Welcome, fellow dog lovers! Many of you know that Dog Fancy has been a monthly magazine dedicated to dog parents, dog breeders, and, most importantly, dogs since we were first founded in 1970. With that said, we are excited to inform our dedicated readers that Dog Fancy is now Dogster!
What does this mean for Dog Fancy? And what can you expect to change? Keep reading to get into some of the details of Dog Fancy’s history and what to expect on their path forward.
History of Dog Fancy
As already mentioned, Dog Fancy was founded in 1970 by the publishing company BowTie Inc., with their editorial office located in Irvine, CA. Dog Fancy was focused on providing fun, factual, and valuable information to dog lovers around the world. The magazine covered topics ranging from training guides to lifestyle tips to health care.
The success of the magazine, however, came from the company’s original magazine: Cat Fancy, which was first published in 1965. Luckily, their success led to the creation of both Dog Fancy and Dog World.
Dog Fancy Moves Forward
As with most companies during the age of the Internet, the company found that the best move was to transition to online content. Thus, Dogster and Catster were born. These sites even predate the beginning of Facebook by about a month!
Dogster was acquired by SAY Media in 2011. In 2014, there was another big change, and it was announced that the new owners, Lumina Media, would combine these website brands. Moving forward, Dogster and Catster would alternate bi-monthly issues.
It wasn’t much later that Dogster and its related websites would be sold to Belvoir Media Group in 2017. At the time, Belvoir Media Group’s other pet publications included Whole Dog Journal, Tufts University Your Dog, Cornell University CatWatch, Cornell University DogWatch, and Tufts University Catnip.
Even now, in 2023, Dogster finds itself going through another acquisition. This time, with Pangolia Pte. Ltd. taking over. Their mission? To become the most helpful pet company in the world.
Changes Made to Dogster
It’s no secret that, with so many changes being made to the company after over 50 years, there would also be changes to the site. Take a look at how Dog Fancy and Dogster have adapted their websites over the past two decades.
Dog Fancy and Dogster Values Continue On
When Dog Fancy first came to fruition, it was a source that dog lovers could use to get expert advice on dog health, behavior, food, training, and news. As the company gained popularity and transitioned to Dogster, they wanted to still provide valuable information but with a clear point of view.
Dogster claims to be fiercely opinionated about dog and cat issues, and for good reason. When it comes to our pets’ health and well-being, there’s no room to mess around. After all, more and more of us are treating our pets as if they’re family members. Thus, Dogster’s five beliefs were created.
- A dog isn’t an “it.” They’re a “who.”
While Dogster understands that pets aren’t humans, they’re still sentient individuals, each with distinct personalities, and treating them as such is important.
- Dogster deeply cares about the well-being of pets, especially where they come from.
Dogster’s goal is to educate people rather than bully them about their choices, especially when it comes to purchasing/adopting their next pet. Dogster is against puppy mills or any situation where dogs aren’t living in situations where they can thrive.
- Adoption is ideal, but so is purchasing from responsible breeders.
Dogster loves and is in full support of adoption. However, that doesn’t mean we’re anti-breeder. There are safe and responsible ways to purchase from particular breeders, but we’re also in full support of giving dogs who are already in need a safe and loving home.
- Harming dogs is criminal and should be condemned.
This goes back to our first belief. Dogs aren’t material possessions that we can treat however we want. Dogster is completely against harming dogs in any way, shape, or form, and their content will reflect that.
- Dogster believes that anyone can become a better pet parent.
While Dogster’s content is always a work in progress, one thing that we’ll always aim for is offering the most valuable, factual, and helpful information so that you as a pet parent can make the most informed decision for your dog specifically. Not every dog’s circumstance has a one-size-fits-all answer. While Dogster can guide you in certain directions, the goal is to give you the truth about various subjects so that you can make your own decision from there.
Not Much Has Changed, But Some Has…
As we move forward and change with the times, we still have the same goal: being one of the most helpful online tools for pet parents. However, there have been some changes to the site that we want our readers to be aware of.
As of July 18, 2019, we had to put an end to our community pages. This included the popular Pet Profiles, as well as Dogster’s Photo Galleries, Forums, Answers, Groups, Local Listings, Games, Adoption, Quizzes, Dog of the Day, Diary Central, and Gift Shop pages. While a notice was sent out regarding this change, Dogster continues to receive emails requesting information from said pages.
Unfortunately, even from our end, these pages are no longer accessible, and we will not be able to retrieve information from them. We understand that this is an inconvenience for some, but we appreciate your understanding as we continue making necessary changes to our sites in order to make our readers’ experience even better. Dogster continues to prioritize offering valuable and insightful information for pet owners.
What’s Next?
As we move into the next phase of Dogster, we continue to want only the best for our furry friends. As more research comes out regarding our pets—dogs specifically—Dogster will continue to strive to be the most helpful resource for dog parents. It is our mission to keep all content relevant and up-to-date, and we look forward to your continued support.
Dogster is truly grateful for our readers and their pets. Without you, we wouldn’t have the ability to make the world a better place for dogs and dog owners alike. We look forward to many more years together!
