08/26/2026
There’s a part of owning a dog food company you usually don’t see.
Sometimes, I say no.
A recent Ruff Stix production run wasn’t as consistent as I expected. Some pieces looked and felt different, so rather than assume everything was fine, I started sorting, checking water activity, watching the packaging and asking questions.
Could some have been perfectly fine? Maybe.
But “probably fine” isn’t my standard.
Quality control doesn’t end when a product leaves the manufacturing facility. It continues when it gets to me—and sometimes that means deciding a product won’t be sold.
As a small business, that hurts. It means lost inventory, disappointed customers and potentially being out of stock longer.
But these are dogs we’re feeding.
Your dogs. My dogs. Dogs I’ve watched grow up and grow older.
When something doesn’t feel right, I’d rather stop, investigate and ask the uncomfortable questions than convince myself it’s good enough.
You may never see most of the decisions made before a Ruff Bar product reaches your dog.
This is one I thought was worth sharing. 🐾
Small Business Owner | Integrity Matters | Dog Health Matters | Clean Ingredients | Must Love Dogs
