Biz Buzz: Local woman opens dog leash business after adopting puppy at animal shelter
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BIZ BUZZ
IDAHO FALLS
Idaho Falls woman raising awareness of pet adoption through dog leash business
IDAHO FALLS – Hayley Rook was smitten with the Irish wolfhound puppy she saw at the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter.
The 28-year-old mother of three adopted the dog, whose name is Chani, in August after she and her 1-year-old daughter spent an hour with her at the shelter. The interaction inspired her to do something to give back.
As of last month, she’s the owner of an online business called White Pine & Paws, which provides handmade artisan cotton leashes for dog owners.
Rook makes all the leashes herself. There are six different colors, and 10% of the proceeds go directly to the animal shelter.
“They’re super strong. You can use them to lead horses if you want to. So if your dog is pulling hard, they’re not going to snap or break,” Rook tells EastIdahoNews.com.
The shop already has a five-star review after several weeks of business.
“I’ve had a couple orders from people out of state, which I’m so excited about,” Rook says.
Rook and her husband, Garrett, moved to Idaho Falls in 2019 when Garrett took a cybersecurity job at Melaleuca. He now works at Idahoan Foods.
They were looking for a family dog when Hayley saw a Facebook post from the animal shelter about five new puppies.
There was a waiting list for Chani, and the Rooks were fourth in line, so it was fortuitous that they ended up with her.
“When we brought her home, she was terrified of all of us. She would try to hide under our table, try to hide in our room. She was definitely afraid of our baby because she is loud and Chani had never had experience around children,” Hayley says.
Chani is particularly afraid of men. Hayley says Chani’s previous owner was a man who was a little rough.
After several months, Hayley says Chani is starting to open up and is a great addition to the family.
“You can tell she wants to be friendly, but there’s some kind of barrier there,” she says. “But with my husband and brother-in-law, she’s very welcoming and loves them. It didn’t take her long to get over that.”
Chani’s personality is getting some attention on the business’s Instagram page and lots of people take notice of her in public.
“She has a lot of expressions, and she is so silly sometimes,” Hayley says. “A lot of people have stopped us at the greenbelt, or wherever we’re walking (Chani), and said, ‘Is that one of those Irish wolfhound puppies?'”
Since getting Chani, Hayley’s goal is to raise awareness of the animal shelter as an alternative to abandoning dogs. Many of the dogs who end up at the shelter are abandoned by their owners.
Hayley is pleased with the response to the business, and she’d love to raise enough money to sponsor dog adoptions at animal shelters throughout eastern Idaho.
Local customers have the option of contacting Hayley directly so they can pick up their leash instead of paying for shipping. Her email address is whitepineandpaws@gmail.com.
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