4-30-23
Thank you for so many memories and happy moments in our journey

After a hard few years, I have decided to put Ruff Life on a shelf and revisit the possibility of a reopening later this year or maybe next.  I appreciate all the love, support and great customers along the way and hope there another chance in the future.

Thank you and God Bless!

Julie 

Best Pic

How it all Began!

 

Ruff life was born from an experience I had with my 6 month old rescue dog named Jack.  You could see something serious going wrong with him and as we found out he needed a triple pelvic osteotomy (which basically means a triple hip replacement) on both hips.  This surgery is very rare with such a young puppy, but without it he would be in too much pain and putting him down would be the only other option.  Because I just didn’t have $5,500 for this surgery, I was faced with putting down my puppy.

Someone I had just met down at the beach in SC a few months earlier, heard my story and told me she would find a way to help Jack and that is EXACTLY what she did.  Because of Beth Castelli and the incredible generosity of friends and family, it changed the direction of my life.

 

Jack and Me Redsox crop

Where we started...

We started on the beaches of Hilton Head, SC after Jack returned home from his surgery. Creating Ruff Life with a cute logo, doing craft fairs with t-shirts, baseball hats and sweatshirts under our brand name became a beach favorite for tourists and dog lovers visting Hilton Head Island. An apparel line for dog lovers with the heart of giving back to local shelters was the theme, until I started our non-profit charity in 2013. .

Steps along the way...

Moving to FL in 2012 was only supposed to be temporary, but it's 2021 and we are still here! Continuing with Craft Shows, Farmer's Markets all over the Gulf Coast allowed me to expand into other apparel lines, creating and manufacturing dogs collars and leashes, LED Safety Lights, customizing dog bowls, and expanding into baked dog treats and jerky.

Moving foward...

In 2018 we opened our first and only retail location in Downtown Bradenton. It was something I really wanted to do after being on the road for over 5 years. Luckily, I closed the store before this Covid "plandemic" started and started moving my business to online platforms. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, I returned to work part time during 2021 and continued with online sales. We had the best year on Etsy in 2020 and we are on track to do better in 2021!

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