OUR STORY
In 2017 I adopted a scrawny, traumatized puppy who had been put in a cardboard box and left for dead in an abandoned lot in Fresno, California. Luckily, some kids heard her pitiful baby howls, waded through chest-high weeds and found her, delivering her and her sisters to a nearby shelter.
Shortly after, she was in my arms. Both of us were ailing at the time - I with my poor health, broken heart, and empty bank account, and Kashi, trembling and wide-eyed with fear and confusion. I wasn't sure if it was the right time to get a puppy, or even if we were right for each other, but my doubts were soon dispelled. Kashi arrived just in time and turned out to be everything I needed.
Being unemployed and constantly seeking escape from my life, I turned towards the outdoors, and found that Kashi loved it, too. We were road-tripping warriors, cozy cabin dwellers, roadside motel sleepers, and Alpine sunset worshippers. We hiked through the redwoods and sequoias, swam in freezing lakes, peered up at ancient volcanic mountains, and ran screaming and laughing from the ocean surf. With every stop on the road, Kashi came out of her shell, made new friends, and learned how to be a dog. And I began to heal, too.
We were, in a word, adventurers. But Kashi's gear wasn't reflective of that, and packing for her became a bear. I had to create a different list for each type of outing, pack several different types of bags, and throw the whole lot in an old backpack. Whenever I needed anything, I'd have to rifle through that backpack and would finally dump everything out to find it. In addition, I lugged around her giant foam bed, which had no waterproof barrier, was unwieldy (no handle to carry it), took up too much space in my car, and was inappropriate for days at the beach or lake.
I had the best of multifunctional gear when it came to road trips, flights, hotels, and camping, so why didn't dogs have similar items? I scoured the internet for good travel gear - I didn't know quite what - but anything would have been better than our current setup. I knew I wanted something that looked nice, was comfy, and had handy travel features I could access right away. I also wanted it to be able to stow all of Kashi's things and compress for easy carriage.
So, I set out to make the pet bed of my dreams. Five years of designing, prototyping, and iterating later, I finally arrived at the first of its kind in the world ninja-of-dog-beds you see today: RuffRest®. A complete sleep, luggage, and travel system, the patent-pending RuffRest® has been an indispensable part of my life with Kashi and we never leave home without it. It keeps Kashi packed up for any destination, elevated off of dirty floors, cool on sunny days, and warm and snuggly at night with its sleeping bag. Best of all, it's got all the smells of home and remains a familiar comfort wherever we go.
Our pets aren't just our best friends. They're family. I hope you enjoy life on the road with them, and let me know how you're doing at hello@timberdog.com. I'd love to hear how RuffRest® has made your life easier, and I'll even feature your photos in our fan gallery! For best use and care, please watch the video entitled, Tracy Ho Explains the RuffRest, on our Timberdog® YouTube channel. And make sure to subscribe for more great how-to videos and new products in the future!
Joyful travels,
Leena Chitnis
Founder, Timberdog®
They're Family™
PS - Check out what we're doing at our non-profit arm - Trees & Tails - where we're planting trees for every pet bed sold!
