Our story & mission

How It Began

Airplane Ears began with a simple belief: every dog deserves enrichment designed with who they are in mind.

Living with rescue dogs taught us that no two dogs experience the world in quite the same way. Some are confident and endlessly curious. Others are sensitive, cautious, deeply attached, slower to move, or simply prefer to engage at their own pace.

Yet so many enrichment products are designed around one idea of play: more challenge, more movement, more stimulation, or to keep them busy for as long as possible.

We wanted to create something different.

The name Airplane Ears comes from that familiar little expression dogs make when their ears sweep back — a moment that can hold excitement, uncertainty, affection, curiosity, or all of those feelings at once. To us, it represents the emotional complexity of dogs and the importance of paying attention to what they are telling us.

That perspective became the foundation of Airplane Ears: thoughtful enrichment designed around the way individual dogs move, feel, and engage with the world.

What We Believe

Our mission is to make enrichment more thoughtful, adaptable, and accessible for every dog — especially for dogs whose needs are often overlooked.

That includes senior dogs, sensitive and anxious dogs, less-mobile dogs, and dogs who simply experience play differently.

We believe good enrichment shouldn't mean unnecessary frustration. It should give dogs opportunities to explore, make choices, engage their minds, and enjoy play in ways that feel right for them.

So we design with flexibility at the center, creating products that can adapt to different abilities, personalities, energy levels, and ways of playing.

Because enrichment isn't only about keeping dogs busy.

It's about helping them feel engaged, understood, and included.

Because doghood should be beautiful, for every dog.

By Emily Xu,

Founder of Airplane Ears