DOGS Makes Bowls For Pups—Mostly

Founder Dylan Green on his one-man operation, in-demand dog bowls, and giving back.

December 21, 2023

When Dylan Green created DOGS Furniture it was, ironically, only to make and sell human decor. After the pandemic hit, he decided to move back to his home state of California and leave his job as a designer at Nike (he’s not the only person to ditch their 9-to-5 to start a small pet brand). Trained in fine woodworking, Green began producing human furniture, half-jokingly, under the name DOGS.

How DOGS came to be

At first, he made small chairs and tables notable for their minimalistic modern designs featuring rounded bottoms reminiscent of cartoon feet. But as an animal lover and pet parent, he quickly realized the irony of that title wouldn’t last long. “It wasn’t designed to be a pet business, but I knew pretty early on that I was going to do something in that realm,” Green remembers. In response to some friendly nudging, Green put together a handful of his first pet product: a dog bowl holder.

“I just made three of them in different sizes and it just blew up in its own little way and that’s the majority of what I do now,” Green says. Designed in the same style as his human stools, these monochromatic dog bowls rarely last more than a few weeks on his Instagram once he lists them.

They’re also all made out of metal, unlike Green’s previous projects. “I felt some freedom in the fact that I could take a solid sheet of steel or aluminum and basically bend it and not have to worry about cutting a dovetail. So, I think that my inspiration really just came from the material,” he explains.

Green’s appreciation for the metal led him to release a new iteration of his dog bowl holders in their raw finish. These stainless-steel bowls are currently available for purchase; you just have to go straight to the source. DOGS doesn’t have a website. Green simply posts on the brand’s Instagram whenever new products are available and sells them directly to consumers via DM. He is also currently accepting pre-orders for his next run of the original color-stained DOGS bowls. Most of these standard batches include around 200 bowls, though Green typically sets aside 20 to sell specifically for charity. With these, he gives all of the proceeds to The Animal Coalition, an LA-based shelter run by Debbie Bloom Feldstein.

How DOGS gives back and what’s next

It’s Feldstein who Green primarily credits for his support of The Animal Coalition. He says he always feels confident the money’s being given to trustworthy hands and put to good use. “Deb does the most selfless work, and she has so much energy behind it. I’ve spoken to her a million times, and she still has the same amount of passion that she did the first time I met her,” Green says. While DOGS bowls and holders usually retail for between $150 and $200 depending on size, Green will often lower his rate for charity runs to ensure they sell out.

None of this comes as a surprise when considering Green’s long-held stance as an animal advocate and lover. In a way, he’s been concerned with animal welfare since childhood. “When I was a little kid, I hated sleeping at my friends’ houses because I’d miss my dog and I worried about my dog,” Green recalls. Today, he has another pup to worry about: a senior Dachshund named Ida who acts as a constant inspiration for DOGS. “Ida is the absolute love of my life and center of my world. She’s been my shadow for almost 13 years. Best friend ever,” Green says. “I have made between four or six iterations of dog bowls and she is integral to the process for sure.”

As for what comes next for DOGS, Green plans to continue experimenting and perfecting his dog bowl holders and even potentially branch out to cat products. That being said, he’s still not sold on creating a DOGS website. “Instagram works. I think that the people are still responding to the product and it’s just easier just to be ‘Hey, I want to get one.’ And I’m like ‘Cool, what color and size?’ No worries,” he says. Green does fear his opposition to launching a site will soon be tested. “I’ll just eventually succumb to the pressure because I get asked that, like, 20 times a day.”

DOGS Stainless Steel Dog Bowl

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Donate to Animal Coalition

Sean Zucker

Sean Zucker is a writer whose work has been featured in Points In Case, The Daily Drunk, Posty, and WellWell. He has an adopted Pit Bull named Banshee whose work has been featured on the kitchen floor and whose behavioral issues rival his own.