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| Company type | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pet products |
| Founded | 1976 in Golden, Colorado, United States |
| Founder | Joe Markham |
| Website | https://www.kongcompany.com |
The Kong Company (stylized as KONG) is an American company headquartered in the state of Colorado that develops designs and produces lines of dog toys and cat toys. Its primary line of product is a snowman-like chew toy for dogs also named KONG.
The company founder, Joe Markham, created the KONG product in the 1970s, when he noticed his German shepherd Fritz damaging his teeth by chewing rocks. He found that Fritz enjoyed chewing on a hard rubber Volkswagen Bus suspension device, and spent about six years experimenting with different compounds to produce a chew toy of similar size and shape that he could sell to pet owners. A friend commented that the toy looked like "an earplug for King Kong"—hence its name. [1] Originally, Markham sold most of his products to Israel, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, but the KONG began a rise in sales in the United States in the mid-1980s, and has remained popular there subsequently. [2] The book Planet Dog: A Doglopedia (2005) describes the KONG as "possibly the best-known dog toy in the world". [3]
The classic KONG toy resembles a snowman-like structure of three balls pushed together. They also come in several variations for dogs of different ages and sizes. Made of rubber, they are hollow in the middle, and can be stuffed with treats [4] or frozen to provide longer distraction for dogs. The classic KONG product is also offered in different rubber types, tailored to dogs of different chewing capabilities, ages, and sizes.
In addition to the typical snowman-like KONGs, KONG also offers a line of dental chews, balls, pull toys (such as the KONG Wubba and the KONG Tugger Knots), Frisbees, a dog binky, floating toys, squeakers, and various interactive toys and accessories. For cats, KONG also has a line of toys including a cat version of their "Wubba", as well as scratching boards, catnip, and other chew toys.
Nerf is a toy brand formed by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, with other Nerf products including balls for sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Their best known toys are their dart guns that shoot ammunition made from "Nerf foam". Their primary slogan, introduced in the 1990s, is "It's Nerf or Nothin'!". Annual revenues under the Nerf brand are approximately US$400 million.
Housebreaking or house-training is the process of training a domesticated animal that lives with its human owners in a house or other residence to excrete outdoors, or in a designated indoor area, rather than to follow its instinctive behaviour randomly inside the house.
A companion dog is a dog which is not primarily a working dog but a pet. The primary function of a companion dog is not to perform a useful job but to provide companionship to humans. A companion dog can also be called an emotional support animal and is used to help people with mental health disabilities cope with symptoms. Most dogs can be companions, including many working dog breeds such as retrievers, who are enjoyed primarily for their friendly nature as a pet. Most toy dog breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers. The American Kennel Club also offers a Companion dog title for judged dog obedience competitions.
A companion parrot is a parrot kept as a pet that interacts abundantly with its human counterpart. Generally, most species of parrot can make excellent companions, but must be carefully managed around other common pet species like dogs and cats as they might be hostile towards them.
The iDog is a robot dog toy designed and manufactured by Sega Toys. An iDog figure receives input from an external music source, such as an MP3 player or iPod, and will light up and "dance" to the music's rhythm. It is marketed as the eDog in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
A pet shop or pet store is an essential services retailer which sells animals and pet care resources to the public. A variety of animal supplies and pet accessories are also sold in pet shops. The products sold include: food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, cat litter, cages and aquariums.
Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series was made in 1995 by Sunbow Productions and Jean Chalopin Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise.
Pet food is animal feed intended for consumption by pets. Typically sold in pet stores and supermarkets, it is usually specific to the type of animal, such as dog food or cat food. Most meat used for animals is a byproduct of the human food industry, and is not regarded as "human grade".
Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. is an American pet retailer with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet food, products, and services, as well as certain types of live small animals.
Wellness Pet Company is a pet food company that consists of Wellness Natural Pet Food, Old Mother Hubbard by Wellness, Whimzees by Wellness, Sojos, Eagle Pack and Holistic Select purchased by Clearlake Capital. Wellness Pet Company is headquartered outside of Boston, in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, as well as in Boston proper.
A chew toy is an object designed to be chewed by animals for stimulation, boredom and relief. In young animals, such as puppies, chew toys can help relieve pain associated with teething. There are several types of chew toys made from materials including rawhide, wood, paper, and mineral. Chew toys are commonly associated with dogs, but have been effective with birds, rodents, and rabbits.
Webkinz is a stuffed animal and video game franchise by the Canadian toy company Ganz. Webkinz stuffed animals have online counterparts in the video games Webkinz Classic and Webkinz Next. It was originally released by Ganz on April 15, 2005.
Toys specifically marketed for dogs to play with come in many varieties, including dog bones, puppy toys, balls, tug toys, training aids, squeaky toys, discs and frisbees, plush toys, and sticks.
Playbox is a British children's television programme for pre-school children aged 2–5, which was broadcast on the Children's ITV block on ITV. It debuted on 5 January 1987, and aired through 4 February 1992. Playbox was produced by Central Independent Television. The programme was the first Ragdoll television show to be made by ITV. It was created by Leslie Pitts and Anne Wood, who had just founded Ragdoll Productions.
A squeaky toy, squeak toy, squeaker toy, or squeeze toy, is a soft, hollow toy made from flexible materials such as rubber or vinyl, and usually equipped with a small device known as a squeaker.
Frosty Paws, formerly Pet79 and Fido Freeze, is a brand of ice cream, specifically formulated and sold for dogs. It is produced by Nestlé, under their Nestlé Dreyer's Ice Cream Company ice cream unit, branded under the Purina brand name.
BarkBox is a monthly subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences. BARK serves over 2 million dogs monthly through BarkBox and Super Chewer subscriptions and retail distribution.
Dog-like cat is a term in popular culture that refers to specific breeds of domestic cats that have unusual behavioral tendencies that are reminiscent of young domestic dogs. These are within the scope of feline behavior, and may be enhanced through selective breeding. These behaviors, not specific to any breed, include following people around from room to room, the desire to receive frequent moments of physical affection such as being held and petted, a lack of aggression toward some fellow animals, and a placid nature. Certain owners may successfully attempt to train their cats to perform on command, such as via clicker training, akin to canines and other domesticated animals.
Oral health can be difficult for pet owners and veterinary teams to manage in cats, particularly for pets whose owners are not committed to regular tooth brushing and/or dental treats. Oral disease is common among cats, and may lead to other health issues such as bacterial infections of major organs including the heart, kidneys and liver. When pet owners are aware of the benefits of supporting good oral health in cats, this substantially improves positive outcomes. Dietary selection, along with at-home-dental-hygiene care, allows cat owners to influence the oral status of their pets.