Springer Pets actually is a spin off business of another company. Brother and sister team Griffin and Shannon Ross, along with their mom, run the business. Since 1983, their dad has been running a business called Highwave. That business makes eco friendly water bottles and all sorts of other products. They used to sell a product called the Auto Dog Mug. That product became the flagship of the Springer Pets line.
Griffin and Shannon both still work at Highwave. Griffin is a designer/engineer and Shannon is the chief marketing officer. They noticed that during the Covid-19 pandemic, sales of the Auto Dog Mug spiked. Shannon says it’s because a lot of people got new dogs and that travel habits changed – more people drove to destinations than flew and they brought their dogs. Millennials in particular treat their dogs like their children and aren’t afraid to spend on their “babies.”
With that in mind, they spun off Springer Pets in July 2021. They only sell the doggie water bottles and some other dog related stuff. As for the bottles, if you look at the picture above, it looks like a regular water bottle with a mini bowl on top. When you squeeze the bottle, the bowl fills for your dog to get a drink. When she’s done, stop squeezing and the water drains back into the bottle. It’s totally leak-proof and it comes with a clip to attach to a back pack. The Ross’ are likely in the Tank for publicity, but they may do a Shark deal for the cache.
My Take on Springer Pets
I’ve actually seen this product in action. A few years ago, I was walking Zoey (my dog) through downtown during an art festival and I saw a woman giving her dog a drink with it. She called it the Auto Dog Mug and said she’d received it as a gift. I thought it was cool at the time. Little did I know then it would be on Shark Tank!
I have a very active American Bulldog. We go to the beach and the dog park all the time – in fact we were at a dog park the day I wrote this. The dog parks around where I live all have running water in bowls for the dogs to drink. The beach is another story. We schlepp a water bowl and water bottles there. Springer’s water bottles would be a good product for the beach trips and for when we travel long distances by car with the dog. I’m in.
Do Sharks Like Dogs?
There’s probably only two Sharks that would be interested in this business. I think Mark will think it’s too niche. Mr. Wonderful will likely share that sentiment, but if the sales numbers are there, he might bid. We all know Robert is a dog lover. He gets sentimental about pet products and their mascots, but he’s never invested in one.
That leaves Daymond and Lori. Both Sharks have invested in multiple pet product businesses. Most recently, Lori invested in Swift Paws – a business that earned season 13’s “golden ticket” from her. Daymond invested in pet related businesses too, like season 6 business Turbo Pup and others. Daymond is also on the board of the Petco Foundation. If Springer Pets gets offers, it’ll be from Lori or Daymond.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
I saw the “doggie water bottle” on Shark Tank and I have to say that I don’t believe this was an original idea. I don’t believe the family presenting this invented it.
I say this because I bought an item exactly like that one around 10 years ago on the internet and my daughter in law is still using it for her dogs. It works great but I don’t believe that family invented it. I think they stole that idea from someone who didn’t get a patent for their ide. It really made me angry watching that brother and sister pretend that they had come up with that on their own. They are liars and copycats.
The family’s other company invented it. The kids spun off a new company. It used to be called the AutoDog Mug. It’s explained here: https://www.sharktankblog.com/business/springer/