Here’s How a Man’s Devotion to his Dog is Changing the World
To say dogs are some of the greatest creatures on this planet would be an understatement, in my opinion. Dogs make our lives better in so many ways, are loyal to us until their last breath, and are our little (and big) reminders that unconditional love is real.
A friend of mine once told me that, “Dogs smile with their tails” and that beautiful thought has never left my mind.
There are many companies out there when it comes to picking up something new for your bestie to sport, but there aren’t any that shine like Beast & Buckle.
This company has been around since 2019 and was founded out of a tragic loss for the yet-to-be co-owner, Stew Anderson. It all began when a very special French Bulldog puppy named Clark found his way to Stew at a time when they both needed each other the most. Out of this unbreakable bond that formed instantly between a man and his dog, Beast & Buckle was born.
I had the pleasure of recently talking with Stew because I wanted to learn more about Beast & Buckle as a whole, and, well, I couldn’t get a word out of the other co-founder of the company, Clark.
This company is changing more lives for the better than I think that they are even fully aware of. They work with a lot of amazing organizations because they all value kindness, love, and making the world a little better for both humans and dogs. The Nala Foundation, French Bulldog Village, SNAFU Rescue, Paws and Stripes and Bullies 2 the Rescue are part of their “pack” of giving back.
Beast & Buckle has donated over $50,000 in harnesses and accessories and cash since launching. They donate a portion of every purchase made by their customers to charities on top of making regular donations of harnesses, leashes and collars to dogs without homes.
On top of this, they were awarded a Rising Star Award from ShoppingGives in recognition of their Social Impact in contributions to helping rescues and others who help dogs.
Just for fun, I asked what the oddest request they’ve ever received was Stew chuckled with his answer. “We had someone ask if we could make a harness for their pet ferret...that is definitely the strangest request we've gotten so far!”
Beast & Buckle is more than just a dog harness company and designing are dog harnesses is not done on a whim. It’s truly a legacy of love from concept to production.
“Designing each harness is both easier and more difficult (at the same time!) than people might think. A lot of our stuff is designed from scratch, and we also work with talented designers to license great art that we can use in parts of our designs (this is how a lot of clothing is designed).
Once we have great patterns in place, getting colors and scale right can take a good amount of time. How something looks in design software vs. how it looks on fabric can be very, very different, and we also have to account for how it will look when it's cut into the shape of the harness and worn by the dog. There are actually a lot of designs that get scrapped at this stage, which is unfortunate.
Once we have those finalized, we work on the supporting features – trim colors/patterns, buckles, zippers (depending on the item). Those are usually quicker, though trim matching can be difficult, too. “Stew admits.
Today, the company is refocusing the merchandising strategy to place an even greater focus on harnesses.
“We're going to retire a lot of the designs and some of the product types we currently sell so that we can create a high volume of new designs on a regular basis. We'll also test some new products, but we're really going to be focused on being known for putting (out) lots of really great harnesses.”, Stew said.
I was also able to get Stew to share a little insider information that is exclusive and being shared here first for the readers.
“We're adding a new (kind of) harness type in 2023 that will give customers another functional option on top of our Reversible and No Pull lines, and we plan to try some new clothing options for our furry friends.”, Stew explains.
Beast & Buckle is a small company doing big things for people, pets, and the planet and I’m happy to support them because they continue to support others. A lot of us are “owned by Frenchie’s”, but Beast & Buckle isn’t Bully exclusive. All dogs, big and small, are welcome here and if you want to truly make an impact this holiday season, I couldn’t recommend shopping with them more.
Find them at www.BeastandBuckle.com and see for yourself why pet lovers everywhere are giving them a “high five” here.