Stunt Puppy Joins Forces with Renowned New Zealand Brand D-Fa Dogs

July 19, 2018

Combining both brands’ products is sure to create a powerful new force in premium dog gear; all products under Stunt Puppy name going forward

Minneapolis, MN (July 19, 2018) — With their sights firmly set on becoming the leader in high-performance products for active dogs and their owners, upstart brand Stunt Puppy has joined forces with like-minded New Zealand brand D-Fa Dogs. The Stunt Puppy name will cover both going forward, but each brings an impressive array of expertly researched and meticulously engineered leashes, collars, jackets, PFD’s and more to the table. 

Furthermore, honoring both brands’ long-term commitment to locally produced products – Stunt Puppy’s are all made in the USA, and the large majority of D-Fa’s in New Zealand – the new partnership plans to produce as many products as possible in the USA, and the rest in NZ. Current Stunt Puppy products are available now at select running stores, and of course both brands are available for sale online. When the merger is complete, all dog gear can be found at www.stuntpuppy.com.

The post-merger Stunt Puppy will continue the traditions of both brands to transcend the vast mass-produced dog-product market by making the most durable, versatile, high-end products. All  products will continue to be specifically researched and purpose built to excel at the activities for which they’re intended – everything from running to paddling to snow sports and almost anything in between. Stunt Puppy’s motto is, “Built from the dog up,” while D-Fa’s is “Engineered for Dogs,” and the new partnership definitely intends to honor both.

“Be good humans; do what’s right. I really like those ideas – it feels like something a dog would say,” says Angela Hook, founder of D-Fa Dogs and Stunt Puppy partner, and a renowned specialist in human and canine behavior in her own right. “This is what we mean by building from the dog up. All our products are designed to the dog’s biomechanical and psychological needs first, and then adapted for their humans. Take the HeliDog Lifting Harness for instance: That’s a very complex piece of gear for a highly specified use. So when we built that, we thought about safety: keeping the pressure off soft tissue when lifting, how wearing the jacket primes the dogs for work, and snugly wrapping around the animal which is known to help dogs feel calmer in stressful situations.” 

Ken Goldman, original founder of Stunt Puppy, explains this idea further, “We take our dogs well outside their natural comfort zones – on rivers, in the ocean, out in the snow, to crowded streets and craft breweries. While our dogs may enjoy this, they’re often not naturally equipped to deal with those conditions. It is our job as their guardians to protect them and help them be more comfortable. What’s emerging now is a really keen interest in canine behavior and communication (which goes back to that idea of connection between human and dog). The leash, collar, harness, even a life jacket all communicate something to our dogs. So we do our best to see things from that point of view, how the dog sees it and how we enrich that human/dog connection via gear.”

The new partnership is well under way now, and D-Fa tags and the website will officially disappear soon. However almost every product from both will remain in-line for now, and exciting new products are imminent. The new partnership aims at ultimately creating something that changes the category and the way humans everywhere care for their dogs. 

About STUNT PUPPY: Our dogma is a belief in gear that benefits the most noble amongst us – the dogs. We make gear of the highest quality that makes it feel good to be a dog; running, playing and working by your side wherever your adventures may take you. All Stunt Puppy gear is built from the dog up, here at home in the USA.