Bark launches first dog toy safety standard amid new lab
Bark’s team of inspectors completes more than 2,000 inspections each year, evaluating over 800,000 toys for even the most minor imperfections
Bark, a global omnichannel dog brand, has announced its role in developing the pet product industry’s first international safety standard for dog toys and has also unveiled a new dog toy testing lab.
Leveraging more than a decade of expertise and understanding of dog play styles and preferences derived from designing thousands of dog toys, Bark began building a dedicated toy safety testing lab in 2022.
The lab is equipped with advanced technology that mimics real-world use, focusing on chomping, dropping, pulling, and general wear and tear.
With oversight from Bark director of Safety Brian Grochal, it said the lab “rigorously tests and evaluates” Bark toys with accurate dog jaw replicas designed to simulate chewing, tugging, and thrashing from various breeds, such as Pitbulls, Chihuahuas, Boxers, and German Shepherds.
Since the lab opened, Bark has completed over 2.5 million individual chew cycles, about 30 days of aggressive chewing per toy, and is on track to test 1,500 toys by the end of 2024.
Grochal, a safety and standards executive who was named chairman of the inaugural subcommittee on Pet Product Safety by ASTM, is leading a group of manufacturers, retailers, testing labs, veterinary professionals, consultants, and consumers to define the safety standard for dog toys sold around the world.
In his leadership role of the committee, Grochal has been “instrumental” in establishing industry-wide best practices for design safety for dog toys, as well as other dog products, and those built for cats, birds, fish, reptiles and more.
Additionally, the company is also pioneering safety standards for a wide range of pet products, including motor vehicle harnesses, leashes, collars, crates, travel carriers, beds, and more, further “underscoring its commitment to the safety of all dogs”.
Bark’s team of inspectors completes more than 2,000 inspections each year, evaluating over 800,000 toys for even the most minor imperfections.
Grochal said: “There are more than 40 safety standards for various children’s products in the US alone, yet there are zero safety standards for dog products. This work is long overdue and it’s an honour to lead the committee in building out a portfolio of safety standards that protect our non-human family members.”
Matt Meeker, Bark CEO and co-founder, added: “I’m proud of Bark’s leadership role in the first-ever safety standard for dog toys, furthering our mission to keep dogs happy. The toy standard and testing lab are just the beginning. We are committed to making the world a safer place for all dogs and elevate safety standards across the entire dog industry.”
