The Following is a Written Interview with Teresa Brown, product development manager at Huggle Hounds
You have such a cool job! What led you into the world of pet product development?
I’ve always had a creative side and was naturally drawn to the arts—I actually minored in Art, although I didn’t initially pursue it in my career. After taking time to raise my children, I joined HuggleHounds in a customer-facing role, working directly with clients and managing orders. Through that experience, I became more involved with the product side of the business and began collaborating with Julie, the owner, on product development. Over time, that involvement grew, and I was ultimately offered the opportunity to move into product development full-time. It ended up being a really natural transition, combining my creative background with a hands-on understanding of the customer and the product.
Do you have a personal pet who acts as the “Chief testing officer” when you are developing products?
We are lucky enough to have 5 dogs who come to the office every day and they are our product testers
What is the biggest challenge you faced when you started developing toys?
One of the biggest challenges when starting to develop toys is balancing creativity with functionality. It’s easy to come up with a fun or visually appealing concept, but it also has to perform—especially in pet toys, where durability and safety are critical.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The most rewarding part is seeing a product go from concept to something people and their pets truly enjoy. It’s especially meaningful knowing the toy becomes part of how pets and owners interact.
Your Huggle-Hide products use natural water buffalo and cowhide. From a dental perspective, how does the texture of these natural materials help ‘scrub’ a dog’s teeth compared to synthetic plastic toys?
The fibrous, natural texture of water buffalo and cowhide creates gentle friction as dogs chew, which can help reduce buildup on teeth. Because the material softens slightly, it conforms more to the dog’s bite, increasing contact and enhancing that natural scrubbing effect compared to smoother plastic toys.
You have a unique Tuffut Technology for durability. When designing your tougher toys, how do you balance making them strong enough to last while ensuring they aren’t too hard, which could potentially chip a dog’s teeth?
When designing tougher toys with our TuffutTechnology®, the goal is to balance durability with flexibility. Strength is important, but we never want a toy to be overly rigid. We focus on layered construction and material selection so the toy can withstand play while still having some give.
You emphasize using natural materials in your Huggle-Hide line. How important is it for dental products to be ‘digestible’ or ‘chemical-free’ for a dog’s oral microbiome?
It’s important. Using more natural, digestible materials and minimizing unnecessary additives helps support overall oral health and safety. At the same time, it’s about balance—ensuring the product is responsibly made, consistent, and durable enough to provide a safe and engaging play experience. It is also important to supervise our pet at all times during play.
