Where it started:Rocky changedeverything andI never set out to start a dog food company.My husky Rocky had the worst stomach on the planet. Years of vet visits, prescription diets, and hundreds spent on premium food brands. We tried everything. Nothing worked.So I decided to build it myself. 36 recipe iterations. Countless hours with vets and nutritionists. All chasing one question: what’s the best food we could possibly make for a dog? When we finally got it right, Rocky was the proof.He hasn't been sick in over 18 months. He runs three miles with me every morning. That's the standard every Happy Howl bowl is held to. Nothing less.Colin Buckley– Founder
Happy Howl (thehappyhowl.com) has 4,371 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.3 out of 5.
Also known as
thehappyhowl.com
Website
thehappyhowl.com
Category
Pet Stores
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 94% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
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The food is healthy for my 2 dogs and they eat it well. Not having to freeze or refrigerate the unopened boxes is much more convenient than other products that I've tried.
Response from Happy HowlAug 20, 2026
Thank you so much for sharing this! We’re so happy to hear both of your pups are enjoying Happy Howl. 🐾 We love hearing that the shelf-stable cartons are making mealtime a little easier for you too — no freezer space needed and no worrying about keeping unopened meals refrigerated!
We truly appreciate you choosing Happy Howl for your two pups. ❤️
Warm Wags,
The Happy Howl Team
FG
Fallon G.
IMPLODING BOXES ROTTING FOOD. We've been a happy howl customer for…
We've been a happy howl customer for four years. My dogs are picky eaters but love happy howl. UNFORTUNATELY, I had a recent order of BOXES IMPLODING. Expiration dates were good. Obviously the food was rotting. I reached out to customer support several times through email with photos. I left a voicemail with customer support. Its been over a month with no response. I did not want to leave a negative review, but OBVIOUSLY HAPPY HOWL DOES NOT CARE!!!
DI
Dirck
My Dobe refuses…
Smells gross to me and my dog refuses to eat it. I’ve got 5 boxes wasted.
Response from Happy HowlAug 20, 2026
We're sorry Happy Howl wasn't a good fit for your pup! 🐾 We completely understand how frustrating it is to have unopened food that your dog refuses to eat.
Please reach out to [email protected] with your order details, and our Happy Howl team will be happy to look into this and see how we can help. 💛🐶
CU
customer
My dog will not eat it
My dog will not eat it. Tried several times to feed it to him. Sorry , have 2 boxes left that I’ll throw out.
Response from Happy HowlAug 20, 2026
Thanks for giving Happy Howl a try! 🐾 We completely understand that every pup has their own preferences, and picky eating is definitely common. 💛
If you're open to trying once more before giving up on the two boxes you have left, you can try mixing a small amount of Happy Howl with the food your pup already enjoys and gradually increasing it over several days. Gently warming it in a microwave-safe bowl for about 10 seconds can also bring out the aroma—just don't warm the carton.
You can also add a little warm water or a topper your pup already loves to make it more enticing.
If Happy Howl still isn't a fit after trying these tips, we completely understand. Thanks for giving our food a chance, and we hope your pup finds something they absolutely love! 🐶💛
The Happy Howl Team 🐾
DE
Debbie
The food is good quality and my dogs…
The food is good quality and my dogs love it. The only problem is it's very sticky and I have two Yorkies with little mouths. One of them was attacked by a bigger dog and doesn't have part of his jaw And no nose so it's difficult for him to swallow the sticky food
Response from Happy HowlAug 20, 2026
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. 💛🐾 We're so glad your dogs love Happy Howl, and I'm especially sorry to hear about what your little Yorkie went through.
Because of his jaw and nose injury, I completely understand why the sticky texture could make eating and swallowing more difficult. One thing you can try is gently mashing the Happy Howl with a little warm water to create a softer, smoother consistency that may be easier for him to manage. Our meals are stew-like and can be gently mashed for pups with dental or chewing challenges.
Since his anatomy is different because of his injury, I'd also recommend checking with your veterinarian about the safest texture and consistency for him, particularly if he has any difficulty swallowing.
If you need help adjusting his feeding plan, please reach out to [email protected] and the Happy Howl team will be happy to help. 🐶💛
The Happy Howl Team
LI
Lisa
My four dogs absolutely love this food
My four dogs absolutely love this food. I have two French bulldogs one Boston terrier, and one pitbull.
The ease of using the website is a great option and customer service is just a wonderful experience
Response from Happy HowlAug 20, 2026
Thank you so much for sharing this! We’re so happy to hear all four of your pups are enjoying Happy Howl. It sounds like you have quite the crew! 🐾 ❤️❤️❤️❤️ We really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with us, and we’re so glad our team has been able to make things easy for you.
Warm Wags,
The Happy Howl Team
DM
Debbie M.
New puppy
Our new puppy loves your food and I like the convenience of your product you thought of everything.
Response from Happy HowlAug 20, 2026
We’re so happy to hear your new puppy is loving Happy Howl! 🐾 It means so much to know the convenience has made mealtime a little easier for you too. Thank you for choosing Happy Howl and for sharing your experience!
Warm Wags,
The Happy Howl Team
JO
John
Dogs love the food, quantity questionable
Dogs love the food. They are more active than before. 3 stars because the food is not consistent, some containers are watery compared to others. Also some do not contain 14.6 ounces of food like stated on the label, those containers appear not as full as others.
Response from Happy HowlAug 20, 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share this with us. We’re really glad to hear your pups are enjoying Happy Howl, and we definitely want to make sure you feel confident in the consistency and quality of every carton you receive.
Our food is gently cooked inside the carton itself using a slow steam process, similar to a crockpot. Because of this cooking process and the real ingredients we use, you may notice some natural variation in texture or moisture from carton to carton.
The beef has the highest amount of moisture out of all of the recipes. The beef is safe to eat as long as there is no spoilage or off smell.
1.) Higher Natural Moisture in Beef
Beef contains more intramuscular water (aka natural juices) than poultry. When cooked, especially in a stew-style or slow-cooked format like Happy Howl uses, it tends to release more liquid than turkey or lamb.
2.) Fat Content and Melted Fats
Beef has a higher fat content than the other recipes. When cooked, that fat can melt into the mixture, making the recipe appear more “watery” or oily — especially when warmed or thawed.
We take net weight seriously. Each carton is filled to a 14.6 oz (414g) target, and our process follows federal net-content standards (NIST Handbook 133), under which a production run's average meets or exceeds the labeled weight. Any fill-by-weight product will vary slightly carton to carton. If yours was meaningfully light we want to make it right and if you can send the weight you measured plus the lot/best-by code on the carton, I'll route it to our production team directly.
If you ever have questions about our ingredients or process, we’re always here to help. We are glad you are sharing your experience as we want to ensure you receive the best care for your pup.
Warm Wags,
Rachel
The Happy Howl Team
