How The Wandering Mutt was born: a letter from the Founder, Jackie Tait.
Dear Wandering Mutts & their people,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for visiting The Wandering Mutt and share with you how The Wandering Mutt Company was born from the heart, built with passion, committed to helping rescue dogs around the world, while building a community of dog lovers interested in nothing but the best for their pups.
Well, this is how it all came to be...
As far back as I can remember, I would often turn to my father for advice in tough situations, and his response was always a question.... “How do your actions make this world a better place?” To this day, his reply resonates when faced with difficult choices or decisions. …Thank you, Dad!
Fast forward to today, where 2020 has left us a world that is divided, filled with tragedy, pain, grief and insecurities that no one could have imagined traversing in their lifetime. Many have had to re-evaluate themselves, their careers, or lack thereof and find themselves in what has been labelled as the “pandemic shift,” including myself.
I began 2020 studying as an Athletic Therapy Candidate in University while holding three jobs to pay my way through school, and in a blink of an eye, everything changed! When Ontario entered its first lockdown, ALL of it was terminated or put on hold. Real anxiety took over not knowing what tomorrow would look like. I immediately had to figure out how to keep a roof over my head, food on the table for myself and my dogs AND stay in my school program.
While figuring out my next steps in life, school moved primarily online, and for the first time in my adulthood I was forced to slow down. Due to stay-at-home orders, I spent more time at home, but took advantage of every opportunity I had to go outdoors and explore with my two rescue dogs, and THIS was when the seed to The Wandering Mutt Company was planted!
Getting outside with my rescue mutts, both five-years-old, is one of my favorite things to do!! Growing up on the West Coast, I spent most of my childhood exploring outdoors. So, immersing myself in nature and exploring with my girls and witnessing the pure joy they get from running up and down trails, getting muddy and sniffing all that surrounding nature has to offer feeds my soul.
This added time together, unexpectedly led to finding ourselves in new situations we were not prepared for or learned later about ways we could have improved the experience!
One example was during a summer boat trip with family and three dogs up to Desolation Sound. The dogs adjusted to the boating life very quickly. When anchored they loved sunbathing on deck, jumping off the swim grid and would hop in the dingy to let us know they wanted to hitch a ride to a shore to do their business or go exploring.
While exploring on a little island, the tide started to go out, exposing oyster covered rocks. Fynn unfortunately injured her paw by slicing her paw pad in half on an oyster shell. As a trained first responder, I had an emergency pet first aid kit, but I was not prepared for this kind of injury on a dog. Fynn needed proper supplies to keep it wrapped, clean and from splitting open again and again.
Regrettably, poor Fynn had a bread bag fastened by duct tape over her foot every time she went to shore to keep it dry, and the rest of her trip was extremely limited...
Arriving back to the mainland, I knew I would never find myself in a situation like that again! I searched high and low for proper adhesive tape, as well as appropriate dog shoes equipped to protect them from any sharp or uncomfortable terrain we might encounter on our trips. They also needed to be comfortable and functional enough so my dogs could enjoy their wandering without any discomfort or the problem of falling off! I did a lot of research, and I mean A LOT, and at the end of it all… I was unable to find a dog water shoe I was satisfied with.
What does this have to do with The Wandering Mutt Company? As I mentioned earlier, The Wandering Mutt Company seed was planted while spending all this extra time with my dogs. This seed began to grow as I continued my volunteer efforts where I was needed within the rescue organization that I adopted my two wonderful dogs from.
I had been heavily involved with Save Our Scruff for over seven years, doing anything I could to help; from an active role in fostering programs, volunteering at events and advocating for rescue dogs, to reaching out to the community to collect donations to help support the rescue. Through this relationship I have also had the honor of traveling to Mexico and seeing firsthand where some of the rescue dog intakes come from.
I have stayed active with animal rescue in whatever capacity available during the pandemic. With restricted travel among so many other new or ongoing issues, I have gained a true understanding, firsthand, of the struggles shelters and rescues are facing right now. It is truly heartbreaking, feeling so helpless because of the amount of support that is needed at this time.
Shelters both near and far are having issues and aid is desperately needed! Without people able to travel and fly dogs to rescues who can help, shelters in other countries are becoming even more overcrowded, affecting their ability to help more dogs suffering on the street and even adequately care for the dogs they already have.
Canadian rescue organizations are doing what they can to help, like chartering planes to help relieve some pressure of overcrowding, so these shelters can continue to rescue the dogs that truly need them. As you can imagine, this is not a cheap endeavor, it is astronomical!
That is just ONE example of what shelters and rescues need right now, but the list goes on and on.
With this you have the seed (wanting to explore with my dogs and find the best gear to be prepared) and the plant (wanting to help all dogs in need)... the beginnings of The Wandering Mutt Company.
From here, it evolved!! … there had to be a way I could make the world a better place for dogs, their owners, and dogs in need. I wanted to create a company that combined my passion for dogs, adventures in nature, and help make a difference for rescues, shelters, and dogs in need in a significant way!... and THIS is how and when The Wandering Mutt was born.
I felt inspired to create an outdoor dog product and apparel store, so that others wouldn’t get caught unprepared like I was. I also wanted to be able to raise money for rescues, but knowing many have suffered financially with the pandemic, I didn’t want to bring them here to shop for what they needed AND THEN ask them to donate MORE MONEY to rescues. My solution was to ensure my customers could help dogs in need just by shopping with The Wandering Mutt Company… that’s it! A portion of the profit from each and every purchase will go directly to supporting rescue dogs. I want to make this world a better place for ALL dogs.
So, I created a community where people can shop, plan their next adventure, learn more about dogs, improve relationships with their dogs and help dogs in need ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Through the Wandering Mutt Company, I provide a platform for dog owners to highlight their wonderful pups, inspire people to get out and explore with their dogs, and to grow that amazing bond between us and our dogs.
With the evolution of The Wandering Mutt Company, also came about my BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), which is to donate $100k back to rescues, shelters, and dogs in need by the end of 2021. It is an extremely ambitious goal, but I know it's absolutely possible. However, this is something I cannot achieve alone; I need your help.
Let us make it OUR goal. So, how can you help? If you have an organization that is close to your heart and a wandering mutt that is the love of your life, please apply to be featured as one of our monthly #wanderingmutts and let's show off your loyal companion. Help us spread the word, tell your dog friends about us, like our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram. Most importantly, if you have feedback for us on how we can improve, please let us know, because your feedback is extremely important to us.
And finally, I really want to thank you for taking the time to read what inspired me to start The Wandering Mutt Company and visiting our shop. We sincerely appreciate your time and your business, and we are so excited for you to be part of our community.
Warmest regards,
Jackie Tait
