A dog’s life transformed by Shannon’s idea
A Leeds entrepreneur is ensuring comfort for dogs when it is time for walkies.
Shannon Sugden set up Monstar Wear 18 months ago at a fortuitous time as the demand for dogs and accessories surged beginning in the March 2020 Covid lockdown.
Her redesigned harness reduces stress on the dog’s shoulders, making it far more suitable and comfortable for certain sizes and breeds.
On her inspiration, Shannon said: “I have four dogs and found none of the harnesses available at the time really fitted my French bulldog Yoshi.
“The shape of her body meant the standard harnesses didn’t fit her correctly.
“The harnesses are fully adjustable around the neck and waist. The ‘Y’ shape means they are unrestrictive and with the addition of a clip on the neck strap the harness now fits from the side and doesn’t need to go over the dog’s head.
“There was nothing like it out there. From there I set up Monstar Wear to fill that gap in the market.”
On Monstar Wear’s success, Shannon said: “It’s done really well in the UK and Ireland. We’ve also got orders going to the USA and Europe.
“There was a boom during lockdown with everyone getting dogs.
“We’re competitively priced at £24 per harness. Harnesses from competitors come in at about £50.
“I’d like to keep selling them at this affordable price because it means more dogs are wearing a comfortable, non-restrictive harness.
“We were the first to offer eye-catching colours and unusual patterns. We’ve just brought out three new block colour harnesses in black, blue and orange.”
On the company’s mission, Shannon said: “I feel that recently more people are deciding to have a dog instead of having a child. I know personally I treat my dogs as if they were my children and want them to have long, happy lives.
“Now we are exiting lockdown, rescue centres have seen an increase in people giving up dogs they bought during the initial few months. It’s heartbreaking. These animals are for life.”
For more information on the products, visit monstar-wear.co.uk.
