If you are a pet person and live in the UAE, you would have come across a cool place called The Doggy Be Collective in Al Quoz. For those who haven’t, The Doggy Be Collective is a beautiful indoor, pet-friendly, co-working space designed for humans of pets to be able to work with their furry companions in tow. A birdie also us that it gives the Doggy Be co-founder Marie-laure Lestienne the chance to cuddle up with pets [all day]. On that note, meet this week’s pawpreneur: the Doggy Be pack.
Read other Pawpreneur stories here
What inspired you to set up Doggy Be?
Marie-laure: My co-founder Manesh Balani and I launched Doggy Be in November 2014. Doggy Be was created out of our love for animals. Another big reason for our being is to support rescue organisations in the UAE contributing towards food and vet bills with majority of our proceeds. So, we had to find a pet accessories manufacturer who shared our philosophy which is, to give back to the animal world even if they are a business. We wanted to introduce eco-friendly, unique, trendy and lifestyle pet products in the UAE market. Thankfully P.L.A.Y fulfilled all our requirements and in early 2014 we signed up with them to be their sole agent for the GCC area.
Tell us a bit about your offerings.
Marie-laure: At Doggy Be we offer high-quality, long lasting, unique and eco-friendly pet products, which are machine washable and dryer safe. The filling of all items is made of recycled plastic bottles. Our beds have a cool look and feel and come with a zipper around the side made of four separate parts for easy washing and drying. The cushion part also has a zipper for the same purpose. Our toys are unique, safe for children and have multiple characteristics (such as crinkle, rope, squeaky, enrichment).
Where do you want to see Doggy Be in a few years from now?
Marie-laure: We are keen to expand to other GCC countries to introduce Doggy Be to pet parents in those markets and support rescue associations in those countries.
Since the story can never be complete without the mention of our beloved furry companions, tell us a bit about your pack.
Marie-laure: Have you seen the little Shih Tzu in the letter ‘O’ in our logo? That’s Sugar who has been part of our family since February 2008. Now we have three dogs and a cat at home. Our youngest Shih Tzu Caramel protects our cat Dusty from our mixed breed Zoe. But Zoe thinks she needs to protect Caramel from the cat. Caramel loves to play hide & seek with the cat looking upon Dusty as a little dog like her. And Dusty, the cat, rolls over on his back to get tummy rubs copying what Caramel does. It’s a funny pack, I tell you! We also have two cats in our office too. All my pets inspire me every day with their unconditional love.
