Joyride Dogs crossed $300,000 in rescue donations with a customer base over one millioneTailPet survey finds 60% of independents added foot traffic with in-store servicesWuffes rebuilt its brand identity after landing 4,000 retail doors and serving 1.3 million dogsMPM Products promotes Samantha Greenwood to North America presidentRosewood launches nine-SKU Mr Men dog toy line ahead of 2028 feature filmSkiptown signs five-unit franchise deal covering greater AustinPet Food Experts adds Finfare seafood line to national distribution rosterJollyes opened its first store inside an Asda supermarket in SheffieldJoyride Dogs crossed $300,000 in rescue donations with a customer base over one millioneTailPet survey finds 60% of independents added foot traffic with in-store servicesWuffes rebuilt its brand identity after landing 4,000 retail doors and serving 1.3 million dogsMPM Products promotes Samantha Greenwood to North America presidentRosewood launches nine-SKU Mr Men dog toy line ahead of 2028 feature filmSkiptown signs five-unit franchise deal covering greater AustinPet Food Experts adds Finfare seafood line to national distribution rosterJollyes opened its first store inside an Asda supermarket in Sheffield
Deals & M&ABy The PetRetailNews Desk3 min readAugust 17, 2026
The Farmer's Dog Became a Buyer, and Fresh Brands Now Owe You an Answer
The Farmer's Dog acquired Woof, PetIQ bought MYOS, and the M&A pattern is accelerating. What it means for fresh brands and the stores that stock them.
The Farmer's Dog, the New York direct-to-consumer fresh pet food company, signed a binding agreement to buy Woof, a Colorado maker of dog enrichment and wellness items that launched in 2019. The deal is set to close in 2026 pending standard conditions, with price undisclosed.
Woof will keep running on its own inside The Farmer's Dog. The buyers said the combination lets them pool resources and look at ways to grow each product line. "Together, we'll innovate faster, reach more pet parents, and continue delivering products and experiences that make a meaningful difference in the lives of dogs and the people who love them," Woof CEO Steve Ball said.
The Farmer's Dog, founded in 2014, has pulled in more than $150 million in funding. The purchase takes the company past its core fresh-food business into a wider set of canine health and wellness offerings.
PetIQ closes muscle-health deal
PetIQ finished buying MYOS, a nutrition research firm that sells to both human and animal markets. PetIQ said studies in people and in dogs, cats and horses suggest MYOS's Fortetropin ingredient supports muscle growth and movement and may slow muscle decline tied to age, injury or surgery.
"Adding MYOS to our leading branded portfolio allows us to enter the fast-growing muscle health category and meet pet owners' growing interest in preventive health, mobility preservation and quality of life for their pets," PetIQ CEO Camillo Pane said.
MYOS will keep its own brand identity, and its current dog, cat, human and horse products stay on the market. The company, started in 2011, has run 14 clinical trials and owns 12 patents.
PetIQ makes and ships nonprescription pet medications and wellness items. The Idaho company, founded in 1995, was bought by New York private equity shop Bansk Group in 2024 for $1.5 billion. PetIQ sold VIP Petcare, its mobile vet service, to Tractor Supply not long ago.
The wider pattern
The source also flagged recent European transactions: Cotecnica bought Portuguese producer Pet Select, Gimborn bought Italian treat maker Prolife, Assisi Pet Care bought UK natural food company Forthglade, and United Petfood took half of SmartPetPro.
The Farmer's Dog buying enrichment. PetIQ buying muscle health. Assisi buying natural. Gimborn buying treats. The source said US deal flow is picking up after these moves.
Our read: The Farmer's Dog moving from DTC to acquirer matters
The Farmer's Dog buying Woof is the shift we are tracking. A fresh-food company that raised north of $150 million does not buy a wellness brand without intent, and the company said it wants a wider set of canine health and wellness products. That is a portfolio strategy, and it suggests other fresh and wellness players may be in similar talks.
For brands: if you run an emerging fresh or wellness line with retail traction, buyers are active. The companies doing these deals want to plug specific holes, muscle health, enrichment, natural wet food, and the window to be the brand they call may be tighter than it appears.
For retailers: when a brand on your shelf gets bought by a portfolio owner, the relationship can shift. The independent line you brought in early may now be part of a larger negotiation over space across multiple categories.
What this changes on the shelf
If you stock fresh or frozen pet food, track how acquisition activity affects the brands you already talk to. The Farmer's Dog buying Woof means the company that used to focus on one category is now moving into others, and that may alter how they approach retail.
If you are deciding whether to bring in a new fresh brand right now, consider starting the conversation before acquisition activity reshapes the field. Once a brand is bought, the terms and the relationship may look different.
For brands pitching independents: if you sell fresh, frozen or wellness products with retail traction, the M&A activity the source describes suggests buyers are moving. The timing of those conversations may matter more than you think.
The failure mode
The risk for retailers is assuming acquisition activity does not touch you because you do not stock the bought brands. It does. When a DTC brand with capital starts buying, it can shift the field for other brands in that category, how they think about distribution, how they price, and what their long-term plans look like.
The risk for brands is waiting too long to explore acquisition talks if that is a path you are considering. The companies making these moves want to fill specific portfolio gaps, and once they find the brand that fits, the conversation closes.
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