There is nothing I love more than supporting small businesses, especially when they’re owned by women! This particular small business tugs at my heartstrings because it was inspired by three young ladies, aged 9 to 14. With the support of their parents, they have created a leash that fits every dog mom’s needs all while saving the planet, one plastic bottle at a time!

The ladies of WALK understand that a leash isn’t just a leash. The leash is a connection between you and your dog so it’s important what your leash is made of, how it’s manufactured, and that it’s comfortable for each of you. That is why they created the Re-WALK leash.

Did you know that, globally, humans purchase 1 million plastic bottles per MINUTE?! Only 9% of those plastic bottles get recycled. That is an astronomical amount of bottles and I’m totally not doing the math on that!! WALK promises responsible manufacturing with their leashes that are made from 100% recycled material! Bye bye plastic bottles, hello cute and functional leashes!

I had the opportunity to test out the Re-WALK leash and I was pleasantly surprised even just with a prototype! This leash has pin-pointed all of my pain points and the things I dislike about everyday leashes! I can use it as a regular leash or I can choose to go hands-free (which is SUPER convenient while pushing a stroller with two babies!). I can walk with a longer lead when hiking or I can hook it up and walk through crowds with my dogs close by. It doesn’t matter how you choose to use it, the padded handle makes it comfortable to use in all scenarios. Oh! And there’s a convenient poop bag holder and hook to hold the used ones so that YOU don’t have to hold them all the way home! Seriously… that was one of my favorite features about this leash. I love going on walks with Abbie and Gunner but I loathe carrying used poop bags all the way back home! It might sound silly, but this was the feature that really stood out to me and fixed one of my biggest pet peeves when walking the dogs!

Let’s get to know the wonderful creators behind the Re-WALK Leash!

What inspired you to start WALK? Why did you want the leash to be earth-friendly?

We grew our family of 4 daughters with the perfect pet, Snoozer. He has since passed and our family is ready to add a new four-legged friend into our home. I decided to empower my daughters…I put them to work creating products that inspire this family: the beauty of the outdoors and the love for dogs.

Ashlynn 14, Cameron 12, and Maylee 9 helped with market research, create logos, and product ideas. We want to reconnect with the great outdoors with a new best friend. We are recreating that link – our unique dog leash. We know there is a plastic crisis.

Globally, humans buy a million plastic bottles per minute and 91% of all plastic is not recycled. One-use plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (P.E.T.) take about 400 years to decompose and yet they’re highly recyclable. We saw this as an opportunity to educate and help our planet and pets.

As we change our buying habits, we will make a positive change in our world. Never underestimate the impact you have. Re-think the way you walk and WALK with us.

A portion of the funds will allow us to adopt a new four-legged best friend. We are coordinating with rescue homes to donate leashes to help foster programs. Take your best friend and WALK with a purpose; WALK for good.

 

The girls and I are definitely inspired by my husband, Mike, and how he has started his own business, Outdoor Element. He’s an inspiration to us. 

Where did you get the idea for all of the leash features?

We surveyed friends and family to get feedback on what they liked and disliked about their leashes. Also after having a dog for 14 years we had certain features we always wanted in a leash. 

 

Tell us about your pet(s)!

2 fish named Salt and Pepper. 1 guppy from Cameron’s 4th grade class that is now 3 years old and a goldfish that is 1 year old. 

2 year old GSP named Wednesday. She is our current foster and now that the campaign is funded, we have decided to adopt her!

What/Who influences your work? Is there a certain company that sparked the design idea?

The girls and I are definitely inspired by my husband, Mike, and how he has started his own business, Outdoor Element. He is an inspiration to us. 

 

We are also concerned about how much plastic waste is generated every day and would love to be part of a solution and empower others to make a small change for a large impact. 

 

What is/are your favorite dog brands and why?

We love what Beco is doing for their dog toys. Especially their natural rubber ball made from a material from tree trunks.

 A dog treat we have recently discovered is Bison cubes by Boulder Dog Food Company. This is the only thing we could get our sweet foster, Wednesday, to eat when she came to us.  

 

 

So, you’re just launching with your kickstarter. Are there any ideas for future releases or future products?

You could say that everything is new since we are just starting up. We are super excited about our leashes and the designs the girls and I have come up with. Not only do they look great but they each have meaning behind the art.

 

Collars are definitely in the near future that will match the three current designs!

Duty Bags – Our compostable bags are made from a cornstarch mix 

Hats – Made from (PET) recycled plastic bottles

 

We have lots of ideas for future leashes and can’t wait to grow. 

You’ve surpassed your goal of $10.5k. What does that feel like?! How are you going to celebrate??

Our celebration has begun! We are going to adopt our foster pup! It’s an incredible feeling. Running a Kickstarter has been pretty tough and we have had a lot of highs and lows but what really has driven us has been the support from our local community, our friends, our family and the Kickstarter community!  

 

 

What is the next step for y’all? What happens after your kick starter ends?

Once our crowdfunding is over, we are going to shift our focus to growing our online presence and acquiring wholesale accounts.

 

I absolutely loved getting to know these young entrepreneurs and hear the excitement in their voices about helping with plastic waste and strengthening the connection between dog and owner.

 

We want to see this company grow and make an even larger impact in the world! Please consider donating to their Kickstarter campaign and share with as many people as possible!