Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 18 October 2024
Signed by: Dr. Will Maginness, BVSc (Founder & Veterinarian)
Our Purpose
This Charter exists to formally define the standards that govern how 5 Hounds sources, formulates, and delivers food for dogs.
It is not a marketing document. It is a statement of operational and ethical responsibility.
Every decision we make from supplier selection to ingredient approval is measured against this Charter. When these standards cannot be met, we choose constraint over compromise.
Step into the Story of 5 Hounds
Our Authority
5 Hounds was founded by Australian veterinarian Dr. Will Maginness to create the kind of food he could not find for his own dogs.
As a veterinary-led business, our standards are informed by clinical experience, nutritional science, and long-term health outcomes not by trends, cost optimisation, or convenience.
The standards set out below apply to all 5 Hounds meals, treats, and supplements.
Our Non‑Negotiable Standards
1. Ingredient Quality
We source only ingredients that meet veterinary-defined standards for suitability, digestibility, and safety.
Ingredients must:
⁕ Be appropriate for long-term canine health, not just short-term adequacy
⁕ Be consistently digestible and biologically appropriate
⁕ Meet handling and storage standards that preserve nutritional integrity
If an ingredient does not meet these requirements, it is rejected regardless of cost or availability.
2. Human‑Grade Defined (Our Standard)
At 5 Hounds, “human-grade” is not a label. It is a process.
For an ingredient to meet our human-grade standard, it must:
⁕ Be handled, stored, and transported under conditions suitable for human food
⁕ Be fully traceable to its source
⁕ Be supplied by partners who can demonstrate transparency across their supply chain
⁕ Meet veterinary suitability requirements, not just regulatory minimums
Ingredients that are legally permitted in pet food but do not meet this standard are not acceptable to us.
3. Ethical Sourcing & Animal Welfare
We prioritise animal welfare as a foundational requirement, not a secondary consideration.
Our sourcing partners must demonstrate:
⁕ Responsible animal husbandry and handling practices
⁕ Compliance with, and where possible exceeding, Australian welfare standards
⁕ Alignment with our expectation that animals supplying food are treated with care and respect
Ethical sourcing is assessed continuously, not assumed.
4. Traceability & Transparency
We require full visibility across our supply chain.
This includes:
⁕ Clear knowledge of ingredient origin
⁕ Confidence in handling and processing practices
⁕ The ability to verify claims made by suppliers
If transparency cannot be provided, the ingredient or supplier is not approved.
5. Supplier Selection & Rejection
Most suppliers do not meet our standards.
Before approval, suppliers are assessed against veterinary, ethical, and operational criteria. Cost, scale, and convenience are secondary considerations.
Suppliers are rejected if:
⁕ They cannot demonstrate traceability
⁕ Their welfare standards are unclear or insufficient
⁕ Their handling or storage compromises ingredient integrity
⁕ They cannot meet our consistency requirements
Supplier approval is not permanent. It is reviewed and can be withdrawn at any time.
Meet Our Fish Suppliers
We visited Port Lincoln Salmon and Port Lincoln Sardines, two-family owned businesses that supply our fish, to show exactly what standards we expect from our suppliers.
Introducing Port Lincoln Salmon
Meeting up with Port Lincoln Sardines
Our Approach to Constraint
We accept that these standards create limitations.
They may result in:
⁕ Higher costs
⁕ Limited ingredient availability
⁕ Product delays or pauses
⁕ Reduced scalability
We accept these outcomes because compromising standards undermines trust and long-term health.
Premium Pet Food Standards
Dr. Will spoke openly about that challenge and the trade-offs 5 Hounds makes deliberately in Pet Industry News.
Click the article to read on.
Accountability
Final responsibility for ingredient and supplier approval sits with Dr. Will Maginness.
If standards are not met:
⁕ Ingredients are rejected
⁕ Suppliers are re-evaluated or removed
⁕ Products may be delayed or withdrawn
No commercial pressure overrides this responsibility.
Our Commitment
This Charter is a living document.
We commit to:
⁕ Upholding these standards consistently
⁕ Reviewing them as science and best practice evolve
⁕ Choosing transparency over convenience
When a choice must be made, we choose the dog.
Learn more about our partners
The suppliers who share our commitment to animal welfare and sustainable sourcing
Signed
BVSc (Founder & Veterinarian)