Gail, our Snugpups founder and Chief Dog, has been dog obsessed since before she could walk and talk. Raised in a house with a constant minimum of 5 dogs of varied breeds and sizes, Gail quickly learned who her best friends would always be. Dogs!
Big dogs were the norm for her family, even as she raised her children with English Mastiffs. When the tiny beauties she and her husband, Brian are now graced with came into their lives 7 years ago, so did the need for dog coats.
After a trip to the fabric store on a frigid January day in Rhode Island, Gail sewed up some fleece coats for the pups and snapped a few photos. The short version of the story is this: Happy cute cozy dogs in animal print coats, photos to friends on Facebook, and tons of friends begging for coats for their pups. Et Voilá, Snugpups was born.
Today, we are still a family business based in rural Pennsylvania. And we still make all our own coats! Our goal is to fit all dogs of every crazy shape and size with a warm coat that is easy peasy to get on and off your dogs. No more wrestling your dogs’ legs through holes. No more trying to buckle something under your dogʼs squirming head. Our coats are simply Over the head and One strap around the middle. Itʼs that simple.
Snugpups are definitely not just for little dogs. Itʼs fair to say our most popular customers are Pitt Bulls. And we sure do love fitting giant Great Danes and Mastiffs, too.
We care about you and your dogs, so we take customer service seriously. Feel free to reach out with questions about our products. We love a challenge, and we care deeply about the comfort of dogs.
Wag On Walk Warm!
Gail and Brian
Giving back
The word philanthropy comes from the Greek and means “love of humanity”. In essence, it is a sense of caring, nourishing, developing and enhancing what it is to “be human” by exercising values in giving and volunteering. Simple.
At Snugpups we love animals. Our mission is to utilize a portion of our sales to enhance the lives of pets and their owners. Snugpups engages in various charitable and philanthropic projects.
Below are the current ways in which Snugpups donates proceeds from sales to help various non-profit organizations:
Dogs Living With the Homeless
According to the 2020 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, 580,000 people experienced homelessness in a single night in January 2020. This was the fourth consecutive year homelessness increased nationwide.
Additionally, according to Pets of the Homeless it is estimated that, on average, 10-25% of the homeless population has a pet with them which could include service and companion pets. That means, on that cold night in January 2020 there were (on the low end) roughly 58,000 homeless pets in the U.S.
To all of us at Snugpups, that number of 58,000 homeless pets is staggering, profound and shook us to the core. Upon further research, we found that just in the Northeast US, where the winters can be brutally cold, there are an estimated 15,000+ homeless dogs. NYC alone has an estimated 8,500+ homeless dogs.
To assist, we have Snugpups volunteers scouring the streets of NYC, Philadelphia & Boston to find homeless dogs and provide a double lined fleece Snugpups coat and bandana. It might not solve the homeless pet problem … but we know it will help keep them warm and lift the spirits of their owners. Additionally, we have provided Pets of the Homeless with dozens of free dog coats to assist in helping pups they encounter in cold environments.
If you would like to become a Snugpups volunteer to help find homeless dogs and get them a Snugpups coat, please email us at: Gail@snugpups.net. Trust us, it is so rewarding to know a shivering dog might be warm at night with your help. It is what being human should be about … helping others in need, human or animal.
Supporting Our Fire Fighting Heroes
Snugpups is super proud of our newest charitable program where we create unique dog coats made from recycled firefighter’s coats and pants.
Through 2023, Snugpups has donated over $7,200 to 12 different fire departments and the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance through the sale of the Original Firefighter Dog Coat.
Our goal, with the generous support of local fire stations, is to market and sell these dog coats as a special way for dog owners to show their appreciation and support for fire fighters across the USA. For every original firefighter dog coat sold, Snugpups will donate 20% of the sales back to the fire house/station that donated the coat. We also support organizations like the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Fire Fighter Behavioral Health Alliance.
The early response to these unique coats has been fantastic. Dog owners are clamoring to get their hands on a handmade dog coat (made in USA) that not only looks great, but has such special and significant meaning. Imagine purchasing one of these special coats for your dog that was made from material that has been worn by a fire fighter. What a fantastic way to draw attention to the great work and service that fire fighters provide day in and day out … often without much fanfare. They truly are unsung heroes.
What Customers are Saying
“Abby LOVES her Snugpups coats! She is a tiny, 11-pound dog and even when we had 8” of snow two weeks ago she would go out and stay out far longer than I expected and I know it’s because she was warm (when she finally came in she wasn’t shivering). The coats are very easy to put on and take off (important when you have to do it 12 times a day!) and they wash beautifully. She wears them over harnesses for walks and they fit perfectly. Now I’m going to start giving them as gifts! Thanks so much!”
“I love my Snugpup coat. Softest machine washable fabric. Great warm sweater for cold Canadian winters. Great customer service and speedy delivery. Many prints to pick from made ordering a breeze. Definitely recommend everyone to to buy one for great quality for great quality and comfort!! We love our Snugpup.”