Ask any owner of a dog and they’ll tell you the same thing. They change your life.
But for Vancouver’s Andy Song, he had no idea just how much his life was going to change when he answered a call from a rescue organization back in 2015.
“I got the call to say there was an injured dog who had been hit by a car and abandoned in Taiwan. Either we rescued him or he was going to the kill-shelter.” Andy recalls.
There wasn’t a question for Andy and his wife Tracey and before long, Pedro the French Bulldog was on his way to Vancouver for a new life.
After the horrific things Pedro had been through, Andy and his wife wanted the best for their precious pup.
When nothing on the market met their expectations, they started making their own collars in their garage – high quality, innovative designs that matched Pedro’s personality. And so, Woof Concept was born.
2 years later, Andy got another call from a rescue organization about a puppy in desperate need of help.
“This dog was in an illegal puppy mill and had spent her whole life in a cage,” explains Andy. “The police raided the place and found her.”
“She was used for breeding, maybe 4 or 5 litters, and she was barely 3 years old. She had never been outside. It was heart-breaking.”
Again, Andy was faced with the same decision – they could rescue this dog and bring her to Canada, or she would end up being slaughtered.
Marjorie joined the Vancouver family and fellow French Bulldog Pedro. By this point people were starting to notice the stylish pups’ unique collars and leashes.
Dog owners would stop the Vancouver couple in the street, asking where they could get a collar like Pedro and Marjorie’s.
As interest grew, so did Woof Concepts and before long distributors from all over the country were wanting the Canadian-made products.
It was very important to Andy and his wife that their business gave back and made a difference.
He explains, “When we got Marjorie, she didn’t know what grass was. She didn’t know how to react to it because, she had never been outside before. It was shocking.”
“We knew we had to do our bit to help stop animal cruelty and that’s why we have pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from every item sold back to support local and international rescue organizations.”
By 2017, the business was doing so well that Andy gave up his career in banking after 15 years, and he has never looked back.
“I am happier than I’ve ever been. I gave up a lot but I’m doing something that actually matters now and we are truly making a difference,” he tells us.
“Your life really never is the same after you rescue a dog!”
Want to know more about Woof Concept?
Check out their quality products and read more about their story at: https://www.woofconcept.com/