We love a success story, and we love a good brand even more. We believe in Wyld Cub, our story and who we are, but we love to share the love and create awareness for other brands out there that are aligned with us. So, we got together with Sarah, owner of HundEnergy. and asked about how she started, how she got to where she is and how she would describe hiking with dogs!
We came across your brand in another blog post on the PATS website. We will let readers have a look over there, but we want to get to know you, your story and how you came to be HundEnergy. So, we see on your website your concept was created whilst travelling across Europe. Tell us about how your off-grid way of living was an inspiration.
Travelling Europe with Pacha, our Hungarian Vizsla in tow, forced us to explore more of the area we were in. As soon as we were pitched up in a different country we would be getting the map out to see where we could take her.
Creating a nutrition bar for dogs was the link between everything I was looking for when developing a brand I wanted to own. I wanted to inspire dog owners to explore different ways of spending time together that improves the quality of life for both human and dog. The HundEnergy. Bar acts as a facilitator for you to go for those big hikes, road trips, or go on a run with your dog, knowing you have a nutritional snack to give them when you do explore that little bit further.
Dogs are made to roam around, if you’re just walking your dog from point A to point B everyday just to ensure they get their exercise, then it’s like you’re just walking on a treadmill in a gym, same scenery, same smells, same ground beneath your feet. There’s not that mental stimulation there for them. It all essentially comes down to giving your dog the best life possible, even better than the life they would lead in the wild and that isn’t by spoiling him with doggy cupcakes and extra treats everyday.
Why do you think it’s so important that dogs get energy the same as humans on long hikes, journeys and adventures?
It was just a bit of a lightbulb moment out walking in Croatia when I thought, how come we are so conscious about the nutrition bars and things we eat ourselves out on these hikes, and all Pacha gets is the off cuts of our food or a corner of a sandwich? Even dog treats don’t really hit the spot as most of them are made exactly for what it says, a treat. For the same reason we wouldn’t park up and eat a McDonalds on the side of a hill, I just felt like dogs should be eating nutritious snacks when they’re exercising for extended periods.
Why was the nutritional value such a key part of HundEnergy for you? Of course, dog’s health is super important, but there are many brands out there that do not have this as their key focus – why do you?
Dogs are family and we want to feed them food that is going to be nutritious! Over recent years dog owners have become more and more aware of what they’re feeding their dogs, and current pet food labelling guidelines are just so hazy so I think people have really started to research into the nutrition themselves.
A lot of the household name pet food brands are owned by these huge corporate brands, and the more removed they are from caring about the dogs needs, the more you’ll tend to find food has been bulked up with stuff that just isn’t beneficial to the dog. There’s still plenty of amazing pet food brands out there, I just want to make sure our HundEnergy. Bars are aligned with them, as well as the fact they are plant-based meaning we can work on doing our bit for the planet too.
“An energy bar for dogs” just sounds so funny, cool and unique. Apart from the concept, what’s the meaning behind the name “HundEnergy.”. We get the energy part but Hund? Let us know the thought behind all of this, we love a backstory!
Well ‘Hund’ is the translation of ‘dog’ in a lot of the European countries we visited, so it’s more of a reference to the travelling trip that started it all off. Energy has been put in there purely because it rolls off the tongue better than ‘HundBar.’ Every type of food gives energy to a certain point. I also really like how the word ‘HundEnergy.’ looks together instead of with a space between it and then I can add the full stop to follow on with different words.
It’s that simple really, I love one of the benefits of having your own business is you can just do things exactly how you want them, and so that’s the method behind the madness!
Finally, I am guessing you love dogs just as much as we do at Wyld Cub. If you could describe your hikes and adventures with your dog(s) in three words, what would they be? We would say our adventures with our dogs are chaotic, funny and calming.
Freedom, resetting, connected.
HundEnergy Instagram: @hundenergy
All photos belong to the @hundenergy Instagram page. Aren't they amazing?