My life forever changed in April of 2022, while at the Kentucky Land Rover 3-Day Event, an international horse competition. As we were walking around the venue, I noticed there were so many adorable dogs. Being a dog lover, I wanted to interact with them all. They’re all good dogs, right?
As the day came to a close and we started making our way back to the parking area, I saw this brown and white pitbull. My boyfriend was with me, and I said to him “If that dog were up for adoption, I would take him home.” The woman walking the dog turned around and showed me the dog was wearing a sign which said “Adopt Me”. And while we might say the rest was history, it was really just the beginning.
I adopted that brown and white pitbull. Sir Winston Bishop, as named by the Lexington Humane Society, came home with me that night and he has been an integral part of our family ever since.
While I was prepared for a dog as I already had 2 others at home, I wasn’t prepared for the energy and the intelligence of a pitbull. Nor was I prepared for the way people would treat him, and me, just because of his breed. As I got to know Winston, or as we call him Winnie, I realized people were missing out on a fun, high energy, goofball and Winnie was missing out on all the love and adoration he should be getting, because he “looked scary”.
So began my quest to change the hearts and minds of friends and strangers alike. I started dressing Winnie in clothes and walking him around the neighborhood and every other place I was able to take him. It helped. People would approach us and fewer people found him intimidating. It is very hard to look fierce wearing rubber ducky pajamas and a bright yellow raincoat. In time I began to notice the cute dog collars I was seeing other bully breeds wearing. Being a do-it-yourselfer, I started working on making my own collars for Winnie and my other two dogs (Mojo and Cliffy). Through trial and error, I found a process that worked for me and allowed me to feel like I could use my collars to walk the dogs without fear of them coming apart; after all, at 70 pounds, Winnie is a strong boy.
Before long, I had a sizable collection of different collars and people started asking about where I got them or how they might get one. The seed was planted and I started making collars for others. Today we have this little store which allows other people to experience the same joy I get when I see my dogs wearing their pearls.
Winston was the inspiration for all of this so he is not only our brand ambassador, he is my not-so-silent partner. If you catch him on TikTok, Instagram, Threads, or Facebook, you can experience his larger than life personality.
Remember, your dog doesn’t have to be a pibble to wear pearls, all dogs deserve to Stand Out From the Pack.
💜 Anne & Winston (aka Winnie)
