gaga to Reese Witherspoon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Rob Gronkowski. Are the celebs to blame for pushing the Frenchie to the #1 spot?

Well, they can’t take all the credit.

We know there are more pets than children in the U.S. We know there has been a rise in pet-friendly hotels. Now that pets are no longer relegated to staying at home, are more pet parents opting for smaller breeds to make traveling with their buddy a little easier?

If any of this is a sign of what’s to come, expect to see more small dog breeds to creep into the top ten list in the coming years with a steady rise in consumer products furthering the humanization of pets (clothing & carriers, specifically).

Veterinarian Jamie L. Freyer, DVM wrote a comprehensive article for Royal Canin (a pet food company) on the global rise of small breeds with some interesting data about the health risks that smaller breeds pose, with effects that could reverberate across the entire global pet industry.

We know that Frenchies are statistically more likely to encounter certain health issues. So as we learn more about our beloved pets and treat them more like members of the family, expect consumer spending habits to continue trending upwards, specifically on healthcare. That means a rise in new entrants to the pet health space, specifically for subscription veterinary care, tele-health and pet health insurance (see Felix&Fido below).

So what does it mean that the French Bulldog is the new #1 dog breed in the U.S.? Could mean nothing. Could mean everything.

🍋 11 Year-Old Raises Over $61k For Animals!

This 11-year old and her lucrative lemonade stand is the hero all dogs deserve.

We salute you, Delanie.

(via Good Morning America)

“The Squeeze” aka Dog News in 60 Seconds

• 💰 Holy (dog)s**t, Batman! The pet industry expected to hit $500bn by 2030, bolstered by the pandemic puppy boom, a rise in sophisticated consumables and a lot of pampering. (Via Bloomberg)

• 🐕 A high school in Michigan hired a Goldendoodle named Titan to make kids happier and maybe steal their Lunchables™ if they’re not paying attention (Via CBS News)

• 😿 We knew it. In the least surprising news (according to your dog), cat poop is the culprit behind a string of otter accidents. The dogs are calling it ottercide. (Via USAToday)

• 🍝 After years of confusion, we finally have the answer to how Lady & The Tramp got their names.  (Via Screenrant)

• 🌈 Where did “The Rainbow Bridge” come from? Say hello to Edna Clyne-Rekhy, an 82-year-old Scottish artist and animal lover who is the source of all our happy tears. (Via NatGeo)

• 🦗 India is innovating insect-based pet food which only sounds weird. In reality, insects require less space and energy to grow than meat products like chicken, pork, lamb or beef and insects release far fewer greenhouse gases. Which begs the question, why hasn’t this caught on yet? (Via The Hindu Business Line)

• 📈 Start-up Alert: Pet startup, Felix&Fido, which is backed by Rover (the pet care marketplace), has come out of stealth mode in Seattle to disrupt the vet industry with subscription-based pet care with telemedicine, in-clinic, and at-home services. (Via Geekwire)

• 🥹 Inmates at a correctional facility in Florida are becoming dog trainers and helping shelter pups find their forever homes and now I’m crying. (Via Local10)

• 🏆 Zeus is the biggest dog in the world. Congrats, dawg. (Via USAToday)

And finally, today’s Last Laugh:

via @openlygayanimals

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