{"id":1425,"date":"2015-11-04T22:05:26","date_gmt":"2015-11-04T22:05:26","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2021-08-03T16:42:51","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T16:42:51","slug":"sight-unseen-dogs-american-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Sight Unseen: The Dogs of American Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Read the incredible responses, and see pictures of the designers’ adorable, furry friends in this article originally published last month on the Sight Unseen <\/a>blog.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason that adorable dog photos are used as clickbait \u2014 almost everyone, even people who are impervious to adorable baby photos, has a soft spot for them, especially dog owners themselves. So we weren\u2019t particularly surprised to see some of our favorite designers \u2014 successful people with high aesthetic standards \u2014 turn into piles of utter mush when we invited them to show us their four-legged friends, heaping on the superlatives and waxing poetic about the joy their pets bring to their lives. In fact, we kind of asked for it: To celebrate the line of dog accessories our long-time partner Shinola<\/a> has developed with Bruce Weber, we reached out to nine American designers we\u2019d previously spotted Instagramming their canines alongside their creations (like Ben Medansky, above), and solicited the best of those photos with an explanation of what makes their dog a hero<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What makes your dog a hero?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Caroline Ventura of BRVTVS<\/a> and Calliope<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDarryl\u2019s heroism lies in his ability to make you appreciate the smallest, most seemingly insignificant things. Since bringing him home I\u2019ve learned the importance of stopping to smell the roses and the art of true patience. Our evening walks together are one of the things I look forward to most in my day; getting to slow down and just enjoy a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood together brings me such happiness. He has the biggest heart and the goofiest personality that quickly wins the affection of anyone he meets \u2014 big or small, stranger or friend. He\u2019s a master at making people laugh. Next year he will begin training as a Therapy Animal, so he can continue to bring joy to a new set of friends.\u201d Photo by Christine Blackburne<\/p>\n

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Peter Buer and Phoebe Sung of Cold Picnic<\/a><\/p>\n

Peter: \u201cWe adopted Phillip after 7 years of Phoebe\u2019s daily appeals for a dog finally wore me down. He was 3 years old at the time and his name was originally Mopsy, and he\u2019d been transported from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky to a foster home in New Jersey. I had never had a dog or particularly wanted one, but Phillip won me over pretty much immediately. Now I can\u2019t imagine how we ever managed without him.\u201dPhoebe: \u201cPhillip is our hero because he has nearly perfect manners in all situations, and more importantly, because it takes so little to make him happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Shanan Campanaro of Eskayel<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 10 years ago a friend of ours mentioned that his girlfriend had taken in pit bull puppies from some kids who fancied themselves breeders in the projects near her apartment. We stopped by to see them for fun and one of them was Kaya: all white except for a perfectly round brindle patch over her right eye. She was extremely cute and sweet, unlike her brother, who was crazy and aggressive. Our friend suggested we take her home just for fun for the night, and after we went to bed, Kaya came to me in my dreams. There was was white light glowing behind her head like a halo in a medieval painting, and angels humming while she just sat there staring at me. When I woke up I found her lounging on a stack of Turkish pillows, feeling perfectly at home. Because of the dream I kept her. I had to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been easy \u2014 she turned out to be the most headstrong little beast \u2014 but she\u2019s a hero because she makes just about everyone smile. There\u2019s something in her eyes that makes everyone notice her. One of the funniest and most frequent things that happens in our neighborhood is that someone will see her and comment, \u2018That dog looks like Petey, from the Little Rascals!\u2019 Often it\u2019s older people, and they get so excited as the experience of seeing her brings back some fond memory. Other frequent comments include \u2018Look, it\u2019s Spuds!\u2019, or \u2018The RCA dog!\u2019, or \u2018I know that dog!\u2019 But the absolute best was when a little kid walking by yelled out \u2018Look mommy, that dog is a pirate!’\u201d<\/p>\n

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Huy Bui of HB Collaborative<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMio and Loopy make the world a better place! Their charming smiles and wagging tails bring joy to many who cross their paths. Their emotional IQs are off the charts \u2014 they\u2019ll sniff out your bad mood and greet you with a hug and a kiss in a jiffy. They\u2019re just as game for city life as they are for chilling and curling up while watching a movie. They\u2019ve stood by my side during meetings, installations, and exhibitions. I\u2019ve taken them to family gatherings and barbecues, where they\u2019re just part of the crew and having a great time. These dogs are my heroes for sweetening day-to-day life in my New York community.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kyle Garner of Sit and Read<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI rescued Nia from a slightly unstable neighbor in Oakland, California, 12 years ago, when she was just 9 weeks old. She\u2019s been by my side every day since, teaching me patience, kindness, and the importance of simple pleasures.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Matt Olson of RO\/LU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife Amy and I have a good friend named MOJO. He\u2019s a puli: a Hungarian sheepherding dog known for its cords, which are sort of like dreadlocks. They\u2019re a fairly rare breed. I\u2019d only seen them in the occasional dog show on TV, and on the cover of Beck\u2019s Odelay album, until we adopted MOJO when he was 5. He\u2019s an old man now \u2014 almost 15 \u2014 and he\u2019s still working hard to keep track of his flock (ie, us). We love him more than ever. He stays with my parents sometimes when we\u2019re traveling and I remember calling from the road once to check on him. My Dad laughed and said, \u2018MOJO is is his own man.\u2019 That sounds about right. He\u2019s a hero the same way all dogs are: Humans have so much to learn from them! Unconditional love, joy, loyalty, presence, simplicity\u2026 I think we should all try to be more like dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Makoto Mizutani and Benjamin Luddy of Scout Regalia<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPenny is no stranger to being a hero. She\u2019s a Belgian Malinois, which is a working dog breed usually seen in the military and police, and the one exclusively used by the Secret Service to protect the President. They\u2019re high-energy, high-drive dogs that definitely need jobs. Penny\u2019s job here at Scout Regalia is to be our official mascot, field scout, security detail, peace ambassador, and muse. She inspires us every day to enjoy the moment and to take a break from designing products, furniture, and spaces to go outside and have fun. Most recently she helped us design our latest interiors project: Blue Collar Working Dog, a 6,000 square foot dog supply store in Los Angeles (pictured above). We designed the space to include an agility course built into the retail experience, which was tested and approved by Penny. Penny\u2019s work ethic and obsession to detail is right in line with the Scout Regalia ethos. She\u2019s our #1 team player!\u201d Photo by Laure Joliet<\/p>\n

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Annabel Inganni of Wolfum<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cGus \u2014 full name Gustavo Blue of Richard Hill \u2014 is a 10-year-old basset hound, and our first baby. Rambunctious, adorable, sweet, and doting, he was just about the cutest puppy in the world when we got him, with giant feet that looked like a baby elephant\u2019s and a signature dot on the top of his head. Pippa Jefferson (not pictured), named for the street she was found wandering on in south L.A., came to us by way of my lifelong rescuing habit; from dogs to bunnies, I\u2019ve always had a knack for finding wayward creatures and helping them. Pippa was so small and hungry, and I couldn\u2019t resist her sweet face: a mix of Chihuahua, Jack Russell, and Dachshund.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes them heroes? Being a senior dog, Gus has suffered through many changes in his lifetime. Once a shop dog, he now chooses to spend his time lounging on the couch rather then trekking through sawdust, but despite that, he still rallies like no other. He\u2019s my hero for gracefully manipulating me into endless back scratches on the couch, for being able to find any cat, coyote or possum in the vicinity, and for being able to sleep so soundly that not even a 4 year old can wake him. Then there\u2019s Pippa, who\u2019s equally comfortable burrowing under the covers in bed, racing around with the cat, or playing dress up with Birdie, she\u2019s endlessly patient and perfectly playful. When our daughter was born, I was concerned that the dogs would feel displaced, but Pippa was there for Birdie from the first moment we brought her home. Her loyalty is inspiring, and I can\u2019t imagine our family without that little street runt we found so many years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ben Medansky of Ben Medansky Ceramics<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMy dog Banjee Girl is a hero because of her magnetic energy and the affection she shows to everyone she meets. Her love and enthusiasm for everyone is an instant reminder to stay positive and let go of the negative and uncontrollable. I adopted her as a puppy from the West LA animal shelter \u2014 I immediately knew that she was the one because of the instant and intense connection we had. She definitely got the best qualities of her two breeds: the aware and intelligent nature of a Basenji, and the playful and cuddly characteristics of a Dachshund. She\u2019s become somewhat of a mascot for my company because of her presence on my Instagram. I bring her along when I make deliveries of my ceramics, and she\u2019s really remarkable at greeting and connecting with the people we meet. Any time someone comes to the studio, they leave with Banjee\u2019s autograph: two dusty paw prints on their pants to show her love.\u201d<\/p>\n

For premium pet products designed for the hero in your life view our pet collection here<\/a>.     <\/p>\n

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Read the incredible responses, and see pictures of the designers’ adorable, furry friends in this article originally published last month on the Sight Unseen blog. There\u2019s a reason that adorable dog photos are used as clickbait \u2014 almost everyone, even people who are impervious to adorable baby photos, has a soft spot for them, especially […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[3],"yoast_head":"\nSight Unseen: The Dogs of American Design - Our Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sight Unseen: The Dogs of American Design - Our Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read the incredible responses, and see pictures of the designers’ adorable, furry friends in this article originally published last month on the Sight Unseen blog. There\u2019s a reason that adorable dog photos are used as clickbait \u2014 almost everyone, even people who are impervious to adorable baby photos, has a soft spot for them, especially [...]Read More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Our Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-04T22:05:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-03T16:42:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Taylor Rebhan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/\",\"name\":\"Our Stories\",\"description\":\"A journal by Shinola dedicated to THE joy of craft\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/\",\"name\":\"Sight Unseen: The Dogs of American Design - Our Stories\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-04T22:05:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-03T16:42:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#\/schema\/person\/060aa96ae4cfa418688aa72467ed4568\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sight Unseen: The Dogs of American Design\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#\/schema\/person\/060aa96ae4cfa418688aa72467ed4568\",\"name\":\"Taylor Rebhan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0ef281772e6ea80de61c511c2f4d4eef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0ef281772e6ea80de61c511c2f4d4eef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Taylor Rebhan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/author\/trebhan\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sight Unseen: The Dogs of American Design - Our Stories","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/sight-unseen-dogs-american-design\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sight Unseen: The Dogs of American Design - Our Stories","og_description":"Read the incredible responses, and see pictures of the designers’ adorable, furry friends in this article originally published last month on the Sight Unseen blog. 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