Pet wellness platform Antelope has acquired Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts, the pet CBD and supplement company co-founded in 2011 by Christy and Dawn Love. Christy will remain CEO, with Dawn continuing to transition out to focus on Run Around Rescue Ranch, their interactive sanctuary for animals in Nevada. Leslie Jochum will remain with the company as general manager.
In today’s announcement, Christy shared why joining Antelope felt right when previous offers had not.
“Building a successful company requires integrity, innovation and the passion to understand the needs of pet parents in search of results-driven products. When we met the extraordinary team from Antelope, we knew we had met the right partner at the right time to continue our vision and values as a company,” she said. “We are excited to learn from each other, and work side by side to continue to create the most innovative products in the pet industry.”
Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts — with its Diggin’ Your Dog, Super Snouts and Stash Treat Co. brands — joins Bocce’s Bakery and Doggo on the omni-channel, pet wellness platform focused on delivering high-quality, natural pet products and services. Antelope was launched in August 2021 by Alpine Investors — a people-driven private equity firm that invests in software, business services and consumer services businesses — and Founder and CEO Wendy Wen.
“At Antelope, we are on a mission to revolutionize the pet industry by elevating the standards of pet care by buying, building and growing high-quality, natural pet brands,” Wen said in a release announcing the acquisition. “Our latest partnership with Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts further supports our goal of becoming a one-stop shop full of the best-in-class products and services for pet owners. Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts’ passion for innovation, results and the development of trusted, safe pet products completely aligns with our philosophy and values.”
Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts sent an announcement to its customers today, with Christy expressing her gratitude:
“Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts would like to thank you for helping us reach an incredible milestone for our brands! This is a testament to you, our outstanding customers, and the innovative pet wellness solutions you have supported.”
In an accompanying FAQ, she answered two questions retailers often have upon hearing of an acquisition:
Will the quality of your products change?
“Our high-quality products are something that Antelope is excited about. Antelope’s mission is to ‘revolutionize the pet industry.’ Increasing transparency of production, ingredients and supply chain is part of the vision.”
How will the company operations change?
“Diggin’ Your Dog will continue to operate as an independent business, but with the added benefit of learning from the broader suite of Antelope’s resources and bringing in some of their values (which include putting people first, ahead of anything else, continuous improvement, learning, and balanced lives).”
Learn more about the companies and acquisition in the full Antelope press release:
SAN FRANCISCO—JUNE 7, 2022 – Antelope, an omni-channel, pet wellness platform focused on delivering high-quality, natural pet products and services, has announced its acquisition of Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts, a leading supplier of high quality pet CBD supplements, health products and treats. With this partnership, Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts will continue to operate under its brand name within Antelope, and Christy Love will continue as its CEO.
Antelope was launched in August 2021 by Alpine Investors (“Alpine”), a people-driven private equity firm that invests in software, business services and consumer services businesses, and Founder and CEO, Wendy Wen, with the mission to build a next-generation conglomerate of high-quality natural pet brands. Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts will sit alongside the existing brands within the Antelope platform: Bocce’s Bakery, an all-natural, limited ingredients pet treats brand, and Doggo, nationwide digital insurance and training services provider for dogs and cats.
Founded in 2011 by Christy Love and her partner Dawn Love, Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts has quickly established itself as a leader within the CBD pet product and supplement market. Prior to starting Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts, Christy and Dawn owned and operated an independent pet store chain in the western US, and an off-leash dog adventure company in Reno, NV, where they realized the need for results-driven, trusted pet supplements and bioavailable pet CBD products. Today, Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts has five product lines including Diggin’ Your Dog FiRM UP!, Super Snouts, Stash Treat Co. and Super Snouts Hemp Co. Super Snouts was the first pet CBD company to add water-soluble CBD delivery for superior bioavailability and therapeutic functionality for common issues facing pets such as calming, mobility and immunity. Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts products are chemical free, sourced in the USA and globally, and are certified by the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).
“At Antelope, we are on a mission to revolutionize the pet industry by elevating the standards of pet care by buying, building and growing high-quality, natural pet brands. Our latest partnership with Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts further supports our goal of becoming a one-stop shop full of the best-in-class products and services for pet owners. Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts’ passion for innovation, results and the development of trusted, safe pet products completely aligns with our philosophy and values,” said Wendy Wen, Founder and CEO of Antelope. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Christy, Dawn, Leslie and the entire Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snout’s team, and we look forward to continuing to build on the company’s success as the leading pet CBD supplier.”
The investment from Antelope and Alpine will enable Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts to access new growth opportunities for innovation and market expansion within the pet industry and benefit from Alpine’s PeopleFirst philosophy and values. As a partner, Antelope will also bring in its expertise in omni-channel marketing, building new teams and creating scalable infrastructure to help build and grow Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snout’s leading brand.
“Since starting Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts as a grassroots effort 12 years ago, our mission has always been to create smart and honest products that honor the human-animal bond. With the help of the entire Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts team, we have built a successful company with passion, integrity, innovation and a deep understanding of the needs of pet parents in search of result-driven products” said Christy Love, CEO of Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts. “When we met the extraordinary team at Antelope, we knew we had met the right partner at the right time to help us continue building on our vision. We are excited to learn from each other and work side by side with Antelope to continue to create the most innovative products in the pet industry. We are also intensely grateful to our loyal customers who believe in our mission and have continued to support our brands over the years.”
“As the founders of Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts pet health products, we want to extend our humble gratitude to everyone who has supported and continues to support the brand’s mission. With this support, The Run Around Rescue Ranch and Sanctuary was able to come to life, our animal rescue and sanctuary that provides care to animals in the most hands-on way possible,” said Christy and Dawn Love, the founders of Diggin Your Dog and Super Snouts.
Pet CBD products and supplements continue to grow in popularity among pet owners. Pet CBD products are expected to be a “$1.1 billion market by the end of 2026, driven by more shared knowledge and discussions about CBD’s potential benefits for pets, combined with ongoing product innovations from CBD companies,” according to cannabis market-research firm Brightfield Group.
Birds Eye Advisors served as the financial advisor for Antelope.
About Antelope
Antelope was founded in August 2021 with the mission to elevate the lives of all pets delivering the highest quality pet products and services via a buy and build strategy. “Ante” means to increase the stakes or consideration of, and “lope” means to leap with bounding steps. Together, Antelope will be setting higher goals and standards for pet products and services worldwide. Business owners interested in learning more about partnerships with Antelope should contact Tyler Frances at tfrances@alpineinvestors.com. To learn more, visit antelopepets.com.
About Alpine Investors
Alpine Investors is a people-driven private equity firm that is committed to building enduring companies by working with, learning from, and developing exceptional people. Alpine specializes in investments in companies in the software and services industries. Its PeopleFirst strategy includes a CEO program which allows Alpine to bring leadership to situations where additional or new management is needed post-transaction. Alpine is currently investing out of its $2.25 billion eighth fund. For more information, visit alpineinvestors.com.
About Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts
Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts was founded in 2011 and is one of the leading suppliers of pet health products and treats. Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts believes in “Keeping It Simple and Making it Great” but more importantly in “Giving it Back”. Diggin’ Your Dog and Super Snouts donates a portion of all profits, products and time to help homeless animals in need. For more information, visit digginyourdog.com.
