Gail, our Snugpups founder and Chief Dog, has been dog obsessed since before she could walk and talk. Raised in a house with a constant minimum of 5 dogs of varied breeds and sizes, Gail quickly learned who her best friends would always be. Dogs!
Big dogs were the norm for her family, even as she raised her children with English Mastiffs. When the tiny beauties she and her husband, Brian are now graced with came into their lives 7 years ago, so did the need for dog coats.
After a trip to the fabric store on a frigid January day in Rhode Island, Gail sewed up some fleece coats for the pups and snapped a few photos. The short version of the story is this: Happy cute cozy dogs in animal print coats, photos to friends on Facebook, and tons of friends begging for coats for their pups. Et Voilá, Snugpups was born.
Today, we are still a family business based in rural Pennsylvania. And we still make all our own coats! Our goal is to fit all dogs of every crazy shape and size with a warm coat that is easy peasy to get on and off your dogs. No more wrestling your dogs’ legs through holes. No more trying to buckle something under your dogʼs squirming head. Our coats are simply Over the head and One strap around the middle. Itʼs that simple.
Snugpups are definitely not just for little dogs. Itʼs fair to say our most popular customers are Pitt Bulls. And we sure do love fitting giant Great Danes and Mastiffs, too.
We care about you and your dogs, so we take customer service seriously. Feel free to reach out with questions about our products. We love a challenge, and we care deeply about the comfort of dogs.
Wag On Walk Warm!
Gail and Brian
Giving back
The word philanthropy comes from the Greek and means “love of humanity”. In essence, it is a sense of caring, nourishing, developing and enhancing what it is to “be human” by exercising values in giving and volunteering. Simple.
At Snugpups we love animals. Our mission is to utilize a portion of our sales to enhance the lives of pets and their owners. Snugpups engages in various charitable and philanthropic projects.
Below are the current ways in which Snugpups donates proceeds from sales to help various non-profit organizations:
Dogs Living With the Homeless
According to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and the National Alliance to End Homelessness, on a single night in January 2015, there were 564,708 people experiencing homelessness — meaning they were sleeping outside or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program.
Additionally, according to Pets of the Homeless it is estimated that, on average, 10-25% of the homeless population has a pet with them which could include service and companion pets. That means, on that cold night in January 2015 there were (on the low end) roughly 56,400 homeless pets in the U.S.
To all of us at Snugpups, that number of 56,400 homeless pets is staggering, profound and shook us to the core. Upon further research, we found that just in the Northeast US, where the winters can be brutally cold, there are an estimated 14,500+ homeless dogs. NYC alone has an estimated 7,500+ homeless dogs.
To assist, we have Snugpups volunteers scouring the streets of NYC, Philadelphia & Boston to find homeless dogs and provide a double lined fleece Snugpups coat and bandana. It might not solve the homeless pet problem … but we know it will help keep them warm and lift the spirits of their owners. Additionally, we have provided Pets of the Homeless with dozens of free dog coats to assist in helping pups they encounter in cold environments.
If you would like to become a Snugpups volunteer to help find homeless dogs and get them a Snugpups coat, please email us at: Gail@snugpups.net. Trust us, it is so rewarding to know a shivering dog might be warm at night with your help. It is what being human should be about … helping others in need, human or animal.
Supporting Our Fire Fighting Heroes
Snugpups is super proud of our newest charitable program where we create unique dog coats made from recycled firefighter’s coats and pants.
During 2018 Snugpups donated over $4,800 to 12 different fire departments and national organizations through the sale of the Original Firefighter Dog Coat.
Our goal, with the generous support of local fire stations, is to market and sell these dog coats as a special way for dog owners to show their appreciation and support for fire fighters across the USA. For every original firefighter dog coat sold, Snugpups will donate 20% of the sales back to the fire house/station that donated the coat. We also support organizations like the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Fire Fighter Behavioral Health Alliance.
The early response to these unique coats has been fantastic. Dog owners are clamoring to get their hands on a handmade dog coat (made in USA) that not only looks great, but has such special and significant meaning. Imagine purchasing one of these special coats for your dog that was made from material that has been worn by a fire fighter. What a fantastic way to draw attention to the great work and service that fire fighters provide day in and day out … often without much fanfare. They truly are unsung heroes.