High School Students Band Together to Create a Game-Changing Dog Toy
TuffToy was just an idea only 2 years ago.
There's a new type of dog toy hitting shelves in pet stores around the California Bay Area, and it's all thanks to the efforts of three talented students.
Arin Jain, Rohan Gorti, and Zubin Khera are high school students and lifelong friends who came up with the idea for TuffToy as a project for their entrepreneurship class. They were asked to 'identify a problem and invent a solution,' explains the Monterey Herald, but they had no idea just how far their project would go.
Dai Sugano/The Monterey Herald
After teaming up for the assignment, the boys quickly found a common ground: their dogs. They realized just how quickly all of their dogs destroyed even the toughest toys, and just how much money it was costing their families. Sound relatable yet?
"We interviewed our friends, our neighbors, people at dog parks, just anyone we could find with a dog, and we asked them, ‘What are common issues you have with your dog toys?’” Jain told the Monterey Herald.
From there, the boys developed an idea of a dog toy that would actually hold up to promises of durability. Gorti even learned to use a sewing machine in order to build the very first prototypes. They used a combination of rubber balls and puppets to create what startups call a “minimum viable product” before taking it to dog owners for feedback and testing.
In this stage, they refined the TuffToy product and the tool it uses to entice dogs to play. Where most toys use sound--like a squeaker or something that crinkles--this toy uses scent.
Jain explained, "we were thinking of putting a squawker inside, but a lot of owners when they hear that thing going off, it’s just annoying.”
So instead of a sound-maker, peanut butter, beef or vanilla scents make this toy stand out from the rest. And the best part? None of their canine test subjects were able to destroy the toy! Pet parents can purchase the durable ball and removable skins separately for together, so you'll be able to reuse your TuffToy over and over again.
It should come as no surprise that sales skyrocketed as soon as the product was available in May 2022. The boys sold 45 TuffToys in the first two days, and they went on to sell over 2,000 more in the following months. After earning over $24,000 in revenue already, these students now get to celebrate even more milestones. Waggin Tails Pet Supplies, with shops in Los Altos and Union City, is the first pet shop to start carrying TuffToys, though we can only imagine this toy will one day be sold nationwide.
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