The Lay of the Land Podcast #237: Sundays for Dogs

Michael and Tory Waxman founded Sundays for Dogs to “make the world’s best dog food”... and to prove it can be made in Cleveland. In episode #237 of “The Lay of the Land” podcast, Michael tells host Jeffrey Stern that the company is the inevitable product of its founders’ DNA: Tory brings deep veterinary care and a drive to set a higher standard for dog nutrition, while Michael brings a Silicon Valley product mindset, believing that a great product can meaningfully improve lives and in this case, dogs’ lives.

A major recent shift has been bringing R&D in-house. Counterintuitively, going “smaller” unlocked speed: they can now run many recipe experiments, iterate current formulas, and develop new ones without relying on outside partners for test batches or recipe changes. Imagine how much the taste testers love those jobs eh?

Michael frames their last chapter of growth as a move from a generalist startup to a team that “believes in expertise.” As they scaled, they needed leaders who have navigated complexity and risk at larger companies, all without becoming slow or overly corporate. He says they’ve been “blessed” to hire mission-driven experts (including food scientists and veterinary/animal nutrition PhDs) who help the company “go faster further.” 

They place Sundays within a broader market shift: Michael argues the category is still early, with “90–95%” of dogs still eating kibble, even as more dog parents seek healthier options and treat dogs like family. He sees a future where a “human grade, shelf stable, fresh” format becomes the default over the next decade, though he notes the market is also getting more crowded, raising the bar for differentiation.

Geography matters. Michael calls Ohio - especially Cleveland - rich in dog food and CPG expertise, supply-chain proximity, and lower costs, which “increases your margin for error.” They’ve increasingly centralized operations in Cleveland and emphasize that in-person work is critical for manufacturing and R&D, shaping both execution and culture.

Looking forward, they want Sundays to become a household name and to elevate the entire category so that higher standards of health, safety, taste, and delight become “table stakes.” Their closing message echoes their earliest market sign: the world’s best dog food is made in Cleveland - a fact that is central to who they are.