Ann Clinger
President
1442 East Park Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 761-1144
email: ann@dazzlepet.net
website: http://www.dazzlepet.net
DazzlePet offers a growing assortment of rhinestone collars, leads, barrettes, and other elegant “bling” for dogs and cats.
The company my mother and father started from their dining room table was inspired by the destructive capabilities of a stray cat we had adopted. I had sewn the first catnip mouse from my mother’s scraps of fabric, but in the morning we woke to find bits of fabric strewn all over the house.
Looking for a more durable material they turned to UltraSuede® brand fabrics and the UltraSuede® UltraMouse was born. Billed as “The Gift Toy for the Cat Who has Everything,” the UltraMouse grew in popularity and my mother realized there was room for expansion in the product line. Working together, we created the UltraSuede® rhinestone kitty collar, the UltraSuede® rectangular catnip kitty sachet, the UltraSuede® catnip Christmas kitty stocking and the still popular vintner bottle of catnip: “Cat-a-Tonic” – real catnip for real cats.
The birth of UltraMouse (the company and the toy) coincided with some major changes in the pet industry. More than ever before, people were embracing their dogs and cats like family members, and occasionally spoiling there furry companions with gifts (especially around the holidays). The independent pet store on the corner was facing new competition from major national chains. Since I started running the company in 1993 , I saw the need to continue diversifying and expanding our product line.
While adding different types of products, such as rhinestone people jewelry and cookie cutters to our line of goods, helped make us a “go-to vendor” for many stores, it also created an identity issue: are we a catnip toy manufacturer or a rhinestone collar, leash and people jewelry manufacturer? When a store representative walked into our tradeshow booth and asked, “Why is your name UltraMouse when it does not appear to be related to your rhinestone dog and cat collar and leash line?” we realized it was time to change.
DazzlePet encompasses everything we want our customers to remember about our product line: Dazzle them with the sparkle of products made with love in the United States. Our Humane Society rescue dogs: Sergei, the poodle, and Tasha, the Shih Tzu, both Vice Presidents of Research and Development and part-time catalog models, are continually helping to perfect and test our new ideas!