Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Are Launching a Pet Food Brand: 'This Is So Core to Who We Are' (Exclusive)

The couple describes the "love and chaos" of living with four dogs and their first joint business venture in an interview with PEOPLE

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are celebrating their love for their furry friends with their first joint business venture: a pet food brand called Kismet.

The couple tells PEOPLE the project is a natural fit since dogs have been part of their lives for as long as they've been together.

"We've been pet parents for so long, and this is so core to who we are, and to the way our house is, and just who we are as people that we felt like, 'Let's do this one together,'" Legend, 45, says.

The pair's first pooch together, an English bulldog named Puddy, joined the family as a half-birthday present for Teigen shortly after they began dating in 2008.

"That was our first experience parenting together," the "All of Me" singer recalls. "And of course, we love dogs, we love food, we love the culture and community around dogs and being a pet parent. And we thought, why not? Let's create our own dog food and create a brand that celebrates dog culture and community and connects pet parents around the country."

They chose the name Kismet for the brand to evoke the "connection" animal lovers have with their pets.

"That 'Oh, I'm so glad we found each other, and we were made for each other' feeling, and we feel like a lot of pets, and their parents feel that way about each other," Legend explains.

Kismet, which launches May 1 on KismetPets.com, includes premium foods, lifestyle goods, and content for dog families to enjoy.

Related: Chrissy Teigen Shares Photos of Her Family Dogs Through the Years: 'My OG Babies!'

Legend and Teigen, 38, worked with board-certified vet nutritionists and chief veterinary officer Dr. Kwane Stewart to formulate Kismet's pet food option. Two flavors of kibble, Chicken & Barley and Salmon & Brown Rice, are on the menu, as are slow-cooked beef and salmon treats.

Kismet will also be available via a discounted subscription plan. Proceeds from every purchase will support the company's philanthropic arm, Kismet Cares, which benefits Project Street Vet and Paws for Life.

"My dogs have eaten better than me for so many years," says Teigen, recalling how Puddy "ate so well" while she was "on the struggle bus" as a young model living in a Miami Beach studio apartment.

"Our children eat so well," she adds. "It's important for our kids to eat clean and well and feel nourished and fulfilled, but also to get the nutrients they need all the time. And our dogs are just as important as that."

Legend and Teigen are parents to four kids — Luna, 8, Miles, 5, Esti, 1, and Wren, 10 months — and just as many canines.

"The liveliness of our house on a daily basis is so bananas," Teigen shares.

Their dog brood includes basset hound Pearl, French bulldog Penny, Petey the poodle, and their most recent addition, Pebbles. They also have a bearded dragon and recently bird-sat for Teigen's dad's avian companion, Audrey.

Teigen, who grew up with two basset hounds, says Pearl is "really lively, happy, playful."

Related: Chrissy Teigen and Daughter Luna Take Dog Petey to 'Sell Cookies' — and Give Him an Adorable Hat to Wear!

"She has no idea how big she is, and she has no depth perception," the Cravings author adds. So when she launches into you, you are fully thrown backward."

Penny, their oldest pooch, holds a special place in the couple's hearts, as she was born the weekend they tied the knot in 2013.

"She is just such a light," Teigen says. "She came from a world of abuse before we got her, but you would never know it. She just is really so friendly and so positive."

Both Teigen and Legend describe Pebbles as "scrappy," while Teigen calls Petey "a flirt" who "acts real different depending on his haircut."

"They are constantly in the mix of our household," Teigen says of the furry foursome. "I always joke about this, but people are always like, 'Oh, how do you let the dogs on the furniture?' I'm like, 'All that furniture is made with outdoor fabric so that we can have them on the furniture.'"

The celebrity pet parents say introducing their dogs to their little ones has been a joy.

"I love it when we bring the babies home when they first meet them. They're just so sweet, and they'll just kiss up on them and love up on them," Legend says.

"Of course, the babies at first are a little standoffish," Teigen adds, "They're like, 'What is this thing? It's licking my face, licking my toes, everything.' But seeing them run to each other and cuddle with each other is really cute."

Legend says the dogs have been with the couple for "every celebration and every tragedy."

"We've also had to grieve dogs together," he says. "Our first two dogs are no longer with us, and that was the first time we really grieved together, when we lost Puddy. And so once you go through those experiences together, it just helps build the character of your relationship."

Teigen describes their home as "so much love and chaos."

"I grew up in a household where it was always noisy," she says. "So now the amount of chaos in our home all the time is really comforting to me. And it's not crazy for me to have these animals running around, to have these babies running around, to have a pee over there once in a while, a barf over there once in a while."

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"That's just life," she adds. "And life is messy, and life is fun, and pets can be messy and fun and wonderful and unhinged and great and impactful, and they make such a stamp and presence on your lives."

Asked which of their dogs they most identify with, Teigen says, "I'm probably Pearl: a little messy, well-intentioned — sometimes I make mistakes on the carpet."

"I'm more of a Petey, probably," Legend shares. "He's our only boy. But also, I act different when I get a haircut, too."

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