Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Anderson.
Hi Ray, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The idea came to me about 10 years ago. My X girlfriend & I had a little black pug named “Frankie Bark Vader.” Frankie was very food motivated but highly allergic to a number of things, so we fed him the best of the best, raw, grain free, fruits. It wasn’t cheap there were times, he was eating better then we were. LOL But that was okay because we wanted him to live a long healthy, happy life. One day, after coming home, it dawned on me how much money really spend on Frankie’s food, & I knew we weren’t the only ones doing it. I said to my now then X girlfriend; “We should start an all dog food truck.” I mean there are human food trucks all over the place but why isn’t there any for dogs? About half of America owns at least one dog. America is one of 3 countries in the world where the dog is the number 1 household pet. These cute furry animals are part of our families. I know personally speaking Frankie Bark Vader was my best friend. I loved him so much. Some may think you can’t read the soul of an animal but I accept the challenge as Frankie & I shared a strong bond. When I looked in his eyes, I could see how much he really loved me. However the idea of starting up a truck got pushed aside for many reasons. Fast forward now it’s Covid time. I had nothing but time on my hands & I was thinking to myself ” what am I going to do wait around for 10 years while they try to figure everything out ? I have always been a creative thinker ever since I was little. Over the years, I have kept notes on various business ideas, so I thought lets look over everything. I said to myself what would be the most fun one if it was the last thing I was ever to do. Well, duh, Run a doggy food truck! ” What would be more fun then hanging on a beach, listening to music, & making all kinds of new furry friends. So, once I decided that I was going to make a doggy food truck that’s when the real work started to begin. I knew I didn’t want to be just some dog truck selling junk, food but I wanted to be a healthy store on wheels for dogs, & even cats. I also wanted to help educate people on there why it’s so important to feed your best friend the good stuff. My vision is to help cut some of those vet bills down & hopefully your dog will have a few extra more years with you. I spent about 14 months working on putting ” Woof It Up” together. I mean there was no ” Doggie Food Truck for dummies book. LOL I did lots of research, coming up my own ideas , & putting them down on paper. I spent 10/12 hour days sometimes into the very late hours. I guess you could say it became pretty much an obsession. LOL I was very determined, there was no It cant be done. I didn’t care how & nothing was going to get in my way from preventing me from doing it. Just like with any business there has been lots of challenges anything from weather playing it’s roll, strict CA & city laws at parks with red tape, & winter time also plays it’s roll. Some people can be standoffish because they may not understand the concept, stuck in their own ways, or maybe they assume Woof It Up is going to be more expensive. I’m the kind of person that will check things out & not close a door because by closing doors, you are missing opportunities. Moving forward as “Woof It Up” inches closer to the 2 year mark this June! “Woof It Up!” is very excited. “Woof It Up” has many supporters, regular customers, & is continuing meeting & making new fans/friends. “Woof It Up” is continuously working on new treats & ideas. “Woof It Up” is even rolling on a new little comic strip called ” The Woof Wagon Chronicles.” This will be premiering on 4/8/25 on Instagram @woofitupllc. This will be a funny, cute little comic with adventures. Really silly but fun!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
hahaha I wish it was a smooth road but that definitely has not been the case! To start off with a couple . 1. Business loans, & credit card debt ( no company is going to sit around & wait for a payment while you work on getting your business up, so of course with high interest loans that is very stressful) 2. There have been lots of Red Tape at dog parks for whatever reason especially in Orange County not allowing for my dog food truck to be there. There was this one incident that happened over a year ago where this park president tried to swindle money from “Woof It Up!” He basically said it’s a non profit & the only he’d allow “Woof It Up!” to come there was under his thumb & he wanted a cut. He even threatened that if “Woof It Up” came there, that he could take everything? LOL He was a real piece of work. There have been other challenges as well, you are up against big name companies, there’s also been certain big dog events that for whatever reason they don’t get back to you. It’s actually kinda funny & of course you will always have some haters (silly).
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
“Woof It Up!” Is an all doggy food truck with a touch of meow! We specialize in fun, clean, healthy, organic, & single ingredient treats. ( both Dehydrated & Freeze dried) We also provide some meals. “Woof It Up!” is pushing upwards of almost 100 treats , meals, with sizes included. We have treats like Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon, Salmon Jerky, Salmon Heads, Doggy Wine ( Salmon oil, that includes mint extracts, ( fresh breath) Glucosamine ( hip & joint strength) Other fun items we carry are Doggy Happy Meals ( Organic) these are a hard crunchy snack that contain peanut butter, Bacon, chicken, & cheese. “Woof It Up” makes organic doggy ice cream; Chunky Chicken, Salmon, Watermelon Beef, & during Easter we have rabbit & carrot ice cream. We are also running a special Rabbit Ear pup cup for a limited time. Other items are doggie sausage cigars, ( gluten-free, soy-free, non GMO) Buffalo Lung, ( great for helping with stinky breath) Lamb Lung, ( weight loss) Bison Liver, ( Iron) Ocean Minnows for cats & dogs, We offer a wide variety of chews for size dogs. Ostrich leg ( big dogs) Rolled Cow cheek baked in peanut butter, smoked bone marrow, no splinter, no stains, rabbit ears
(natural dewormer, great for puppies) Pig Ears, Chicken Feet, Duck Feet, among many other treats.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I envision more people becoming more knowledgeable in regards to the importance of feeding their pets healthy. I see more “Woof It Up’s” out there & not just in California.
Pricing:
- Prices range from $3.00-$39.00
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @woofitupllc
- Twitter: @woofitupllc
- Other: TikTok @woof.it.up
