Interesting Journeys into Petpreneurship: Marisa Hoskins at Paws Abroad

Today, we're thrilled to welcome Marisa Hoskins, a veteran two-time "petpreneur" with an incredible story. After building her first dog food company, Puppy Gang Fresh Foods, from her kitchen to a successful acquisition, she’s now tackling one of the biggest pain points for dog owners, the nightmare of international travel.

We sat down with Marisa to learn about her journey from teaching technology in Asia to founding Paws Abroad, a pioneering platform designed to make moving across the globe with your dogs (and cats) simple and stress-free.

Bule: Welcome, Marisa! Tell us about yourself.

What were you doing before you discovered the world of petpreneurship?

Marisa: Thank you for having me! Before all this, my life was completely different. I was living and working in Hong Kong as a teacher in private international schools. I started in design technology and then moved into technology leadership, where I was instrumental in bringing disruptive tech like robotics, coding programs, and 3D printing into the classroom.

My real passion, however, was always entrepreneurship. Through my work with product design cycles and design thinking, I knew I wanted to have my own business. I just wasn’t sure what it would be. Then, as the story often goes, my whole life changed when I adopted two dogs.

Bule: And you adopted them as an adult or when you were younger?

Marisa: As an adult. I was living in Hong Kong and became convinced I needed a dog. I joke with people that I got "catfished." I saw a little Schnauzer at a pet rescue that reminded me of my childhood dog, Shadow. The rescue mentioned she had a few health problems, but I still wanted to meet her. When I got there, the reality was heartbreaking. She was a former breeder dog from a puppy mill, almost bald, so overweight she could barely walk, and just looked so sickly.

She waddled up to me, plopped into my lap, and I just started crying. I thought, "My god, this dog might only live two months, but I need to give her a home."

While I was there, a puppy named Harley also jumped on me. It turned out he and Quinn had formed a mother-baby bond at the rescue. I went to get one dog and came home with two! They’re both still with me almost eight years later.

A Problem to Solve: Puppy Gang Fresh Foods

Bule: How did that experience lead to your first dog business?

Marisa: I made it my mission to heal Quinn’s health through whole foods. I tried all the premium kibbles, but nothing worked. Three different vets recommended a $5,000 knee surgery, saying she’d never be able to walk long-term without it. As someone who was into CrossFit and the health community, I knew we shouldn’t eat processed garbage every day, so why should our dogs?

I became convinced her diet was the problem.

After moving back to Canada with the dogs, which was my first foray into the nightmare of international pet travel, I found a holistic vet who recommended I start cooking for them. The transformation was incredible. Within two to three months of me cooking for her, Quinn lost half her body weight, her fur grew back, and she started running and jumping like a puppy. She never needed that surgery. The dog I thought would only live for a few months is now almost 13 and thriving.

Bule: So you just made your own dog food and launched a brand?

Marisa: Exactly. That’s how Puppy Gang Fresh Foods was born. It started with me cooking in my kitchen for my own dogs, then I worked with a holistic vet to develop four human-grade recipes. When we first started, I’d work my day job in tech strategy and then cook out of a rented commercial kitchen in the evenings and on weekends. If you had asked me five years prior what I'd be doing for a living, "cooking dog food" never would have been on the radar.

My life was very unglamorous!

A year and a half in, we had scaled to the point that we were head-hunted by a manufacturer, which was a huge relief. We became a beloved brand, winning awards for the most nutritious pet food in Canada and building a super loyal following. I had one customer who spent over $73,000 with us over five years, which is a testament to how loved our food was.

We grew 360% in a year, and after three and a half years, we were acquired by a sustainable food producer. It was a whirlwind, and a huge milestone.

A New Frustration, A New Venture: PawsAbroad

Bule: After such a success, what inspired you to create Pause Abroad?

Marisa: After the acquisition, I stayed on with the new company for two years. When I finally exited, I was a bit burnt out. I missed beach life and decided to move to Phuket, Thailand, with my two dogs. I had told myself for years I couldn't live abroad again because traveling with my dogs was so stressful.

But I decided to go for it, and I reached out to a pet relocation company for help.

The "expert" I was connected with gave me completely wrong information, telling me I had to fly into Bangkok and endure a 12-hour drive to Phuket, which I knew was incorrect. She also tried to deter me from using an excellent airline I was familiar with, claiming they were too expensive. After that preliminary call, I received an invoice for a $1,300 consultation fee. I was so frustrated.

I thought, "You know what? I'm going to do this myself."

And that’s how Paws Abroad was born.

I went down the rabbit hole of figuring out import/export regulations, vaccination timelines, and specific paperwork deadlines myself. I realized how confusing, convoluted, and difficult it was to find reliable, up-to-date information. Fortunately, my brother is a software engineer, so we teamed up to create a digital platform to make international pet travel accessible and transparent.

Bule: In my experience as a travelling dog owner, its a real minefield, and is always unnecessarily complicated. Why is traveling with your dog internationally such a difficult, and often painful, process?

Marisa: It's really insane. You have to register with certain agencies, get certificates within specific timeframes, and it's complicated by design.

As I uncovered the industry, I realized it has relied on fear-mongering and gatekeeping for so long. Our goal with Paws Abroad is to shed light on this and be that trusted partner to empower people in their travel journey. We want to put pressure on governmental organizations and airlines to adopt more lenient, pet-friendly policies, like Italy recently did by allowing large dogs in the cabin.

The world I want to see is one where a valid pet passport with the right vaccination stamps is all you need to enter a country.

Bule: I think every dog owners wants to see that world Marisa, you chose a great problem to solve and I wish you the best of luck with it!

Industry Insights and Advice for Founders

Bule: Lets move on to the being a founder side of things. What do you think it takes to be a successful petpreneur Marisa?

Marisa: It’s a totally different world. Pet people are very emotional, so it's a very emotion-driven industry. My biggest advice, and I think it's why I've had success, is that you have to genuinely care. That sounds cliché, but people can feel it. Posers who are in it for money or clout don't last; people can smell that from a mile away.

This is a very community-driven industry. The good people in the pet space want to support each other, even if they are in similar verticals. The mindset is, "How can I help?" instead of viewing others as competition. So, success comes from building solid relationships and truly caring. That extends to your customers.

A fundamental human need is to feel seen and heard.

If you can make people feel like you truly understand them and can solve their problem, that is what differentiates you. In a world filled with generative AI, being more human is the best way to succeed.

Bule: How does working in the pet industry compare to other jobs you've had?

Marisa: My god, it's so much fun! I mean, I get to look at cute dog and cat photos every day. What I find really interesting is how your personal passions can come together in a business in an unexpected way. For my first business, I’ve always loved cooking, nutrition, and fitness, and I never would have thought that would combine into a healthy dog food company. Now with Paws Abroad, it’s even more rewarding because it’s global. Travel has always been a huge passion of mine, having lived in multiple countries. To be able to combine that passion with my love for dogs and build a global community has been super rewarding.

Bule: Looking ahead, where do you see the pet industry headed over the next 5 to 10 years? What trends should aspiring founders be watching?

Marisa: The biggest trend is obviously the humanization of pets. You have people like myself who are choosing to postpone or opt out of having children, and our pets are really taking that place in the family. The recent breakout of private jet services for pets, like K9 Jets, which are selling out, just speaks volumes. People will go to incredible lengths to give their pets the best quality of life and bring them along on their adventures.

I really envision a world where it's just normal for your pets to come along with you, and it’s not a special request to ask a hotel for a water bowl—it's just the standard expectation. Hopefully, with the work we're doing, we can put pressure on making the world of pet travel much more accessible.

The other huge area is longevity. A little secret claim to fame of mine is that I'm actually a certified Canine Nutritionist. As I see with my own 13-year-old Schnauzer, you become hyper-conscious of their mortality. Extra time with your pet is priceless. I think we're going to see a lot more trends in terms of wellness and extending our pets' healthspans.

Bule: That’s fantastic advice. And for those thinking about starting out, what’s the first practical step?

Marisa: Speak to customers first. Do not just launch something and hope it sells. A little random fact from my first business: I don't generally recommend starting a pet food company because it's actually harder to get people to change their pet's food than it is their own! People are so particular.

You have to make sure there’s a real, existing need for your product. A great place to do that is social listening. There is so much gold in Amazon reviews and in Facebook communities. Look at the questions people are asking over and over again. That is the best way to determine what you should sell because your business is only as good as what people want to purchase from you. If you want to make your life a lot easier, create a product for a problem people already know they have.

Bule: That is solid advice Marisa! Finally, are there any other founders or startups you admire that our readers should check out?

Marisa: There are so many cool people in this space!

I really like what Matthew is doing at Republic of Dogs, and what Teresa is doing at Pawsome Concierge to ensure dogs are well cared for when staying in different locations. I’m also excited about GoTo Bites, a new brand of longevity treats for dogs launched by Nacho, a former veterinarian from Barcelona.

It’s an exciting time in the pet industry!

Bule: That was a great shout-out!

Thank you so much for being on the show, Marisa. You are brilliant!

Marisa: Thank you so much for having me!

Thus concludes our interview, please give Marisa a follow on LinkedIn, and before travelling internationally with your dog, check out her startup Paws Abroad!