Two Fort Worth animal enthusiasts set up a new business to benefit local nonprofits
GOOD DEEDS | Julie Ennis, above, wears one of many items My Lucky Dogz sells. A lucky dog, below, with the company’s stickers. (Photo courtesy Robin Hood)
Robin Hood has two passions: golf and animals. “But not necessarily in that order,” she said.
While Hood grew up around animals, her passion for golf preceded her passion for dog rescue. It wasn’t until she retired after a decade of playing with the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour that she pursued that other passion, taking her first veterinary job in 1998 as a technician in Arlington.
After working for a veterinary consulting and marketing company, the current full-time manager of an Arlington veterinary clinic has added another title to her veterinary resume: small business owner and advocate for animals.
After saving enough money, and with the help of her father and her partner, Julie Ennis, Hood’s newest venture — My Lucky Dogz — launched in September 2012, during National Dog Week at Arts Goggle, a biannual event in Fort Worth’s burgeoning Near Southside.
While the idea for My Lucky Dogz had been on her mind for years, between full-time work and taking care of a family, Hood couldn’t find time to devote to another venture. Starting up a small business, she said, isn’t easy.
The year-and-a-half-old business sells high-quality t-shirts, caps and other accessories designed and printed in Fort Worth, where the company is based. Hood’s goals and practices are socially conscious, promoting adoption and fostering and assisting chronically overcrowded shelters. Ten percent of the proceeds from each purchase benefits a reputable animal advocacy, rescue or shelter group of the customer’s choice, regardless of size or location.
The shirts include phrases like “Rescues are my favorite breed.” Others include a caricature called Bubba, inspired by Dakota, the dog that inspired the entire operation. The Lab-and-German-Shepherd mix was Hood’s first adopted dog and her first dog as an adult. She fell in love with him.
“I immediately felt a strong bond and connection with him,” she said. Soon after adopting him she suddenly found herself volunteering with rescue groups when she wasn’t at home or work.
While Dakota has since passed, he lives on through the caricature. Ennis, a fellow dog lover, says that when people see the Bubba caricature, they see him as “everyone’s dog.” When others see him, they really get it, which makes selling the products so much easier and more fun.
“Dog owners can never have enough t-shirts,” Ennis said.
Megan Henderson, the director of events and communications for Fort Worth South Inc., a community development agency that puts on Arts Goggle and other events in the area, said she loved the idea as soon as she heard about My Lucky Dogz.
“They’re one of the most prominent animal advocacy groups in the neighborhood,” Henderson said.
When businesses call Henderson about groups they could benefit, Henderson turns to Hood. Hood, in fact, is Henderson’s primary resource for animal rescue groups and shelters in the area. Plus, they also sell a great product.
“Not only are they walking billboards for animal advocacy, the t-shirts are cute, too. You want to wear them,” Henderson said, adding she wants one for her daughter.
Both Henderson and Hood describe My Lucky Dogz as both an intermediary between rescue groups and shelters and as a resource for both new and veteran dog rescuers. While planning events, educating the public, volunteering for rescues and rolling out a new line of baked dog goodies for fall 2014 and working full-time may seem exhausting, Hood isn’t deterred.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she said.
With both an online presence and a presence at many area events, festivals and markets, Hood and Ennis see plenty of opportunity for growth. She hopes to eventually make My Lucky Dogz a full-time job for both herself as well as something to pass onto her granddaughter Orian as well.
“There will always be dogs needing rescuing and [there will always be] shelters,” said Hood.
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This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 18, 2014.