Interview by Dave Temple and Photo by Tre Cassetta
I first saw Bethany’s leashes (FOUND MY ANIMAL) at my friend, Trish Foley’s Pop up store in Yapank last summer. Chic and simple in design, I was drawn to this leash immediately. I later spotted it in Vanity Fair and now its been featured in Elle, various other magazines, and most recently on Steven Alan’s Blog! Bethany, you have got it going on and have inspired many to follow you with her mission to help all dogs in need of a home. Not to mention your brilliantly designed leashes!
K: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
B: I was born in Baltimore, Maryland. My parents had some land and I had lots of pets. I studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design and moved to Brooklyn, NY after graduating to pursue a career in photography. Soon after, I met artist Anna Conway on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and realized that animal welfare came first and decided to create a brand focused on rescue animals.
K: How did Found My Animal start?
B: Inspired by a fisherman in the family, we made our first three-strand, hand-spliced and whipped rope leash for our rescue pups back in 2006. So many people stopped us in the street to admire our unique nautical leads that we decided to share them with others.
K: What would you say is the ultimate mission of Found My Animal?
B: Our mission is to help promote animal welfare through celebration of animal adoption in a very direct way: let your animal wear the message. Both Anna and I discussed how easy it had been to transform the minds of friends. By encouraging one person at a time to look into rescuing instead of buying an animal, we hoped to form a company that would deliver that simple but very important message.
K: Tell us more about the rescue orange leash.
B: Orange is the color of animal protection awareness. We manufacture our own orange rope here in the US. The color is perfect for getting people’s attention, and most importantly inspires conversations about this important topic. Our orange rescue leash highlights (literally) the message. “Hey, I was rescued, join the club!”
K: What can people do to help?
A beautiful collaboration between Found my Animal and the Dog P.A.R.C. Photo by Melissa Condotta
B: Adopt, foster, and volunteer to walk a dog or pet a cat at your local shelter. Support your local shelter with food, towels, and beds. Convince friends to choose adoption, share your adoption story at the dog park, online, and with us!
Jessica Biel walking her dog with a FOUND leash.
K: Name some celebs who have purchased or supported Found My Animal
B: Jessica Biel, Drew Barrymore, Bradley Cooper, Martha Stewart, Amanda Seyfried, Erykah Badu to name a few.
