Polkadog, a Boston-based treat company first known for their Cod Skins, has lots to be thankful for this holiday season! You could say they've got their paws full between launching two community-focused initiatives, hiring a West Coast Director of Sales, and promoting their East Coast Director of Sales.
For those unfamiliar with the brand, Polkadog is all about handmade, healthy, sustainable, single, and limited-ingredient dog and cat treats that support a healthy lifestyle for your pet. They use thoughtfully, individually sourced ingredients from their community of fishers and farmers, and package all of their treats at their Boston Fish Pier kitchen. Polkadog is dedicated to doing things the right way and in return, making a positive impact in the pet industry.
The Pup of the Month program is an initiative that Polkadog launched in September 2023. By partnering with a different animal shelter each month to highlight an adoptable dog of their choice, covering the adoption fee, and supplying the adopted dog with pet essentials from some of our favorite brands like Stella & Chewy’s, Open Farm, Tall Tails, The Foggy Dog, Springer, Wellness Pet, and Earth Animal, their goal is to spread awareness about the importance of adoption and make adopting animals a little bit easier.
Polkadog kicked off this program with the Worcester Animal Rescue League in September, followed by Great Dog Rescue of New England in October, Rescue City NYC in November, and Save One Soul Animal Rescue League RI in December. We know the harsh reality of the overabundance crisis in animal shelters across the country and the importance of pet adoption, so if this initiative can help even just one animal get out of the shelter and into a loving home, it's worth it. Check out December’s Pup of the Month, Buddy Cute, who’s great with other dogs, kids, and cats in his foster home, and is available to be adopted in any state in New England!
The Polkadog Community Pantry, which is located inside of the Polkadog Warehouse in Canton Massachusetts, is an initiative that was launched in November to help those in need of pet food assistance this holiday season. The pantry is stocked with wet and dry food for dogs and cats, and will directly help feed animals who may have trouble finding their next meal otherwise. To stock the pantry, they’ve collected donations from Fromm and their local community. Polkadog also matched all donations on Giving Tuesday. Our pets are like family, and as a company that cares deeply about their community, the goal here is simple: lessen the stress of the holidays and help people and pets in need. You can visit the Pet Pantry at the Polkadog Warehouse (480 Neponset St, Suite 3, Canton MA) Monday-Friday 8 AM-4 PM and
Saturday 8 AM-12 PM.
This past November, Polkadog was honored to have won the Alaska Symphony of Seafood “Beyond the Plate” award for their single-ingredient Alaskan Salmon Chips. The Alaska Symphony of Seafood is an annual competition for new value-added products made from Alaska Seafood. The goal of Symphony is to encourage innovation through product development. The Symphony helps diversify markets, increase utilization, and keeps Alaska seafood relevant to consumers. Polkadog is excited about the opportunity to showcase its seafood treats at the Seafood Expo North America in March 2024.
Polkadog is thrilled to announce the addition of Allie Sparrow, Director of Sales West, and the promotion of Patrick Lima, Director of Sales East.
Deb Suchman, co-founder of Polkadog, created the new sales team to establish new, exciting partnerships with vendors and to support and expand the existing relationships that define Polkadog’s identity as a leader in sustainable production. “This new team wouldn’t work without Allie Sparrow and Patrick Lima,” Suchman said. “They’re the people I wanted for the team, and they’re the people our vendors and distributors wanted.”
With 22 years of sales experience—twelve in the pet industry—Allie Sparrow, new Western Sales Director, joins Polkadog with hopes of spreading sustainable treats from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast. “I’m thrilled to embark on this journey,” Sparrow said. “I’m championing sustainability with long-time Polkadog partners, and the broad network of retailers out west who are always asking for more and more Polkadog.”
Sparrow will be joining the recently promoted Eastern Director of Sales, Patrick Lima, working to expand Polkadog’s national footprint at independent pet retailers. Patrick Lima joined Polkadog in 2022, bringing fifteen years of pet industry sales experience. “Born and raised in New England, I always admired Polkadog’s evolution over the years,” Lima said. “I worked closely with Polkadog’s retail stores and wholesale even back in my distributor days with Pet Food Experts. I’ve built strong relationships with [Polkadog’s owners] Deb and Rob over the years. Coming aboard in 2022 has been a full-circle experience. I’m excited to help grow this amazing brand!”
Polkadog is looking forward to a great year of growth by supporting its independent pet retailers nationwide with additional sales, marketing, and promotional initiatives and support. Season’s treatings!
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