Returning to Pawfect Pals

I was unsure whether I should write this blog first, or focus on the rebrand that has occurred over our website and social media in the last couple of weeks. I feel I owe it to you, our customer, to update you first on our personal circumstances, why Pawfect Pals has changed so much over the past year and a half, and what the future holds.

Pawfect Pals was created in 2016 because of the love that my dogs gave me during the hardest times in my life. In the past I have, like many others, struggled with severe anxiety. The one constant I could depend on during that time was the unconditional friendship of my fur babies, Yogi and Lilo. With this in mind, Ryan and I took on the challenge of balancing Pawfect Pals with our day jobs, staying up until midnight most nights sending orders, creating new designs, managing socials, emails and our website. To call those early days hard is an understatement. It was near IMPOSSIBLE! We felt passionate about this business, it held our hearts, so despite it being tough we knew we had to stick it out.

Fortunately, after running the business ourselves for three years, Ryan’s sister, Christie, and my mum, Cathy, started helping with packing, which was a LIFESAVER! In 2021 we got more help, bringing on Mitch, Ben and Kelsie to support us with marketing and our website. This was also the year Ryan and I got married after 11 years of being together! It was a remarkable year, but when 2022 was approaching, Ryan and I knew that we needed to make even more changes to Pawfect Pals for it to continue growing and reaching more people who love their pups as much as we do. 

We wanted a baby, on top of our fur-babies, and we hoped 2022 would be the year to make that dream come true. When I say it like that, it sounds like making this dream happen was quick and easy, but, spoiler alert, it wasn’t. Plus, I knew if I was able to get pregnant, continuing my regular job as a school teacher while giving my all to Pawfect Pals wouldn’t be what was best for our baby. I had a decision to make: quit my job, or focus on being a school teacher while simply overseeing Pawfect Pals. I picked the latter, and when I tell you that I wish I hadn’t, I really, really, really mean it.

Before 2022, Pawfect Pals was me. Every post, every image, every email you received was typed, chosen or driven by what I wanted to share with you guys. Having to focus on my work as a teacher, on my baby, on a million other things that weren't Pawfect Pals was difficult. I struggled as much as I did in the early days, but this time, I was barely involved, and I really didn't like it. Don’t get me wrong, the team did a brilliant job during this time, I simply didn’t feel like myself when I couldn't dedicate my time to Pawfect Pals.

Fast forward, and our beautiful son Caleb arrived in October, 2022. I imagined in a few weeks he'd be sleeping soundly in his cot, or in the arms of friends and family at our warehouse, while I got back to work. That's not how it panned out though. Caleb had a bit of a tough start. For the first four months of his life, not only was I not working at all, but Ryan was barely able to either. We had to do what was best for our family and that meant focusing on our son, rather than the business we’d worked so hard to build. When I say we owe so much to the people who kept Pawfect Pals going during this time, it is hard to put into words how thankful Ryan and I truly are. Let’s just say as we went around the table at the Christmas party we held at our home to thank them, it was really hard to fight back tears.

In February, 2023, I finally returned to Pawfect Pals. First, I spent a few days a week getting back into our brand and optimising our warehouse. I saw how things had changed in my absence, and I believed, when I combined those changes with my plans for the future, that by the end of 2023, Pawfect Pals would be stronger than ever before. Since the 3rd of July, I’ve worked every single day. Any time Caleb has been playing with Ryan, his grandparents, his aunts, uncles and cousins, I have been glued to my laptop (with Yogi and Lilo right by my side, of course). From the moment Caleb opens his eyes each morning, until about 1am at night, Ryan and I (and our irreplaceable families) have been working tirelessly to not only ensure our son is getting every bit of love and attention he deserves, but also to grow Pawfect Pals in the way we've desired for so long.

Today is September 20th, 2023 and I can finally say Pawfect Pals is ready to take another huge leap forward. The Pawfect Pals family, made up of people who truly love dogs and think the unconditional friendship they provide deserves to be celebrated, are so excited to reach new heights. Our website, our social media and our emails to you from this point will reflect that. We are so much more than a business. We truly care about you and your dog. We want to be a part of your dog’s journey. We want to provide you with accessories that not only keep them exceptionally comfy and undoubtedly safe, but that also celebrate their heart and who they are through our range of thoughtful, heartfelt prints.

We hope you’re still here with us now on this day. I cannot thank you enough for staying with us through all of our stages. I hope that you and your dogs receive this message with so much love, kindness, genuineness and wagging tails.

Kyla