Our mission
We started Waggel to help dog owners get the most out of their relationship with their dog, and we believe that begins with peace of mind.
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Our Story
As pet owners, we understand the power of the unconditional love a pet can bring, and no unnecessary stresses, anxieties and fears should stand in the way of this. We are cutting the cr*p from the notoriously confusing, stuffy and boring insurance world and re-imagining it with our new simple and enjoyable experience, set to empower the new generation of pet owners. Less worry, more fun - that’s amore!
Our Passion
Animals and our love for them is the driving force behind Waggel. It’s why we started Waggel and it’s what pushes us forward every day. It’s also why we have far too many office dogs - to remind everybody at Waggel why we’ve all been brought together in this space.
“For me, Waggel is an expression of my love for and gratitude towards Sailor, the Welsh border collies (Sally and Meg) and all dogs.”
“My childhood summers spent running and playing in Welsh fields with my grandparent’s border collies, nuzzled dogs into my mind as forces of comfort, calm and benevolence. This impression lingered with me into adulthood and as soon as it was practical to do so, I got my first dog - a Golden Retriever, who I named Sailor.
Whilst preparing for Sailor, I stumbled across a serious problem with a lack of training and a resulting rise in problematic behaviours with UK dogs. In response, I designed my own dog training methodology using my expertise in behavioural and cognitive psychology, which I turned into an iPhone app with an accompanying dog fitness tracker. I was lucky enough to be chosen to appear on the BBC’s The Apprentice with my business plan for Kibble - and it was whilst fundraising during the airing of The Apprentice that I crossed paths with Andrew who was looking into the pet insurance space.
Together, we founded Waggel. For me, Waggel is an expression of my love for and gratitude towards Sailor, the Welsh border collies (Sally and Meg) and all dogs, because aren’t they just incredible?”
Whilst preparing for Sailor, I stumbled across a serious problem with a lack of training and a resulting rise in problematic behaviours with UK dogs. In response, I designed my own dog training methodology using my expertise in behavioural and cognitive psychology, which I turned into an iPhone app with an accompanying dog fitness tracker. I was lucky enough to be chosen to appear on the BBC’s The Apprentice with my business plan for Kibble - and it was whilst fundraising during the airing of The Apprentice that I crossed paths with Andrew who was looking into the pet insurance space.
Together, we founded Waggel. For me, Waggel is an expression of my love for and gratitude towards Sailor, the Welsh border collies (Sally and Meg) and all dogs, because aren’t they just incredible?”
“I want every pet owner with us to have the quality of experience I would expect for me and my cat.”
“Growing up in South Africa, animals were part of everyday life. Despite the incredible wildlife all around and the numerous family pets it was my first dog Ruffie who took the biggest spot in my heart. Ruffie was the kind of dog that all people wished for, he was waiting for me at the door when I got home after school, we would explore our backyard together and he would lay by the side of the bed when I was sick.
Having just finished an MBA in the UK and hearing a lot of my animal centric friends complaining about the state of pet insurance, I decided to do something about it.
Enter Ross Fretten, the crazy star of The Apprentice. He was showing off his dog training and wellness app when we crossed paths, and we immediately realised the synergies and hence came up with the novel idea of fusing pet insurance with a membership subscription service.
Behind every man is a great woman, the old adage goes, and the great woman behind me is Duchess-Belle, my elderly 12 year old cat I rescued from Battersea. My bond with Duchess-Belle is what drives me at Waggel to ensure that every pet owner with us has the quality of experience I would expect for me and my beloved Duchess.”
Having just finished an MBA in the UK and hearing a lot of my animal centric friends complaining about the state of pet insurance, I decided to do something about it.
Enter Ross Fretten, the crazy star of The Apprentice. He was showing off his dog training and wellness app when we crossed paths, and we immediately realised the synergies and hence came up with the novel idea of fusing pet insurance with a membership subscription service.
Behind every man is a great woman, the old adage goes, and the great woman behind me is Duchess-Belle, my elderly 12 year old cat I rescued from Battersea. My bond with Duchess-Belle is what drives me at Waggel to ensure that every pet owner with us has the quality of experience I would expect for me and my beloved Duchess.”
Our Values
Joyful
Every decision we make is in the interest of creating joy for our members and for our staff. Whether that be the details in our pet insurance policy, the partners we choose to work with, or the people we choose to hire and work with every day.
Personal
Our office has three dogs. None of them are even remotely similar in personality, medical history, or smell even and we suspect the same is true of our members. Our membership is designed to celebrate and reward our differences.
Bold
Waggel launched in spite of an entire industry that doesn’t look fondly upon new players. Everyday we acknowledge and stoke this fire in our bellies as we strive to innovate, disrupt and move an entire industry forward by bringing pet ownership into the modern age.
Our Customers
Our Team
Richard Willars
Chief Technology Officer
Rich’s love for building systems doesn’t stop at Waggel. He built his own vehicle dashboard and satnav from scratch and hasn’t been late since
Rachael Condon
Head of Marketing
Small but mighty, Rachael leads marketing. Her commute to work is no issue, as she rides on the back of her Newfoundland, Hercules
Joe Weaver
Lead Designer
Joe’s love for colours and shapes stems from his first job, where he spent his days dressed as a big yellow banana selling smoothies
Arturo Abruzzini
Developer
When Arturo isn't building our website, he is eating his body weight in mozzarella. He considers pizza not from Naples treason
David Witt
Head of Delivery
The Waggel team is always in sync, and it’s down to David, who is always fresh from his daily, morning swim (whatever the weather)
Emma Li
Partnerships Manager
In between feeding, cuddling, worshiping, feeding, grooming and feeding Koda, Emma works on our collaborations & partnerships
James Brown
Developer
By day James translates beautiful website designs, by night he re-beautifies vintage bikes. His pet brick, Marty, is his world
Koda
Cloud Boy
“What’s in your mouth, can I have some?” As a registered therapy dog, Koda is an expert at charming people into giving him treats
Louis Crust
Creative Marketing Exec
A wizard with words, Louis embellishes our content. Growing up, he wanted to be a police dog - a dream he insists he’s not given up on
Marcus Chamberlain
Marketing Designer
Around designing our marketing visuals, Marcus looks after his plants. He says playing 50 Cent songs makes them strong and bulletproof
Matt Mellows
QA Tester
Matt is a QA tester to the bone, which is exactly why he hates rom-coms and loves any movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger in
Mercedes Van Arkadie
Customer Champion
Vet nurse Mercedes helps all our Waggelers. She assures us she’s the original Mercedes and all cars are named after her
Neil Tallant
Digital Marketing Exec
Neil helps us connect to pet owners through the power of digital ads, paid social and song - he’s the lead singer of an indie band
Sailor
Golden Boy
Sailor spends his days assisting Ross and raising team morale with smiles. In his down time, he likes to eat, sniff butts and snooze
Tarren Arnold
Customer Champion
As a trained vet nurse and black-belt in Shotokan Karate, Tarren can support and look after our Waggelers in many different ways
Toby Bareham
User Experience Architect
Toby loves cooking up a storm, in the kitchen and on our website. He once got kicked out of an all you can eat for eating too much
Get your quote
We’d love to welcome you and your pet to the Waggel community.
- Andrew & Ross, Co-Founders
Join our community
Meet like-minded Waggelers and exchange ideas, advice and cute pupper pictures on the Waggel socials channels.