Our Team

Anthony Gardiner (he/him) – Founder / Chef / Cleaner

Hi there. I am Anthony, the founder of the Fussy Dog Co. When I was a wee one my father was a chef, so by age six I was in the kitchen making biscuits and cakes – mostly for myself. When I got my first dog I started making food for him at home, with my friends often remarking that my dog ate better than them.

Fast forward a few years and when I lost my travel industry job due to Covid, I had to get creative in the kitchen again to get our R&D department (Cashew, Astrid , and Chewie) to eat a full meal. The instant gravy powder we made to get them eating again was a huge hit with our dogs, our friends’ dogs, and everyone else who heard about.

Having recently completed a masters degree gave me access to leading academic research to help refine our products, and also helped me build up the systems that have allowed us to scale to where we are today without losing any quality or compromising the founding ethos of the company.

Dr Mark Roberts (he/him) – Nutritional Scientist

Hi there, my name is Dr Mark Roberts and I work as the Nutritional Scientist at Fussy Dog. I’ve been involved in companion animal nutrition for many years, both in the commercial sector and research. My PhD focused on the instinctive diet selection of dogs and the health benefits from consuming a diet of this composition. In addition to these studies, I have spent time conducting research in Alaska, examining the feeding habits of wild wolves,

how these impact on markers of health, and comparing this to domestic dogs, based on what they are fed.

I practice what I preach and feed my kennel of working mid and distance racing Seppala Siberian Huskies a diet based primarily on fat and protein. The need for superior nutrition is even more imperative for working dogs, with any nutritional shortcomings becoming evident quickly. My intention here, is to bring you on a journey, whereby I can share my nutritional knowledge gained over the years. Ultimately, I want to help improve how dogs are fed, in turn, contributing to them living, long and happy lives!

Judy Wilkinson (she/her) – Brand Guardian

Originally from sunny South Africa, I spent 4 years in Auckland and have had the opportunity to work with some great kiwi brands. I recently relocated from Auckland to Christchurch, I now have my very own desk at FussyDog HQ – complete with motivational posters, Anthony’s background whistling and even my own desk plant.

I have a passion for all things pooch and it’s such a great opportunity to be involved with a company that cares so much about quality products for dogs. It’s any creative’s dream to get involved in projects they can truly believe in, and I’m sure that will happen for me some day. For now, I’ll hang at the Fussy Dog company!

Sarah Kerr (she/her) - Operations Manager

Hi there, my name is Sarah and I am the Operations Manager of Fussy Dog Co. Born and raised in Christchurch I have built up a great community of friends which includes the founder of Fussy Dog Co, Anthony.

Since the beginning of Fussy Dog Co I have been a big cheerleader of the company and was always asking for updates on how things were going. Then the opportunity came calling from Anthony to work within a company that I’m incredibly passionate about. The answer was a quick yes!

I have a background in administration roles in the science and environmental sector, starting as an administrative assistant and working my way up to executive assistant. I’ll be bringing my organisation skills and savvy admin experience to the Fussy Dog team to help keep the day to day of the company moving smoothly.

I don’t have a dog (yet…) but I do have the wonderful wee Alf man (Alfie). He is a big fan of the Fussy Dog Co products and enjoys the range of gravy on his biscuits. He even lets me brush his teeth with teefers and loves the taste of it!

Amanda Partington, Bear the Goldie (she/her) - Sales Director

Being a loving mum of three fussy daughters, two fussy dogs and one particularly fussy cat, for my ongoing mental fortitude, I became a customer of Fussy Dog gravy products. Those tasteless, wheat free, gluten free biscuits that were being ignored by our puppers, suddenly became hooverable when you add nutritional, yummy gravy! Who knew?!

From here, two things happened, a love/need of Fussy Dog pooch products, a quick catch up with an old friend and voila, a sales role with Fussy Dog (which due to the number 8 wire nature of the business, happily includes a bunch of other stuff).

My background prior, is 20 years of digital marketing and sales - yadda, yadda. My now, is selling Fussy Dog to an industry and people/families who absolutely and unconditionally love their dogs.

All dog lovers know the importance of nourishing their fur babies, I think of the song by The Police in 1983, "every snack you make, every meal you bake, every bite you take...I’ll be watching you."