Meet the Maker: Cara and David Wesch of Doggy Do Good
Meet the Maker is a new blog series on The Dapple featuring Q&As with small businesses, creatives, and makers who are crafting unique products for dogs and dog lovers.
We’re always looking for ways to go green with our routine, so we were thrilled when we discovered Doggy Do Good. Founded by Cara and David Wesch in 2015, the small business creates waste bags and wipes that are all-natural and eco-friendly. And 10% of each sale is donated to rescues and shelters. We chatted with the duo about what makes their products pup- and planet-friendly.
In one sentence, how would you describe Doggy Do Good?
We’re a pet supply company with purpose—we promote compassion, harmony, and awareness toward our pets and planet earth. While striving to make our pets’ carbon paw-print smaller, we also donate a portion of all proceeds to animal rescues and no-kill shelters. Okay, that's two sentences, but we're doing a lot!
We love your commitment to environmentally-friendly dog waste bags—what do you wish more pet owners knew when shopping for dog bags?
Shoppers are getting smarter for sure—which is awesome—and are catching onto the idea that a green-colored bag does not equal a biodegradable bag. And simply by using “earth” in the name on the box, does not make a bag any less plastic.
There’s also a lot of information out there about eco-friendly bags, which is very confusing. Some of these types of bags use an EPI additive to break down into micro plastics, which are even more hazardous to our personal health and the health of our planet.
Tell us about your journey to launch Doggy Do Good—what inspired you?
Our senior rescue dog Annie, who has since passed, really inspired us. She was a foster, but we were total foster-fails and completely fell in love with her. In the process of finding her, we realized the epidemic of senior rescues out there.
Seeing how many senior dogs needed homes honestly just broke our hearts. We knew there was more we could be doing and needed to be doing. We started brainstorming how we could create a planet-healthy product that would give back on a larger scale—to animal welfare organizations, sanctuaries, and the local rescues that so desperately need our help. So, Doggy Do Good was born.
What was the most challenging part of starting your own business?
There are inevitable obstacles and roadblocks at pretty much every step of creating a product and a company. Things would pop up that felt so frustrating or difficult. But we learned we just had to keep digging away—each one eventually become figure-out-able and overcome-able. (Those are words, right?) And you finally begin to see that building something you believe in is worth working hard.
I’m such a huge fan of your commitment to donate 10% of your profits to shelters and rescue organizations. Tell us about some of the organizations you’ve partnered with in the past.
We partner with six total including The Gentle Barn, Friends of Animals, ASPCA, Animal Welfare Institute, Best Friends Animal Society, and The Humane Society.
We’re also always looking to incorporate a new donation opportunity when we travel, whether that’s visiting a shelter, donating our returned bags, or getting involved with a specific animal in need. That’s been an amazing gift from all of this.
You recently launched a line of pet wipes in addition to the dog bags—tell us a little bit about what makes the wipes unique.
Our wipes are made from bamboo and are completely natural. They’re all-purpose and can be used on your pup’s ears, face, teeth, paws, coat, or skin. We even use them on ourselves! We’re really excited about them and can’t wait for people to discover them.
How do your own dogs influence your business?
All our products are used by us daily, so they have to meet our standards. (Or our dog Olive’s standards, which are very high!) Everything we make is the best quality since it’s what our pups deserve and what we want to use.
Any exciting upcoming plans for Doggy Do Good?
We just launched extra small bags for puppies, small breed dogs, and toy breed pups. They still fit into our standard dispenser, but they are teeny and cute—just like their customers. And we do have some new Doggy Do Good products coming in the next year. (!)
We’re also planning some road tripping, so we’re looking forward to more visits to rescues and sanctuaries along the way. It’s inspiring to connect with awesome humans and their furry family members as we travel.
What has been the most rewarding part of running your own business?
We love having the ability to give back on a regular basis. It’s so amazing connecting with animal parents and organizations that are passionate about the wellbeing of all living things and the planet. It’s really a gift.
We also both have other careers outside of Doggy Do Good, so building something together with Olive and watching it grow—that’s pretty awesome.
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You can shop Doggy Do Good at their website or at The Barking Zoo in NYC. Follow them on Instagram or Facebook for more updates.
