COUNTER SERVICE | SEPTEMBER 9, 2026
Counter Service is our daily 60-second consumer-news rundown; here, we go one level deeper on what these moves mean for brand builders. Today’s pet edition has a familiar cast of marketing tactics: a sports sponsorship, a seasonal snack, and functional-health claims. The products are for dogs. The purchase decisions are very human.
TODAY’S SPECIAL: The Farmer’s Dog gets the NFL
The Farmer’s Dog is becoming the NFL’s first official pet food partner through a multiyear deal. The launch features Giants running back Cam Skattebo and his rescue dog, Duke. The interesting part is the setting. Football already gathers people around food, shopping, and weekly rituals. The Farmer’s Dog is putting pet food into that existing routine rather than asking people to pay attention to another explanation of what goes in the bowl. League recognition can introduce the brand. It cannot tell us whether the sponsorship will produce customers who stick around.
SIDE DISH: Blue Buffalo gets the tailgate
Blue Buffalo has game-day Nudges available now, with football-shaped Bacon, Egg & Cheese treats arriving November 2. Where The Farmer’s Dog buys an official relationship, Blue Buffalo puts the occasion directly into the product. You have snacks for kickoff. Here’s something for the dog. That gives shoppers a reason to add a bag without needing a new feeding habit. The commercial question is whether those purchases are incremental—or simply replace the treats already on the list.
WHO’S COOKING: Champ’s gets the wellness aisle
Champ’s Pet Kitchen is bringing its full treat lineup to Chewy, with high-protein recipes marketed around gut health, joint support, and other functional benefits. If that language sounds familiar, check your own pantry. Pet treats are borrowing the vocabulary of human wellness, giving owners more specific reasons to choose one bag over another. Those are marketing claims, not proof of outcomes. Clear substantiation matters when a snack is being sold on what it might do beyond tasting good.
THE CHECK
The opportunity isn’t another feeding occasion. It’s getting dog products into the rituals people already spend money on: football, snacking, and looking after their health. All three brands are giving owners a reason to include the dog. Whether that becomes a repeat purchase is the next test.
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