Not just a pet project: Why this KC e-commerce team adopted a dog supplement brand as its own

The Morgans — the family behind Marknology, a bootstrapped digital marketing firm specializing in Amazon sales — are taking a dog supplement brand that they built as a client to the next level now as owners, they shared.

Waggedy — veterinarian-formulated supplements to keep dogs healthy and active, launched by Ben Bellinson in 2015 in Ashland, Oregon — was one of Kansas City-based Marknology’s first clients. After Bellinson gave the Morgans a 10 percent share of the company in 2019, they took over the controlling share in 2022 when Bellinson was ready to retire (he still owns a 10 percent share).

“Waggedy, for us, is a chance to use all the skills that we do for other people to see: ‘Can we do it for ourselves, as well?’” explained Veronika Morgans, chief marketing officer for Marknology, as well as co-founder of the apparel brand Landlocked and tattoo after-care cream company Skin Fuel. “Can we make a brand that’s great — and that we love — successful? It’s already successful in its own right, but it has a lot of ways to go.”

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Waggedy line of dog supplements; courtesy photo

Brooklyn Morgans — chief operating officer for Marknology who also studied equine science — said it felt right to take over Waggedy.

“We wanted to keep going, because the brand was starting to really build, and we’re really proud of all our work on it — everything from the website to the socials to the labels to the actual manufacturing and changing the ingredients, we’ve had hands in all of it,” she continued. “And when we got the opportunity to buy it from (Bellinson), it was just a dream come true for me — obviously it was a company decision — but I’ve always really wanted my own pet brand, and this was our shoo-in.”

Andrew Morgans, brother, co-owner of Waggedy and co-founder of Marknology; courtesy photo

Waggedy — available through its own website and on Amazon and Chewy — offers daily essential vitamins for puppies, adult dogs, and senior dogs, plus probiotics and calming, hip and joint, and omega supplements. 

“We’ve got really clean ingredients and they all serve a purpose,” Brooklyn noted. “I really wanted a product that I would give my own dog because I’m obsessed with her.”

Over the past year, the Waggedy team — with 12 employees — has been working on reformulating the supplements with a new manufacturer in Oklahoma City, a small business that focuses on just pet products, Brooklyn said.

“Basically just taking a Round 2 to all the products,” she continued, “refining ingredients, making the base product a little bit cleaner, a few more organic products, those types of things. It’s a good product, but you can always get better.”

A story too good to let go

Bellinson started Waggedy in 2015 after his own health scare prompted him to start thinking about his dog’s health, the Morgans sisters shared. Then Marknology — which has worked with more than 500 brands in 11 years — took the supplement brand on as a client to help with its e-commerce sales.

Ben Bellinson, right, the now-retired founder of Waggedy; courtesy photo

“We were just with him through his story and through his health journey,” Veronika noted. “When you meet quality people, right away you know, and that came across in the products, too.”

“He’s such a caring individual,” Brooklyn continued. “It’s hard to know Ben — and especially with such a good brand — and to not just get involved. He’s one of those guys who remembers your dog’s name, your kids names, whether you had the flu last week, or every little detail. We really felt like he cared about us as people and creating a good product and building a good brand.”

The first product Bellinson created was the multivitamin formulated for specific ages. Back in 2015, there weren’t many multivitamins on the market for dogs, Brooklyn said.

“He wanted to make sure that his dog was getting all of the essential ingredients,” she added. “Whether you’re able to afford a super expensive dog food or not, you can still give your dog a full spectrum of vitamins. Whether you’re feeding them raw, kibble, a mix, or just table scraps, you can give them the Waggedy multivitamin and they’re getting at least all of their essentials covered.”

“The thing that he built has really turned into something powerful,” she added.

Looking for longevity

Now that they are working with a new manufacturer, the sisters said, they are also hoping to expand into local retail shops by the end of the year. Often, Amazon or other e-commerce sites are a testing ground for moving into brick-and-mortar spaces.

“The retail spaces use Amazon — or e-commerce in general — as a way to test if they should bring in your product,” Veronika explained. “Like ‘If you can thrive there, then we probably want to grab your products because you’re gonna be able to handle it here.’”

Although they are already seeing success on Amazon Canada, they are also hoping to expand internationally with Walmart Canada, they noted. They want to market the brand on TikTok to reach a larger audience now pet supplements are no longer banned.

The Waggedy team also expects to add ingredients to the supplements that promote longevity, Brooklyn said.

“In the next round of products, we’re going to be including things like ashwagandha, resveratrol, some of the things that you would find in human-grade, anti-aging supplements and starting to put them into the senior and adult versions for the dogs,” she explained. “Dog lifespans just keep decreasing, especially in larger breed dogs. And there isn’t really anything on the market to help your dogs live longer, so that’s something that we’re working towards, as well.”

In tandem with Waggedy, they are also launching the Devault brand and a line of dog training clickers, the sisters shared.

“I bought like eight of them off of Amazon and I would lose them or they would break,” Brooklyn explained, noting she uses the product as a tool for positive reinforcement with her dog. “So my dad helped me with it. I was like, ‘Dad, I really need you to help me source a clicker that won’t break. The design is based off of World War II communication clickers.”