In February of 2012 my dog Ike and I decided to go into business together. At the time, he was about 4 weeks old, fresh off a flight from the Bahamas, where he was born a "potcake" - a term they use in the Caribbean for the feral dogs that roam the streets. The term comes from their mythical method of survival - the crusted "cake" leftover in pots that Bahamians would leave out after they finished cooking their staple dish, peas and rice. While it may have been true at some point, today potcakes are more likely to survive off of whatever they find in the garbage, or if they're lucky enough to live by an empty beach, fish and crabs that they catch themselves.

I met my first potcake puppies in December of 2011 when a litter showed up near where my dad lives in Nicholstown, Andros in the Bahamas. Like any dog living on the streets, the survival rate of a litter is low, and those who do survive live very short and difficult lives. The US and Canada make it very easy to transport these pups into the country, where there are plenty of families happy to adopt them. Christmas 2012 brought the second litter of puppies, and from them I brought home Ike and Stella. Stella found herself a happy family in Denver, whereas Ike became a part of my family, and that's when I asked myself what came to be a very important question - how do you make a dog collar?

Every product you find here I designed and made with my own two hands. For every collar sold, $1 goes to the spay/neuter and homing of potcakes in the Bahamas. The problem of stray and homeless animals is vast and complicated but with our business, Ike and I hope to make a dent in helping his incredibly smart and gracious breed live a happier and healthier life.