Smriti Pratishruti, MBA, B. TechFounder & CEO at PawzNDogz

Our Story

22 Jul 2026 · 3 min

Watch on YouTube

2:38

The video narrates the founding of Paws and Dogs in late 2019 and explains how the brand created snuffle mats that combine quality, functionality, and visual appeal. It outlines the multiple benefits of snuffle mats—slow feeding, cognitive stimulation, and sensory enrichment—for dogs of all ages, especially seniors and recuperating pets. The speaker identifies shortcomings in existing market offerings, such as overly light and fragile materials, and describes how Paws and Dogs addressed these gaps by selecting heavier, chew‑resistant fabrics, incorporating dog‑visible blue and yellow colors, varied textures, and suction cups that keep the mat stable and discourage dragging. The narrative emphasizes the brand’s commitment to supporting dogs’ mental health, the positive community response reflected in high ratings and heartfelt messages, and the confidence that the company is on the right path.

Chapters

We started Paws and Dogs towards the end of 2019. We are so happy to be bringing such an offering into the market where quality meets functionality and beauty. Snuffle mats actually have a lot of benefits. First being, they are not only a slow feeder, but they help in developing problem-solving capabilities and cognitive skills. Even senior dogs who are slowly on a cognitive decline, it's a great way to keep those brain cells working. And even for recuperating dogs limited to their physical exercise, snuffle mats are a great option to keep their minds engaged. The snuffle mats that we had seen in the market obviously had a lot of gaps. A lot of these snuffle mats were super light. When we tried to analyze the material, the touch, the feel, the weight of the material, that led us to identify those gaps and incorporated them into our snuffle mats. You need something which is going to withstand gentle chewing, gentle nibbling, because sometimes there are going to be situations when the dogs are going to be enthusiastic in their snuffling because there's food involved, and who doesn't love food? Color of the snuffle mats are designed in such a way that the dogs are able to see them. Contrary to the fact that dogs are colorblind, they can definitely see in hues of blues and yellows. So we know that when we are preparing a design, this is something that the dog is able to see. They are able to differentiate the loops, the puzzles in it, and where to dig in their nose for the treats. Using different textures also imparts another dimension in enrichment, which is sensory enrichment, because it's their noses which touches the material. We introduce suction cups in 90% of our snuffle mats because the suction cups tend to hold the snuffle mat to the ground and it doesn't shift when the dog is trying to snuffle. And because of the weight of the mat, it discourages the naughty dogs from picking it up and flinging it and dragging it across the room. We as pet parents We want to give our pets the best. We want to give them the best food, the best supplements, the best toys. But what are we actually doing for their brains? Because they are our babies. We are so, so happy that we have been able to generate a community. When we see those ratings and we read those messages, it just reinforces the fact that we are in the right business.