The vast majority of licensing and collaboration agreements in the pet products industry, of which there have been many over the past decade involving all manner of IPs, have been focused on non-foods products such as leashes, apparel, beds, and the like. Pet food deals have been much less common, in large part because of consumers’ need for assurances that they can trust the authority and expertise of the brand when it comes to their pet family members’ nutrition and health.
But the landscape is changing, as indicated by the number of collaborations in the pet treat sector in the past year or two. Three property types have been particularly active:
- Human food brands, both sweet and savory. J.M. Smucker’s Milk-Bone brand partnered with Just Born for Peeps Marshmallow Flavored Dog Biscuits, with Peeps bunny and duck shapes mixed in with the classic Milk-Bone shapes, in time for Easter of this year. The deal followed the releases of a Vanilla Glaze Flavor Biscuit treat with Dunkin’ in spring of 2024 and Soft and Chewy Peanut Buttery Bites with Real Jif later that year; the latter started out as a limited edition but transitioned into a permanent offering. (Smucker distributes Dunkin’ packaged coffee and owns the Jif brand.) Separately, ice cream maker Van Leeuwen paired with Ollie in May 2025 for their second frozen dog-treat collaboration, featuring dog-safe peanut butter and non-dairy banana ice cream. And in April, Omaha Steaks licensed Pets + People (formerly Fetch for Pets) for a premium line of “meat-forward” pet treats and food toppers that will start rolling out in 2026 and be fully available in 2027.
- Pet influencers. In September, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming announced a limited-edition collection of pet treats tied to three TikTok pet influencers: Iconic Bites by @tikatheiggy, a turkey treat inspired by a fashion-forward Italian greyhound (who passed away in November); Tippy Tap Snacks by @akirablackpit, a duck bite tied to a black pitbull known for wearing double pink bows on her ears; and Stacked ‘n Snacked by @dexterthebalancingdog, a chicken and sweet potato treat tied to a lab whose talent is balancing things on his head and nose. Meanwhile, pet treats were included as part of Target’s pet influencer-inspired Cuddle Collab, which launched in September 2024 with 180 items of all types. Cuddle Collab-branded consumables encompassed salmon-filled treats for cats; three dog treats (chicken and pumpkin training treats, pumpkin chews, and sweet potato and beef puffed chews); and two items for both cats and dogs (freeze-dried chicken and beef liver treats and chicken and salmon squeezable purée). The Cuddle Collab program integrated 11 “fur-fluencers” including therapy dogs Ellie and Emma; modern cat trio Zelda, Titus, and Brave; foodie dog Popeye; fashionista dogs Ghost and Wren; Maple Cat, who is all about self-care; and Baloo and Pan, dog-and-cat best friends.
- Sports-related brands. While most deals in this bucket take the form of endorsements or promotions rather than branded pet treats, that is not always the case. In 2023, University of Massachusetts women’s basketball star Sam Breen and her Instagram-famed dog Turbo signed an NIL deal with The Massachusetts Collective to release Turbo’s Dog Treats, with proceeds from sales, as well as 100 pounds of treats, going to the local Dakin Animal Society. This year, on the promotion/endorsement side, Nestlé’s Purina PetCare partnered with the soccer network Men in Blazers as its official pet food and pet treats partner, while Indian marketer Allana Pet Solutions signed cricket star Shubman Gill as the brand ambassador for the Bowlers pet food brand. Several other college athletes and coaches and their dogs have signed NIL deals to endorse and promote pet foods over the past few years as well.
Beyond collaborative and mostly limited-edition pet treats such as these, licensing-business players, especially celebrities, have from time to time fronted full pet food lines including wet and dry foods as well as treats. Famous names from César Milan to Rachael Ray have entered the arena, for example, often through their own start-ups rather than via licensing deals. As is true of the more novelty-focused pet-treat agreements listed above, the frequency of these types of launches has picked up speed, with celebrities such as Kevin Hart, Katherine Heigl, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, José Andrés, and Martha Stewart (with Chewy) among those adding their names to the list since 2023.
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