Well, that was the last thing I expected to see at Costco! A traveling road show of pet harnesses and leashes.
The impressive fit of the brightly colored products and the wisely added reflective material to the leash left me wondering who the genius was who designed these products.
Intrigued, I phoned Woof Concept Products and the Vancouver Entrepreneur and President Andy Song answered! Here is his story on how Pedro’s adoption created wonderful dog products, all due to a rescued-immigrant dog.
Pedro, a French Bull dog, was discovered injured and unable to walk in Taiwan by an international animal rescue group. They saved the lucky dog from certain death and had him flown 10,000 miles to his new home with Andy and his wife,
Tracy.
“When Pedro, Tracy and I went to pet stores, all we saw were aisles of boring collars, leashes and harnesses. We visited 20 stores and did not resonate with a single design. We wanted fun and unique ones constructed from quality materials. So, we solved the problem by leveraging our design and manufacturing experience creating Woof Concept's first prototype.
As pet parents, we treat our dogs like our kids so when we went to the drawing
board we created something that was eye-catching and fun. It's like putting cute clothes on your children. Who wouldn't want something cute and colorful on their puppies?! We did! So, our core designs were geared towards ‘Fun’ while maintaining our mission statement that Woof Concept is committed to building amazing pet products that are uniquely designed without compromising quality.
We drafted the products using our ‘puppy parental instincts’ keeping safety paramount
and added a nighttime reflective material to our leashes. We created a step-in harness for day-to-day walks or a front clip harness for training (directional steering when the dog pulls).
We used premium graded nylon and polypropylene webbing, so the leashes are softer to hold. At dog parks, our design quickly caught people's attention.
This journey has been rewarding. We are always getting paws-itive feedback from customers! Some love our
products so much that they bought our entire collection for their dog's "Wardrobe/Closet". They say that they have never seen such unique patterns and designs before. We also consistently receive appreciative comments on our reflective leashes.”
So how is four-year-old Pedro today? He is in full health, can walk and living the Dogtrepreneur’s Dream. He has a younger sister now named Marjorie who is a three-year-old French Bulldog rescued from a Taiwan puppy
mill.
“I grew up with my family adopting dogs from shelters and international rescue organizations,” said Andy. “Therefore, rescued dogs hold a special place in my heart. Adopting an older dog is by far one of the most memorable moments of my life and I encourage those who are looking for a dog to consider a senior, no matter where it was born.”
If you have an idea for a pet product, remember that you too can create something to
help the pet population while following your dreams.
