Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Anke: Hello and welcome, John.

I'm delighted to have you here and a
very unusual topic, so I can't wait.

Before we go there, just say hello to
people, let people know where you're

based in this wonderful world and what's

John: your business

Anke: with

John: dogs?

Sure.

Well, thank you for having us on.

We really appreciate, uh, the
opportunity to speak to your,

uh, to your listening audience.

My name is John Reider, located in St.

Louis, Missouri, USA.

And we make very innovative, fun,
safe bubbles for the pet industry.

Anke: That's hilarious.

I would never even, you know, I
hadn't before, like, you know, before

we met, I had never, you know, Even
thought that that was a thing, right?

So I'm curious, how did, how does somebody
get into the business of making bubbles?

And then to start with, you know,
and then how did you discover

that this is something, um, that's
suitable or a good idea for pets?

John: Yeah, well, you know, it's
a, it's a 20, 20 year version.

My wife Beth and I have been in business
for many years, but I discovered

this bubble that someone had created
that glowed under black light.

It was called Technobubbles, and I
thought it was the coolest thing.

That was some 20 plus years ago.

Um, I bought some of these bubbles online
like we all do late at night when we've

had a beer, and, uh, and, uh, yeah.

Thanks.

They came, and I was astounded
at how cool they were.

I mean, these bubbles, when
you blew them under blacklight,

glowed, and they were fabulous.

Um, long story short, uh, I bought
the trademarks, patents, and formulas

for that product, and we started
manufacturing, uh, these bubbles to sell.

Okay?

And, uh, so we started by doing,
uh, uh, parties in parks and

anywhere where someone would let
us, uh, blow bubbles for free.

And, uh, and then people started
asking us to do bubble events.

Um, so we formed another company
called Bubble Bus, where we

actually go and do bubble parties.

And, and so that's, that's how this
whole bubble business really got started.

Um, we make our own bubble formulas.

And a friend of mine mentioned one
night at a Um, at a dinner party and

she said, you know, John, if you and
Beth came up with an idea for bubbles

for, you know, the pet industry, uh,
I think, uh, you'd sell a lot of them.

So I went to work that next day I
started researching and, you know, here

we are now in the pet bubble business.

It's

Anke: absolutely fascinating.

So, well, let's, let's back up there for
a second, because you said something that

I think you sort of just jumped over.

What feels like a much
bigger story, right?

You said like you stumbled across
these cool bubbles and then you bought

the, like, the patent, you know,
like what, what went on in your mind?

Like, I mean, I'll come across a lot of
stuff that I think is really cool, but

I don't go off and buy the patent, you
know, like, it's like this, what was,

what made you think like, oh my God, this
is the business that I want to spend my

time and my energy and my, my money on.

Uh, really getting into.

John: Right.

You know, so, uh, I'm an
entrepreneur at heart.

So I've always, um, even growing up, you
know, I, I, whether I was cutting grass

or raking leaves or selling lemonade on
the corner, you know, I always loved,

uh, being in business for myself.

So when I discovered these bubbles,
uh, I thought it was really the

coolest thing I'd ever seen.

I had never seen them before.

And the guy had gotten a patent on them.

So he had, he was the only guy
legal, uh, uh, to make them.

So we did some research and I
really thought as a businessman

and an entrepreneur that these were
different, novel, and that I would

get really rich selling these things.

So over time, you know, I started slowly,
I started reselling them and whatnot.

And then the gentleman who had invented
them, wanted to get out of the business.

He was going on to other things.

We saw the opportunity to, um, buy the
patents, the formulas, and the trademarks.

So, yeah, it was, it was more
than, um, you know, days.

Yeah, there was, there was, uh, a year or
two in there making that decision where

I first saw the bubbles until we bought,
you know, actually bought the bubbles.

So, yeah, it was, and I think it all
boils down to my love of business

and, uh, being an entrepreneur.

Yes.

Loving, loving that from the start.

Bubbles just happened to be the
product I, I first fell in love with.

Anke: Yeah, it's fun because it
seems like a, you know, so when

you think it's like shoes, you
know, like that's like a necessity.

Somebody, like you gotta wear shoes,
like in most places, you know.

So, but like, Nobody needs bubbles, right?

So who buys bubbles?

John: Correct.

You know, uh, the first market I found,
at least with my glowing bubbles,

was the haunted house industry.

Haunted houses are huge in the U.

S.

and I'm, and I'm sure they
are All over the world.

Big biz, six billion dollar business
and we started selling our bubbles

to every haunted house in the U.

S.

and they were using them as a special
effect as a like a radioactive goo or

toxic gas or something and so that's where
we found our first business success was

selling to the special effects industry.

Ah, that

Anke: makes sense.

Yeah.

All right.

So how, okay.

So the person who suggested to you,
like, Ooh, you should make that for pets.

Obviously they would have had an idea
of what, like it would, it never,

it has never occurred to me until
today to buy bubbles for my dogs.

Right.

So

how does somebody use them?

Do dogs get scared of them?

Do they play with them?

Is that like, what's the, like, why
would somebody buy bubbles for their dog?

John: Right.

Those are all great questions, and
the same questions I had when I,

you know, when I looked at this.

It's like, you know, Does
this thing even exist?

And they do exist.

A lot of them were being
made offshore, overseas.

They were very low quality.

They didn't work well,
had terrible reviews.

And so our first thing was, all right,
let's, let's, let's make some bubbles, uh,

that are going to entice the dogs, right?

So our first bubbles were, um, uh, peanut
butter scented and smoky bacon scented.

for our for for dogs.

And then we we use real catnip that were
infused into our kitty love bubbles.

Um, so we knew catnip was was was a
no brainer, you know, for the cats.

Um, but we we just started
experimenting with different, uh,

fragrances and scents that would might
entice a dog to go play with them.

And, uh, we gave them out to
a lot of family and friends

and people that own dogs.

And we found that, uh, a lot of
dogs responded very well to them.

They they they chased
them around like a ball.

Um, um, they got very excited with
them, uh, and then we found out very

quickly that people were using them
for play and for exercise and, uh,

for health and wellness reasons.

And, and, you know, I really created them
because I thought they were fun and cool

and that people would have fun with them.

But, uh, we're finding that the side
effects and the, uh, uh, and a good.

Good attributes that come out of
this are health and well being, you

know, combating dog and cat obesity
because you're, you know, your

older dogs may, uh, are moving more.

Um, it's, it's, it's low impact,
you know, they don't have to do a

lot of jumping if they don't want.

Elderly people can do it.

You don't have to be an able
bodied person to throw a ball or

throw a stick with your animal.

You can sit out in a chair and, you
know, So it really opened up the, uh,

it really opened up the, uh, you know,
the playing field for, uh, all walks of

life and for all animals, young and old.

Anke: That's interesting.

So it's basically a toy.

It's like a dog toy, right?

So instead of me throwing a
ball around that I, Like one

of my dogs is quite funny.

Like she's, she's a mastiff.

She's a guard dog, right?

And you throw a ball and she looks
at you like, well, initially she

goes after it, but then she gets
like, yeah, you get that, right?

So it's usually me who ends up
picking up the last ball, right?

So with the bubbles, you don't, I
don't have to run off to the ball then.

John: You know what?

Yeah, that it.

You're exactly right.

And it's also not a toy that
you're going to trip over on

your family room floor either.

Um, which is not bad.

So, um, and you know, the
Bubbles are like any other toy.

They are a toy.

They're considered a toy.

When we sell them, they're
like in the toy, uh, section.

Well, uh, you know, uh, you
know, on the store, store shelf.

Um, and sometimes you have to, uh,
just like you do with any new fetch

toy or, or something you play, engage
with your dog or cat with, you may

have to introduce them a few times.

I will say sometimes the first
time, uh, dogs and cats see

the bubbles, they are a cat.

Possibly a little frightened because
they've never seen that, or, or, you

know, it's coming, it's floating,
and it's getting very close to them,

and they're not sure what it is.

But once you, uh, um, introduce
it to them several times,

it's just like any other toy.

If they, uh, some, some dogs and
cats will take to them, most do.

Some won't, you know, I mean, just
like they'll look at you like, hey,

yeah, I don't know what you're doing,
but this ain't for me, you know.

Yeah,

Anke: I mean, that's fair enough.

Like, that's the same
with any other toy, right?

You know, so some, some dogs
will love it and others go like,

yeah, that's for you, mate.

You know, so, but, but so, so when
they, So if it, if it don't basically

like bites the bubble, like, you
know, obviously, you know, obviously

that's not toxic, but is that like
kind of wet or what's the consistency?

Like when you, you know, or if
it like drops to the floor, is it

like, what's the, is it just sort
of evaporating or how does it work?

John: Yeah, great question.

Yeah.

So, uh, you know, as a kid and,
and whenever you blow a bubble, you

know, it produces that floating orb.

Mother nature starts
evaporating it right away.

And then, uh, um, if it, um, uh, you
know, really depending on the humidity

and how much wind is blowing outside,
that'll, that'll tell us whether or, uh,

you know, whether the bubble pops in the
air or whether it hits the ground, okay?

Um, so, uh, environmental issues,
wind and humidity play, play a part.

Um, safety, you touched on that.

Safety was a huge factor when
we developed these bubbles.

We wanted to make sure
that, uh, uh, no pet.

Uh, or human would be harmed
if they accidentally ingested

some or got some in their mouth.

So we went, uh, to all the, uh,
testing labs and, and made sure that

we were creating a very safe bubble.

And, uh, they carry, uh, uh, a U.

S.

toy certification from the
Consumer Product Safety Commission.

So, uh, they are, they are tested safe.

Um, uh, if a dog or cat gets
them in their mouth or eyes, you

know, uh, There's no worries.

Um, um, they can't be harmed.

So that was a very, that was the
biggest factor when we did these

for the pets, was making them, uh,
super safe and, and fun to play with.

Anke: Yeah, okay, that makes sense because
I'm imagining like my dogs are well,

yeah, if they go like, oh, what's this?

Like, first thing is they
try and bite it, you know?

John: Yep, yeah.

Anke: So it would be, it would
be quite a funny reaction, right?

If they bite into it and
then it goes away, like.

John: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It kind of freaks them out at first
and then, um, and then they, you

know, they get used to that wonderful
scent that we've put in them.

So that's a really big kind of,
uh, you know, enticement for them.

They're smelling this, uh, you know,
they're smelling peanut butter or bacon.

Uh, we've also come up with, we've
also come up with birthday cake, uh,

pumpkin, uh, and apple pie as well.

So, uh, we'll be

Anke: competing then, right?

John: Right, exactly.

It's a, it's a big dog party, baby.

Anke: Oh, that's funny.

I mean, have you ever heard of a dog
getting a little bit addictive or

a little bit overexcited from it?

John: So, you know, I have one
gentleman who, um, um, has to hide

his bottle of bubbles and bubble
gun because the dog gets so excited.

Like, when he starts to walk near them,
the dog thinks it's playtime, right?

Uh, so yes, I've heard stories of
some animals just being so excited

about them that the owners have to
kind of stash them away so that they

don't, uh, see them, which, which as
a manufacturer of the product, I love.

You know, that's a great thing.

But yeah, so yeah, sometimes you
have to hide them from the pets.

Anke: Well, I can imagine.

I guess it'd be the same
with kids too, right?

So it's not like, yeah,
yeah, that that makes sense.

So what have you, have you got any?

What are your other flavors that
you've got in the works or like, you

know, what are you working on next?

Or, you know, what's the, what's the plan?

What are you excited about?

John: Well, you know, as an
entrepreneur, I'm always looking

for like the next best thing, right?

You know, or, or
enhancements to what we have.

So I was actually, uh, with someone else
the oth telling me about um, arom that

they were doing uh, oils for calming.

Um, so research for looking at m

Uh, have calming effects, um,
put them in the bubble form.

But instead of using them for exercise
and entertainment and, and, and kind

of stimulating the, uh, you know, the
dog or cat, we'd use them to calm the

effect, uh, you know, to calm the pet.

So, um, we we're going after that
right now, and then I think, um.

First quarter of this year, we're going
to be introducing, since we've had

such great response with our catnip
bubbles, we use a great catnip from,

uh, that's made right here in the U.

S.,

um, um, we're going to
create a catnip spray.

Um, so we're going to be adding that
to our, uh, cat line very, very soon.

We'll have that at
Global Pet this year, so.

Anke: Hmm, because I'm thinking like,
yeah, you probably have something

that you're, that you're, you know,
kind of working on in your lab.

Like, I would imagine, like, do you
have like a fancy lab in your, you

know, somewhere where you have all
your little bottles and tinctions

and play around and develop new,
new scents and new products or how,

how, how, how would I picture that?

John: Exactly like that.

So think of you being in your kitchen
and you're, you know, you're a cook and

you're making all these fun foods and
you have your spice rack with all your

different scents and, and, and spices on.

Um, my lab looks very much the same.

I have literally hundreds of bottles of,
of different fragrances and, and, um,

essential oils and, uh, things we use in
the production of our, of our bubbles.

And we're, we're always in there kind
of experimenting and, and taking,

um, Taking suggestions from people,
you know, I mean, some of the best,

my best ideas come from talking with
people and, uh, folks like yourself,

you know, in the galley yesterday, just
speaking with people about, hey, what,

uh, you know, what are your thoughts?

What do you, you know, what do you
think might, uh, be a good idea?

Or it just comes up in conversation and
you just pick up on it, like my friend

at the party saying, hey, you know, you
ought to check out Pet Bubbles and, you

know, we, you want You know, we did.

So, uh, you always have
to keep your ears open.

Anke: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

I guess.

And that's always that, you know,
when I always talk about when

this, you know, where your passion
meets a need in the market, you

know, when, when that sort of hits.

And actually now, obviously we're
talking about dogs mainly, but

are there any other animals?

Rather apart from dogs and cats who
kind of, you know, I could imagine

like, I don't know if I'm imagining
like in a zoo and they have a bunch

of monkeys to entertain, right?

So it's like, you know, are there
other animals that would really

enjoy playing with the bubbles?

John: Again, another great question.

We have a top 10 zoo here in St.

Louis.

The St.

Louis Zoo is a well known zoo, a wonderful
place, and we do a lot of, uh, bubble

events down there with our bubble company,
uh, but I've, uh, I've become friends

with, uh, the curator of the large
animals, so we actually have brought down,

um, our peanut butter scented bubbles for,
uh, They tried them with the elephants.

And we've actually brought down
catnip bubbles to see if the

big cats, lions and tigers,

might be interested in them.

And we're still waiting
for feedback on those.

But yeah, you know, there'd be no reason
why, you know, the bubbles would not,

instill the same excitement in a,
you know, in a large animal, you

know, as it would, like a family pet.

Yeah.

So we're, you know, we're looking at that.

It's kind of a fun, it's
kind of a fun experiment.

And the exciting thing is, is they're
very interested in that because

they're, they're always looking for new
enrichment, you know, the, you know,

the, uh, you know, the animals down
there see the same scenery all the time.

So they're always looking for
ways to enrich their lives.

And it's, and it's kind of fun having
people that are excited about maybe.

playing and experimenting with them.

And they're, and they're happy about
the safeness, you know, like the pet

safeness of our, of our products as well.

So that, that helps greatly.

Yeah, it's wonderful.

It's fun.

Anke: Yeah.

No, I think, I mean, let
me just mention enrichment.

I just.

There's just an enrichment, a
dog enrichment summit going on.

I'm like, well, next, next time I think
you, you should go, go speak there.

Because it does go in that,
in that category, right?

It's a mental stimulation.

It's, it's physical stimulation.

And it's, it's that fun element,
but it's not all that serious.

It's not like, oh, agility, agility.

You have to do this and that.

It's kind of, you just.

John: Be playful.

Right, right.

Exactly.

You know, it's like when you exercise
at home in your basement and you're

not going to the gym and you're
doing, you know, the big, you know,

the big fancy workout, you know.

Pet, you know, pets like
to move around all day.

They've been inside, maybe the, you know,
their owners have been at work all day

and, uh, yeah, everybody can kind of get
into their own routine with their pets.

Uh, the other thing I'd like to
mention is, uh, I didn't realize that

pet obesity was such a big thing.

You know, in dogs and cats,
at least here in the U.

S.,

our animals are, are overweight.

And, uh, you know, we're trying to use the
bubbles, uh, to get people to get better.

Moving again, and it goes back to what
you were saying about health and wellness.

Um, and I think we all feel better, you
know, when you, when you exercise or

when you take a walk or, or, you know,
when you, you know, when you sweat

a little bit, man, when you're done
with that, um, uh, it, it releases the

endorphins and, you know, you feel good.

And, and I think, uh, it, you
know, the same Chemistry must be

happening in our pets as well.

So if they run around I think they feel
good when they're, you know, I think

they feel good when they're tired.

Anke: Yeah, no, I mean,
don't we all, right?

I mean, um, actually that's
just kind of reminds me.

So my initial idea would always be,
Lou, you play with bubbles outside.

But you don't have to, can you?

Like, you could play inside.

I mean, obviously, if you have the
space, but sometimes you see these

funny videos, you know, when the dogs
like crash through the living room and

smash the, I mean, we don't want to,
you know, we don't want that, but in

theory, there's nothing really that
requires this to happen outside, does it?

John: You know, you are
100 percent correct.

Yeah, we we actually encourage
people, you know, a lot of cat

owners will play with their cats
inside, you know, um, dog owners too.

We, you know, we see many videos of
people, uh, in their living rooms or

in their kitchens or basements playing
with the animals, uh, here in St.

Louis.

Like we talked before we started
recording, it's very cold out here.

Snow and icy conditions.

It's actually, uh, dangerous for people
to be out because they'll slip and

fall and happens with our pets too.

So having something that you
can do with them, uh, in areas

that get, uh, cold and snow.

Um, big deal.

You, you certainly can do it inside.

That's a, yeah, that's a great
thing to, uh, let people know,

uh, they can be done inside.

Anke: Yeah, because that's I'm thinking
like, Oh, actually, because we've got

that here, not, not with the, with the,
with the heat, but we have the problem

in summer, when it's so hot that during
the day, you can't go out, you know,

because they'll burn their feet and
they just collapse from a heat stroke.

And so there's literally you got, you can
go out with them like early in the morning

or late at night, but sort of during the
day, if you can throw some bubbles around

inside, you know, where it's just cooler.

Then that'd

John: be fun.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

On the flip side, yeah, when it
gets extremely hot, it is, you

know, it's just as dangerous
for dogs and cats to be outside.

Uh, so yeah, they, you know,
I think, uh, our pets like air

conditioning as much as we do.

Anke: I

John: bet they do.

Well, they're not stupid, right?

Exactly.

Break out a bottle of bubbles, turn
on the air conditioning and, uh, you

know, have, uh, have a safe play date.

Anke: Yeah, I love that.

I love that.

So where would somebody go and buy those,
you know, like, and also actually, um,

obviously I want you to tell people
where they can buy yours, you know,

but also if somebody goes, Oh, I'll
just go on Amazon and grab some, right.

So, so what should somebody be
watching out for, you know, because

you said before that a lot of them.

Get kind of produced overseas and
they might come from China and who

knows what your dog basically ingests
there so Is there something where you

go like, yeah make, like if you buy
whatever, like don't buy this You know,

John: right, you know, uh, yeah, so damn
To answer your first question, you can,

you can certainly find us on Amazon U.

S.,

uh, and some of the
international, but Amazon U.

S.

is, is, is a great place
to find our products.

Uh, we have our own
website, AtomicBubbles.

com, which I, I think you're
going to share with the audience.

Yes, we'll pop it below the

Anke: video, yep.

John: Right, and you
know, Amazon, you'll find

reviews are huge and especially
on Amazon, reviews are king.

And so I would, I would tell your
listeners to be very aware of, of, of

reviews, see what people have done.

That's a good thing for us to say
because we rank very high on Amazon.

We have thousands of
reviews with, uh, Uh, uh, 4.

2, uh, average, uh, review rating.

So I think it's very important
for people to look at the reviews,

uh, and let past buyers who have,
who have tried the product and

reviewed it, uh, be their guide.

And, uh, with our particular
products, you will find some,

uh, wonderful reviews on us.

And, and, uh, a lot of times
we're ranked number one on Amazon.

So that, uh, in today's
world, that means a lot.

That means a lot.

Yeah, for sure.

For sure.

So, uh, yeah, and there are
other ones that are out there.

I would encourage, uh, uh, your
listeners to stay with, you know, uh,

US, uh, um, um, uh, manufacturers,
people who they might know.

But again, those reviews, I think
are, uh, are the best way to go.

And we, uh, we rank very well.

If you're searching reviews for pet
bubbles, uh, we will be in that, we will

be in that top line search for sure.

Anke: I love that.

Well, that's well done.

Like that's not an easy
thing to do, right?

Especially with, with, you know,
so many people offering stuff.

So to, to rank well there and be around
for so long, that's definitely worth

gold in today's, in today's world.

It is.

Are you on social media as
well for people to follow you?

I don't know.

Are you on Instagram having funny,
funny, funny, funny reels with, you

know, with dogs playing with bubbles?

John: Yes, we have.

You know what I'll do is I'll have, uh,
I'll have Dana, um, uh, reach out to

you after the show, uh, and she'll give
you all of our social media handles, uh,

and yes, we're on Instagram, Twitter,
Facebook, all of those, uh, so your,

uh, audience can go out there and see
all the crazy stuff and, and fun things

people are doing with our bubbles.

Anke: Yeah, because I think it'd be so
much fun to actually see because now, now

here, it's just you and me talking, right?

So we don't actually get to get
to see the, the bubbles in action.

So that's why I'm like, I mean, I might
be always sharing the link anyway,

but I think in this case, it'd be
like real fun to, to actually see.

see it in action, you know, what
that actually looks like and see

how much the dogs enjoy it and, you
know, so entice people to, to try

it out, you know, so your dog will
thank you for, for a new toy for sure.

And so thank you so much.

This was so much fun.

I think I love the fun element you've
got in your whole business, right?

So when you think the whole, the
whole purpose of the business is to

bring fun and excitement and movement
and exercise to dogs and people.

I think that's brilliant.

John: Yeah, our mantra here at, uh,
Atomic Bubbles is Peace, Love, and

Bubbles, so, um, We love, yeah, we love
to make smiles, and we like to, uh, um,

make, make the world a better place if
we can, and, uh, we, you know, we say we

try to do it every day, one bubble at a
time, so, uh, we really, uh, we really

appreciate the time with you, and, uh,
uh, you having us on the show, and I hope,

uh, and I hope your listening audience
gets a, uh, a kick out of the bubbles.

Anke: With a show will.

Thank you so much.

John: Thank you, Anke.

Thanks so much for listening.

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That's A N k E at Soul
touched by dogs.com.