Born from real life with real dogs. DU DA Pets was created from our own experiences with Duchesse and Dale and a simple idea: everyday adventures with your dog should feel a little easier, safer, and more enjoyable. What started as a solution for our own pups has grown into a brand built for pets—and the people who love them. 🐾
Pet Accessories designed by Pet Enthusiasts
My name is Kassidy, I’m the founder of DU DA Pets, a small pet-products
company in Wichita, Kansas, that started because of two dogs I love very much:
Duchesse and Dale. Both can be reactive, and walking them made me realize how
quickly things can change—a bicycle, another dog, a bunny, or any unexpected
distraction can suddenly mean I need my dog much closer to me. I wanted a leash
that gave them room to explore when it was appropriate while also giving me
multiple places to quickly and comfortably regain closer control. I couldn't
find exactly what I wanted, so I decided to create it myself.
That idea became DU DA Pets—“DU” for Duchesse and “DA”
for Dale, with the added bonus of being a little nod to Wichita's “Doo-Dah”
nickname. Our first product is a five-handle dog leash with padded, always-open
handles positioned throughout the length of the leash. It allows an owner to
simply change where they are holding instead of gathering excess leash or
wrapping it around their hand. I also designed it with continuous nylon
webbing, reflective stitching, multiple D-rings, and a locking clip.
My mission is bigger than selling a leash. Having
reactive dogs can make it tempting to simply leave them home because taking
them places feels difficult or stressful. I want DU DA Pets to create practical
products that help owners feel more prepared and confident while they put in
the training and work their dogs need. A leash can't train a dog, and I never
want to pretend that it can—but thoughtful equipment can make the journey
easier for the person holding the other end.
What I am most proud of is that I didn't leave this as an
idea. I formed the business, learned how to work with a manufacturer, invested
my own money into a first production run of 300 leashes, learned Amazon FBA,
built an e-commerce website, started learning advertising, attended local
events, and made my first sales. I have also donated DU DA products to local
organizations and events, including the Kansas Humane Society and Zoobilee. I
am learning almost every aspect of entrepreneurship as I go, and when I don't
know how to do something, I figure out who to ask, what to research, and what I
need to learn next.
DU DA Pets is still a very small business, and that means
there are plenty of challenges ahead. My biggest one right now is turning a
product I believe in into consistent sales. But I've already taken something
that existed only in my head and turned it into a real product that people can
buy. That gives me a lot of confidence about what I can learn next.
My dream is to grow DU DA Pets from one leash into a
recognizable pet brand built around practical products inspired by real life
with our animals. But there's also a much smaller milestone I'm looking forward
to: someday I want to be somewhere in Wichita and see a complete stranger
walking their dog with a DU DA leash. I'll know that something I originally
created for Duchesse and Dale became useful enough that another person chose it
for a dog they love. To me, that would be pretty incredible.