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About Ruffwear
In summer of 1992, while mountain biking in the Los Padres National Forest with friends and their dog, Ruff Wear founder and owner Patrick Kruse, was met with a challenge that sparked a series of innovations in gear for dogs on the go.
While trying to give her dog Moqui a drink, Patrick’s friend Liz emptied half of her water bottle into a plastic bag and held it while her Rhodesian Ridgeback took a few slurps. Moqui then walked away panting and Liz was left holding the bag—she couldn’t set it down without losing the water and she didn’t want to dump what was left back into her water bottle. “You need to do something about this,” Liz said, challenging Patrick to develop a solution.
After 16 months of research, development, and product testing, Patrick developed the Quencher™, the original collapsible food and water bowl for dogs—and the solution to Liz and Moqui’s drinking problem.
In 1994, Ruff Wear made its enthusiastic debut at an Outdoor Retailer trade show. Since then, the collapsible bowl has won praise from thirsty dogs and has been in numerous publications. This encouragement inspired Patrick to develop more product solutions for active dogs.
Ruff Wear now offers a full line of innovative gear for dogs on the go designed to enhance the interaction between humans and dogs. Ruff Wear gear includes dog packs, harnesses, apparel, protective paw wear, and dog flotation devices.
“We’ve always been oriented toward products that will enhance and assist the interaction between dogs and humans. And that has always been, and will continue to be, our motivation here at Ruff Wear.”
QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY YOUR FAVORIT BRANDS
- Do you have an instructional videos?
- How is product design helping to improve our pet’s experience?
- In terms of our product design, what used to be a few sketches on a napkin, followed by a session at the sewing machine, has turned into a refined process-driven design effort. Prototypes are all tested in lab settings, as well as the real-world environments in which they are intended to perform. It takes a lot more planning and time to create Ruff Wear products these days, because the gear we are making is far more refined, and incorporates more advanced materials and construction. But we still begin with a real customer need, and work hard to deliver upon that need.
- Who are your Athletes?
- Ruff Wear Athletes or as we call them, Ambassadors, don’t just know the outdoors, they know dogs. They embody the Ruff Wear culture, living each day to experience the outdoors with their dogs. We believe that interaction through outdoor activities builds strong bonds between humans and canines, making each outdoor adventure more fun, challenging and inspiring. Ruff Wear Ambassadors inspire and challenge us to develop gear that meets the needs of our most demanding athletes in the most demanding conditions. We know if we develop gear that works for them, it will work for you too.
- What are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint?
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- Ruff Wear participates in PacifiCorp’s Blue Sky renewable power program.
- Ruff Wear is a partner in the local Commute Options program, rewarding employees who bike, carpool, telecommute, walk, or participate in other commute alternatives.
- Ruff Wear’s 6,300 square foot headquarters building runs on approximately $150/month for electricity due to its energy-efficient design.
- Ruff Wear also uses energy-efficient light bulbs.
- Ruff Wear employees try to be as “paper free” as possible.
- Ruff Wear is an active member and contributor to the Conservation Alliance, a group dedicated to preserving natural lands for future generations.
- All employees recycle their paper, cans, and other recyclables at work.
- All soaps and cleansers used at Ruff Wear are eco-friendly or natural products.
- Ruff Wear uses cloth towels instead of disposable paper towels.
- When a company event is off-site, Ruff Wear employee’s carpool together for maximum capacity and minimal environmental impact.