BARK’s Breed-Specific Food Adds Extra Pampering to Your Dog’s Life

Thanks to years of bad press and negative news coverage, the public perception of Pit Bulls is often that of vicious, uncontrollable beasts. But anyone who has ever adopted a velvet hippo knows that in actuality they are much more likely to be loving, emotionally dainty, and above all, entirely pampered. So as the proud owner of one Pittie princess, it came as little surprise to find a Pit Bull-type breed labeled as the most spoiled of all.

BARK recently released findings from their retrospective examination of American dog parent habits. The comprehensive study analyzed ten years of consumer data to determine things like the most common dog names and breed popularity by state. The Pit Bull-type breed of American Staffordshire Terriers were the leading breeds, followed by German Shorthaired Pointers, then Bernese Mountain Dogs. 

BARK launched a decade ago with its famous subscription boxes, BarkBox, and today is one of the most recognized names in pet care. The company has served over 6.5 million dogs — giving it unique insight into American households and their pets. While the study is impressive, it’s also incredibly relatable. I can personally attest to feeding my Pittie higher quality food than I serve myself, making the study hold weight on an anecdotal level as well. Ironically, this is not far off from how BARK determined the spoiled breed ranks.

“We dug through over 10 years of customer data and purchasing trends from dog parents who have subscribed to our subscription services BarkBox and Super Chewer, then filtered by breed,” says Alexa Figueras, Director of Marketing at BARK. “For the most spoiled breeds specifically, we segmented our data into subscription cohorts by breed and pinpointed which breeds averaged the highest total sales.”

Perfect For the Pampered Pup

Of course, an extra-spoiled dog demands extra-special food. It was this sentiment that inspired the company to introduce breed-specific subscription options with BARK Food. “We decided to take our devotion to making dogs and their humans happy and pull it into arguably one of dogs’ favorite times of the day — mealtime,” Figueras explains .

And a dog’s devotion towards and passion for eating is something she knows on a personal level: “I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things in the world is seeing my dog’s reaction when I ask her if she’s hungry, or I simply say the word ‘food,’ and she’s immediately and quite literally jumping for joy.”

While evidence continues to confirm that breed does not dictate behavior, it can certainly influence health and wellness. With that, BARK Food devised unique formulas that combatted common issues associated with certain dog types. For example, Pit Bulls are prone to skin allergies, digestive complications, and joint pain, so BARK’s Pit Bull formulated kibble features ingredients proven to combat each of these concerns.

Mixed Breeds Deserve the Love, Too

“Breed-specific food helps us better cater to the needs of each breed…These recipes are all complete and balanced nutrition with special attention paid to protein quality, fiber (pre-biotic) selection, digestibility, and more,” says Figueras. For our favorite pampered Pitties, this includes plenty of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to promote healthy skin, probiotics, and fiber to support digestion. The recipes also include natural sources of glucosamine to strengthen bones and improve joint mobility.

The company initially rolled out its breed-specific food line with options for Pit Bulls, Chihuahuas, and Labs but plans to feature specialized grub for more dogs in the coming months, as well as customized offerings for mixed breeds.

“We love our mixed breeds and also want them to feel welcome in our full experience. They can therefore start with their main breed and customize from there, or they have the ability to instead choose their path by protein. Either way, we will be there to support every step of the way,” Figueras adds.

Bark Breed Specific Dog Food

$46

$46 at Bark