It was a bright sunny July day when five-year-old Puma, a Chow-Chow/Golden Retriever mix, and Rita walked home from a shelter where Puma had been a resident. Sunglasses and a visor protected Rita’s eyes from the strong UV rays, while Puma squinted on the way to her new home.
Puma weighed about 99 lbs. and was classified as a BIG DOG and a beautiful blonde one at that! To assure Puma’s eyes were protected from the sun on future walks, Rita spent months searching for quality products, visiting retail storefronts to on-line boutiques, buying and ordering; each product proved less effective than the last.
The only plausible solution for finding a quality product to protect Puma’s eyes was launching Tailored Dog! No one can argue “Necessity is the Mother of Invention!”
So, Tailored Dog was born and a collection of protective and fashionable canine apparel targeted for big dogs, exclusively, was realized. Manufactured by The Chicago Association of Retarded Citizens (now Envision) at their sheltered workshop, the Tailored Dog collection was formally launched at Neiman Marcus, Michigan Ave. in Chicago. Unfortunately, after six months, the shelter lost its funding and was forced to close, and so did Tailored Dog.
Fast-forward a number of years. Rita lost Puma to liver cancer and a five-year-old Corgi named Ranger, also a shelter resident (history does repeat itself), moved in with Rita! On a bright sunny August day when Rita and Ranger were walking, Ranger, much like Puma, began squinting. Sometimes size does matter as Puma’s big dog protective apparel did not fit Ranger!
Finding quality protective apparel for Ranger proved challenging, if not impossible. So, Rita and Ranger spent the next 3 ½ years redesigning Tailored Dog’s collection and identifying a new USA manufacturer who could/would produce a quality product. Their efforts resulted in the luxurious and protective rain and shine Tailored Dog collection, now available for multiple sized dogs.