We’ve always wanted our Dog Friendly Living store to have a good selection of products to help support your dog friendly lifestyle. We’re finally getting there, and have recently added more products to our shop. We hope you’ve noticed that we’ve expanded the range of dog goods that we carry. We hope to add even more, but we have high standards here. It can be hard to pick the perfect products, and we want to get them right.
Everyone loves cute dog things, but we want them to be high-quality too. Part of a dog friendly lifestyle is making sure you surround yourself with dog friendly things. That means we put a lot of effort into making sure our products are pleasing and safe for dogs and humans. Wanna know about our selection process? Keep reading to learn more!
Curating Our Dog Friendly Living Shop
1) First, we need to decide what our clients want! We listen to what you have to say and pay attention to trends in dog toys, dog apparel, and more. We don’t want to offer something that nobody wants. We want our clients to know that we’re thinking about them and their dogs. We encourage feedback, so we can get everything just right (if you have any feedback or suggestions, leave us a comment below).
2) We’re all dog lovers here. When selecting items, we think about what we would want. We consider the items that would make our lives easier. When we look at an item, we consider if it is something we would buy. If we could buy it, is it something that would be useful for our dogs? If the answer is yes, then it’s a contender to end up in our shop.
3) We make a list of the items that we are drawn to, then compare it to our current inventory. Is it too different? Is it similar to other items, but not an exact copy? Is the quality comparable to the items we already have? Does it fill a niche we’ve been wanting to step into? We want our clients and casual shoppers to come back, knowing we have a selection of items that they’ll love.
4) We take a look at the items that have sold well in the past. That doesn’t mean we’re going to keep on carrying the same old stuff. We enjoy finding new things to offer. We do this because it gives us an idea of what you like, so we can choose similar items that have proven appeal… and continue to carry popular ones. We’ll compare our most popular items to the items of interest we have listed and begin to make some tough decisions. We want the items in our shop to appeal to our established clients and to people who may have found us by a happy accident!
5) We consider cost and quality. We don't want to offer poor-quality items at a huge markup. We know inflation is crazy right now! We also don’t think it’s necessary to go over the top with our products. Quality materials are important, but not everything has to be made from rare wool found in only one place in the world. We want our customers to be able to pay reasonable prices for items they and their dogs will love.
6) The most important part of selecting items for our shop is determining if an item is safe. That means being very selective about the vendors we work with. Our vendors produce high-quality items and are as cautious about safety as we are. They guarantee that their materials are non-toxic to dogs, and stand by their products. We pay attention to recalls and are well-versed in best safety practices for dogs. Items are carefully vetted for safety before we even think about putting them online in our shop.
7) Dog friendly means durable when it comes to toys and dishes. We have our own testing team for this. Every item is put through a rigorous trial by our resident dogs. As you’d expect, they have high standards and demand quality.
They put each item through a chew test, a tossing test, and sometimes even a tugging test. Feeders are stepped in, carried around, and grips are tested by attempts to scoot the bowl across the floor. If an item can withstand them, and if they approve of it, we know we have a winner.
8) Last, but not least, we consider aesthetics. Is it cute, does it have the sort of look we like, and will our clients find it appealing? We’re of the belief that just because it’s for dogs doesn’t mean it has to be utilitarian or boring… and we know you agree! What can we say? We like fun, punchy colors and cute, stylish designs.
We like stepping outside the norm and offering unique shapes. Not everyone is into bone shapes (even though they can be cute). Sometimes a fun and funky pineapple is just more appealing. If you have a dog named Donut, what’s more fun than toy donuts and dishes shaped like his name? We like to pick quirky, unique items that are both functional and fun.
We’re proud of the items in our shop. A lot of time and effort goes into selecting things that are just right. We are excited to continue to offer adorable, fun, and unique products that help our clients live their best dog friendly lives.
And if we can’t get a particular item in our shop? We will usually pop it into our Amazon storefront, so that you can shop for it there.
It certainly takes a lot of effort to find the best dog products out there. Now that you know all about what goes into curating our products, go take a look at them in our shop!
Looking for a particular item or category of dog product? Let us know in the comments! We want to hear directly from YOU, so we know we’re providing everything you and your pup need for the ultimate dog friendly lifestyle.