“I think the reason we are born with two hands is so we can pet two dogs at once.”

This was the quote I stumbled upon while Instagram binging one day, an instant connection, that led me to Howl + Houndl. But it was the bohemian- hipster fashion for dogs that hooked me… “Hook, line and sinker” as we like to say down here in the South.

Personally when “dressing” Drake, I have an image I want him to uphold. He needs a  bandana that doesn’t follow the normal fashion trends and ultimately stands out from the rest. Basically- I’ve been hunting for an Urban Outfitters store for dogs and Howl + Hound was my answer, only better! With a wide range of light tones & dark contrasts, hilarious and modern, you can find a bandana printed with everything from zebras to donuts to Steve Carell.

 We instantly felt a connection to the girls behind the bandanas. Besides sharing an obvious obsession for dogs, they also have a craze for fashion and agree that dogs should partake in that! Stephanie, the owner of Hound and Howl, is the ONLY seamstress for the company. Yes, she puts all of us Gals to shame in the sewing department. Stephanie has made it her mission to construct each bandana by hand and gather specific and QUALITY fabrics for every single customer! Alison, her younger sister and equally as talented, has joined the company and has taken on the social media side and all things PR! (There Insta page is binge worthy!)

With Christmas around the corner, the best stocking stuffer your pup can have is a new, one of a kind (literally), bandana from Howl + Hound!

Us Gals are so excited to share this #pawfect duo with you!

How did you get started?

STEPHANIE: After getting let go from my position in NYC, I was longing for a creative outlet and a way to spend my days while searching for a new job. I looked at my pup and his bandana and I thought, I could make those! So, I purchased my fabric, had my family bring up my sewing machine from college, and started playing around with different bandana patterns and fabrics and finally came up with a solid line-up for my etsy shop, instagram, and now website!

ALISON: I have been invested in Stephanie’s company since the beginning- I wanted to help in any way I could, from picking out fabrics to finding the cutest pups on instagram to model them. I was really just a background player until this past summer when Stephanie started to get really busy with the company and with her own job, so I started to run the social media accounts on my own! It has been so fun making all the posts and searching for new brand ambassadors.

Tell us about your pups!

STEPH: Brando is a rescue from an Amish puppy mill. He came to me very sick with zero training. Times were hard adjusting with him in the beginning with his lack of training and love in those first months. But now, we are inseparable. He’s the absolute love of my life. His DNA test concluded that he is mostly Siberian Husky and Mini Australian Shepherd with a hint of Beagle… but he is 100% love and weirdness.

ALI: Bella is our soon-to-be 11 year old Toy Fox Terrier. We adopted her as a family in 2007 when she was just 4 months old, and she has been the sweetest little angel ever since. She is a tiny little girl, but silly and playful, even now in her “senior years”. It’s interesting that Bella and Brando look almost similar in their faces but are two totally different breeds! They get along really well, and we love spending time all together.

What and who influence your work?

STEPH: my influences and inspiration lie completely on my customers and my love for dogs, cats and all animals. My customers keep me inspired to keep going even when times get overwhelming juggling my current job and this business. We have the best customers in the world and we are so lucky.

ALI: As a veterinary student, I have always been inspired by animals, and the human-animal bond. It really is incredible seeing how much this bond has grown in recent years, which is good for both me and Stephanie in our careers- we will always have customers and patients! People really do love their pets as if they are their own children, and will do anything for them. That is what keeps me inspired every day to do right by them.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Megan Rose

Megan is the Co-Founder of Gal's Best Friend and the East Coast Editor. She lives in New York City with her 3 dogs. Megan works in the pet industry on the marketing side, Megan is also the Pet Contributing Editor at Bestprodcuts.com is an author of Rescuing Rumba (coming Fall 2021), and a border member of Global Strays.