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Growing up in Naples Florida, my dad was a dermatologist with an incredible love for animals, so I was exposed early on to a different way of thinking about animal health. I remember visiting a Mastiff breeder with him, and he pointed out signs of skin cancer in some of the dogs from prolonged sun exposure. That moment really stayed with me, it made me acutely aware of how closely animal health mirrors human health, especially when it comes to skin.
That awareness became so much more personal when we got Olli. There’s a real difference growing up in a household with dogs versus raising your own first soul dog. You notice everything on a different level. When he started experiencing his own skin sensitivities, it shifted from general awareness to real investment. That’s when care became much more intentional for us, and ultimately, much more personal.
Welltayl is a science-powered pet care company focused on raising the standard of everyday care, starting with skin and coat health.
The idea came from a pretty simple but frustrating realization: most pet products haven’t evolved at the same pace as human skincare. You have people investing in barrier repair, microbiome-friendly formulas, and ingredient transparency for themselves, but then using harsh, stripping products on their pets.
We saw an opportunity to rethink that. We’ve spent years developing formulas with veterinarians, toxicologists, and scientific advisors to create products that are not just “gentle,” but actually support the skin barrier and long-term health. It’s about bringing clinical thinking into a space that hasn’t historically had it.
There’s a level of energy in New York that’s hard to replicate, and what surprised me is how much the two communications actually mirror each other On the entrepreneur side, people are incredibly driven, but also very open. You can have a real conversation about what’s working, what’s not, and people are willing to share.
The pet-owner community has that same quality, just in a completely different setting. There’s this instant connection when you have a dog in the city you’re talking to people in the park, at events, on walks. It creates a sense of community that feels very natural and unforced.
For us, building Welltayl in New York has meant being part of both of those worlds at the same time, which has been really special.
The club grew out of something we kept noticing, people who cared about their pets’ health but didn’t have a space to connect. We wanted to create a space where people could connect over a shared mindset whether that’s through walks, small events, or educational moments. It’s not just about products, it’s about building a culture around care.
Long term, we see it as a way to bring the brand to life offline, creating real touchpoints where people can learn, connect, and feel part of something bigger than just a transaction.
It’s been a very intentional and, honestly, rigorous process.
We knew early on that if we were going to position ourselves as science-powered, it had to be real. That meant bringing in veterinarians, dermatology experts, and toxicologists from the beginning, not as a marketing layer, but as part of the actual product development process.
Building that team took time. It involved a lot of conversations, a lot of vetting, and making sure everyone was aligned on the standard we were trying to set. But it’s also been one of the most rewarding parts of building the brand, because it gives us a level of confidence in what we’re putting out into the world that you can’t shortcut.