Newsweek’s Most Loved Pet Brands 2026 Methodology Overview
“Newsweek’s Most Loved Pet Brands 2026” is a consumer sentiment study that recognizes brands in the United States based on their emotional connection and love among pet owners. The study combines a large-scale nationwide survey with an in-depth analysis of nearly 2,000 brands, extensive desk research, and media monitoring.
In a partnership between Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group, brands were sourced through an extensive evaluation of pet products and services available to U.S. consumers across major online retailers and service providers. Nearly 2,000 pet brands were selected for further evaluation based on editorial relevance and their availability to pet owners in the United States.
The independent survey interviewed more than 22,000 pet owners in the United States through online access panels between September and October 2025. Participants were interviewed anonymously, and the sample was designed to be demographically representative, aligning with U.S. Census Data. Respondents only evaluated brands they used in the past or were familiar with, sharing their level of affection across three key dimensions of brand love.
Brands were screened across their entire press coverage from December 1, 2023, to December 1, 2025, based on a variety of keywords relating to legal, ethical, or consumer safety issues utilizing Critical Mention’s media monitoring technology.
A proprietary scoring model was used to calculate the overall score for each company, combining recommendation scores, category scores, and third-party data. The highest-scoring brands have been officially recognized by Plant-A Insights Group and Newsweek as Newsweek’s Most Loved Pet Brands 2026.
The exclusion of a brand from this ranking is not a reflection of its quality and is not disputed.
Plant-A Insights Group has a strict no-pay-to-play policy. All awards are based on independent research and unbiased data analysis. No applications.
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Placement in the Rankings (defined below) is a positive recognition based on research of publicly available data sources from the time period in question.
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