As soon as I stepped out of the humid salty air and saw the displays of brightly colored toys at Planet Dog, I knew I had come to the right place. My new husband and I were taking a short trip to Portland, Maine with our dog Darwin and stopping at Planet Dog was high on the list. I had the bright idea of looking up local dog stores before we left home and stopping in as a dog-friendly activity, but – more importantly – as a way to get information about what to do with dogs in the area (more on that in an upcoming post). When I googled dog stores in Portland and discovered that Planet Dog was based there, I knew we had to go (they have an online store as well).
Why do I love Planet Dog so much?
Innovative, high-quality and eco-friendly products
I’ve been aware of Planet Dog products for some time. They make wonderful, fun toys for dogs. There is a lot of thought that goes into producing products that have real value and function for dogs and their companions. For example, they have a glow-in-the-dark ball (proceeds go to charity, more on that below). They also have a toy – the Old Soul – specifically designed for older dogs. They are softer and designed in contrasting colors to make them easier to see! How cool is that?
Both of the balls above fall under the Orbee-Tuff line which means they are super durable, they float and they even have a minty fresh scent and flavor! Oh, and did I mention they are 100% guaranteed? And recyclable? And made in the U.S.? What more could you want? This line features a variety of balls (we got Darwin an Orbee ball) and interactive toys (try the Orbee Maze).
They also carry high-quality products from other companies. Our favorite? The OllyBottle by OllyDog. These plastic dog bottles have a “bowl” that can be detached from the bottle and set down on the ground. If the dog doesn’t finish all of his water, you can simple pour it back into the bottle and save it for later. We got one for Darwin and use it constantly.
Friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff
The staff at Planet Dog were wonderful. They are extremely friendly and helpful without being pushy and they know dogs and dog products. They also clearly care about dogs. Most importantly for us, they were more than happy to make recommendations about what we should/could do with our dog while we were in town. Definitely going to use this tip next time we travel with Darwin.
Socially Responsible
Planet Dog’s mission is to “amuse, explore, support, innovate, create, educate, celebrate and philanthropate… all in the name of the dog.” This isn’t just empty PR talk, they really do it. The Planet Dog Foundation was established to award grant money to working dog programs across the country. This includes a wide variety of different programs such as therapy dog, service dog and search and rescue programs. They’ve even donated to the Working Dogs for Conservation Foundation which rescues and trains dogs to locate endangered species (something that is so cool and that I hope to write about in the future). Planet Dog donates 2% of every sale (100% of profits from the Glow for Good ball) to this foundation. They also host an annual fundraiser in Portland. So far, they’ve donated $1 million to working dog groups! If you’d like to contribute, you can do so here (make it your good deed for the day!). In addition to the charity work through their foundation, they also support local shelters and promote adoption.
I hope that is enough to convince you to check out this great company. Visiting the store was oddly emotional to me. It signified the re-launch of my dog behavior career, the beginning of my blog (which I’m so excited about), re-entering the dog world (which I’ve missed so much) and the beginning of my marriage. So much good going on at once. I’ll be back next week with a post detailing the rest of our trip to Portland. What about you? Have you come across any great local dog stores while traveling with your dog? (Leave your comment below)
Not planning on going to Portland anytime soon? Their products are available online and also at Dawgdom in Saratoga Springs (another great store) . If you do find yourself in Portland, the Planet Dog store is super easy to get to from the main interstate (I-295). They are about half a block off the Franklin Street exit on the corner of Franklin Street and Marginal Way and have off-street parking (enter on Marginal Way).
I did not receive compensation of any kind from Planet Dog to write this post. I just happen to think they are a great company and I like to promote those companies that I think “got it right”.
