Hello everyone this is Krista with episode number 132 on the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. did you know that hypoallergenic dogs don't really exist? It's usually not a dog's fur that causes allergies, but his dander and the protein that it carries. yes, there are dogs that shed less fur, or don't shed it all. But that just means the dander is less mobile. So dander is even released from hairless breeds. Of course, various breeds produce different types of dander so you can be more allergic to some dogs than others. The bottom line is, according to scientists, you can't breed away the protein in dogs that causes allergic reactions, and so hypoallergenic dogs do not exist.

Welcome to the Wag Out Loud pawdcast, where we are obsessed with bringing you helpful tips on canine health care, nutrition, and overall wellbeing. If you'd like to support the show, check out the amazing online events, products and resources that I personally recommend on the Wag Out Loud website. I'm your host, Krista and I'm super excited to be bringing you yet another tail wagging episode.

Rich Kelleman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bond Pet Foods, a Boulder, Colorado-based start-up that’s working with biotechnology to make pet food from real meat protein like chicken, turkey and fish, without the animal. Before diving into the world of pets and food tech Rich was a VP and Director at some of the world’s most respected advertising agencies including CP+B, FCB, and Fallon, where he led brand strategy for Burger King, P&G, Kellogg’s, and Coca-Cola, among others. Rich has a B.A. in Marketing from Boston College, with additional study at Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation.

Hello dog lovers! We are so glad that you are here and want to be the best advocate for your dog's health and wellness. Today, I am joined by Rich Kelleman, who is going to share some fascinating information on real animal protein without the slaughter. So Rich, thanks so much for taking the time to be here today. Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us why are you on this mission to find alternative protein sources for our dogs?

Hey Krista. great to be here and excited to share a little bit more about what we're cooking up with Bond. So I'm the CEO of Bond Pet Food. And we are working with food technology to make pet food from real meat protein like chicken, turkey and fish without the animal. And it sounds a little bit sci fi but you know, as I explain a little bit more about what we're doing it something that is, in some ways, this technology been around for more than half a century to make things that we enjoy and eat every day today. But we're just reassembling that process, in our case to make meat protein that can serve as a primary source of nutrition in the dog and cat’s diet. So at a very high level. So what we're doing is we're using a process called microbial fermentation, or precision fermentation. And what that is, is it is a brewing process of sorts where we work with yeast and other fungi to make proteins, and the vessel and the fermentation tank that have the characteristics and composition that we're looking for. Other applications of this technology are for example, the industrial production of enzymes for cheese manufacturers that are used in cheese making to separate the curds and the whey. Historically, those enzymes have been procured from the fourth stomach of a baby calf. Decades ago, there was a lot of slaughter and harvest to get at those enzymes that could be a high quality input into the cheese making process. But then, some smart scientists realized that instead of getting at those enzymes and making them in a way that was land, water, energy intensive, it could basically take the DNA from a baby calf, isolate the material that would express and produce enzymes that were important for cheesemaking insert that DNA into a microbe like a yeast, and then as they put that yeast into a fermentation tank, feed it simple sugars, vitamins and minerals.