Maev Taps Jessica Pegula to Raise Pet Wellness to Athletic Levels
For many consumers today the wellness wave goes far beyond supplements, topicals and functional tools for themselves — they want these benefits for their pets as well. As previously reported by WWD, despite economic pressures pet owners continue to drive sales as they aim to elevate their pets’ health.
Leading the way in dogs’ health is Maev, the company that recognizes the importance of holistic humanization within the pet category through vet-formulated, human-grade, transparent dog food, treats and supplements. The company is the first human-grade raw food for dogs, created in 2019 by Katie Spies, an MIT engineer and dog parent.
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To tell its story, Maev has teamed up with Jessica Pegula, the tennis star and passionate pet parent and advocate. Notably, Pegula and her husband Gahagen founded A Leading Paw, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing, training and placing service dogs, specifically focused on people facing disabilities, PTSD and other challenges to provide support.
Spies told WWD that Pegula was the perfect person to speak to Maev’s mission, noting that “athletes have a unique ability to inspire progress in the world.”
“Every athlete knows, winning isn’t just about what you do on the court,” Spies said. “She’s an inspiring partner for Maev because she is deeply committed to giving her dogs the best life possible and recognizes that diet is the most important choice you can make for your dog’s day-to-day and long-term health and quality of life.”
As an athlete, Pegula acknowledged that she is “hyper-aware of all the variables that play a role in how well I compete: training, sleep, nutrition [and] mental. There are so many things that are completely out of your control so, thinking about the things in my control like nutrition, I’m thoughtful about those.”
It’s this same way of thinking that Pegula now uses in looking after her pets’ health.
“When it comes to my dogs, they rely on me to take care of them,” Pegula said. “I’m responsible for them, and they are such a huge part of who I am and my life. My dogs are also super active — they train with me and travel with me. They live an active lifestyle, just like me, and getting to run and be active clearly brings them so much joy. Nutrition impacts performance, it impacts their mobility, it helps to make sure that they can keep running and being active for many more years to come, for active dogs especially.”
Notably, Pegula’s relationship with Maev somewhat mirrors the experience that Spies had found herself in with her own dogs’ health journey.
Pegula further shared that she has “seen firsthand how much of an impact nutrition has on a dog’s health,” having had a dog who struggled with health issues that she “tried everything to help” including making raw food at home.
“I knew it was better for them, but it was time-consuming and I couldn’t keep up with it,” Pegula said. “After losing a dog, it became even more clear to me — why would I cut corners on something so important to their overall health and longevity? Raw food is higher in protein and much more digestible than ultra-processed kibble. On top of that, Maev is made with whole food ingredients you can actually see.”
As Maev kicks off its larger partnership with Pegula, Spies said that Maev believes in “investing in people and communities that share our values. Women’s sports deserve more visibility, more investment and more opportunities, and as a brand, we’re proud to play a role in that movement.”
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