A Holiday Gift Idea To Show Your Love of Animals. A Giveaway!

Alissa and Izzy

Genuine; creative; conscious; cool. That’s how I’d describe Peace. Love. Paws., a great gift and accessories brand and a holiday gift idea to how your love of your pets. I had to share! Like us, founder Alissa Gander is a true animal lover, who built her brand on the love she feels for her pets. Discover who they are, why I love them and how you can win some PLP pieces of your own!

Celebrating the love

Peace. Love. Paws. came to be when Alissa Gander was trying to explain what it felt like to love and be loved by an animal. She kept coming back to PEACE. We can relate, right? Now, Alissa is one impressive girl. Like a lot of us, she was a big animal lover from as far back as she can remember. But, while the rest of her siblings were finding their niches in the family hospitality business, Alissa was looking for a way to work with what made her happiest – being around animals. That desire to evoke that feeling of peace; those strong emotions we feel for our pets and to celebrate that love was the catalyst for her to create the company.

The PLP Dog is Peace tee

A designer and maker of cozy, soft tees, hoodies and a variety of cool accessories and jewelry, PLP pieces are a great way to proclaim the love you feel for your dog, cat or other animal with paws. Each design is carefully thought out, yet simple and straightforward, with a sentiment that rings true. “I wanted the designs to evoke a feeling, whether it’s funny, silly, happy or one of love,” Alissa explained. “When you look at a PLP piece, I want you to feel that.” She paired communicating that intention with a more modern fashion look, and Peace. Love. Paws. was born.

Where does Alissa get her inspiration? Her two dogs, of course! Alissa is mom not only to two beautiful human boys, Ace and Nelson, ages 2 and 3, but to two fur babies. Izzy, a Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix, is a feisty gal with great, big, wonderful ears. “I think dog’s ears are the cutest on the planet, and she has huge ears,” laughs Alissa. Bogey is a Black Lab/Pitbull mix and she describes him as “…one in a million. He’s my soulmate,” Gander enthuses. “Bogey and I are best friends. He’s so sweet, gentle, amazing. We rescued him from a small shelter here in Wisconsin, my husband and I worked with him, and he’s a happy boy now!” Don’t you love shelter animal success stories? They are some of the most heartening and rewarding, to break through the barriers of fear and mistrust to discover this amazing creature inside.

A lovely family. l to r: Nelson (waving), Bob, Izzy, Ace, Alissa & Bogey

Owning a veterinary practice while still in college…

It’s no wonder Alissa was honored recently as Winner of the 2015 Women in the Pet Industry Network‘s Solo Entrepreneur Award. She was doing amazing things as a youngster.

Alissa grew up in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, a popular tourist town. While in college getting a business degree, she began working in a local animal clinic, thinking she’s start laying the groundwork for finding a pet-related business she loved. Gander noticed that the existing management there were taking advantage of the vets, talked to them about it, and realized they needed help on the business side of things. Alissa began by assisting them with hirings but, shortly thereafter, she bought half of the business and started managing it. Not bad for a college student!

She fell in love with the industry and with working with people who love animals. During that time, she also started a pet resort ancillary business for them, which became very successful. After graduation, Gander sold the veterinary practice back to the vets who, after the lessons they’d learned from Alissa, were able to run it themselves. She retained ownership of the pet resort business and sold that a couple of years ago. I asked her if she keeps up with them. “I still go there; I’ll never go to another vet,” she emphasized.

One of the fun PLP greeting cards

I love these tees & hoodies!

The PLP garments, which include tees, hoodies and scarves are all super soft and cozy. The graphic designs inspire that heart connection we feels with our pets and the sayings come from a journal Alissa keeps where she jots down things she loves, ideas that come from talking to other animal lovers and spontaneous ideas of hers. These days, it’s easier. “When I go to trade shows or talk to other animal lovers, they always have such great ideas,” she shared. “It’s being around this community. Everyone shares, everyone loves their animals.”

For him or her, and the truth in my house!

What’s the newest design, in time for the holidays?

“I call it my ‘Certified’ Dog Lover Tote,” Alissa smiles. Does she mean certifiable? Because we all know how insanely in love we are with our babies!  The bag actually says Dog Lover, and is a very generously-sized, 16″ x 14″ cool design, that carries a lot. “I even put my little Chihuahua mix, Izzy, in the bag (with her head sticking out, of course), when she was too tired to finish a recent hike,” she described.

There’s a small zipper pocket, a magnetic closure and an adjustable strap. I love that it is made responsibility, following the Fair Labor Association guidelines.  That’s the thing. Alissa is very conscious about how her pieces are made and what message she is sending with each piece. I like that. It makes me feel like she’s one of us, and she is.

Stories from South Africa and the Peace. Love. Cause. initiative…

Intrinsic to Alissa’s vision of Peace. Love. Paws. is giving back. So, she created a wonderful aspect to her brand called Peace. Love. Cause. (PLC). How does it work?  “It’s another way I can recognize shelters, help to get their name out there and raise as much money as I can for them,” she emphasized. Any shelter can sign up to participate. Alissa checks them out for legitimacy and, if everything looks good,  they can then choose any one item on the site. For a full month, all of the proceeds from the purchase of that item go to the shelter. I introduced a shelter I love and volunteer for here in  Fort Lauderdale, called Abandoned Pet Rescue, to Alissa, and they will be the December PLC shelter. I’m so excited for them!

Alissa with a couple of the dogs from TEARS in South Africa

We see how things are here in our own communities with animal shelters, but most of us don’t get to experience what it’s like in other parts of the world. During a recent family trip to South Africa, Alissa visited an animal sanctuary called TEARS. It’s a pro-life, non-profit org that rescues and re-homes lost, abandoned and abused animals. It’s set in the middle of nowhere, on a mountain. They have to worry about lions, so the shelter walls are very high. “It was an amazing experience,” Gander shared. “Things are different there.  They don’t have the animal and rescue community we have here. I met Tinka, the woman who manages it. She was such a sweetheart! I brought them food and litter; she let me help out and play with the puppies. I love them so much and want to go back there!” You can find out more about TEARS here.

Alissa on Table Mountain in a PLP tee in South Africa

The Giveaway!

This is a dog love giveaway! I’m so excited to be giving away a Peace. Love. Paws. True Love hoodie and a Dog Lover tote to one lucky Bark & Swagger reader! The True Love hoodie is one of Alissa’s favorites. The sketch, which she initially does herself before an artist realizes her vision, was inspired by her and Bogey and the love they share for each other. It’s a girl and her dog kissing. The fabric is a thinner one, so it’s great for everyday use, and its unisex with a generous, comfortable fit. And, the tote has a vintage vibe I love.

To enter is easy peasy! Join the Bark & Swagger Family (our email list) if you haven’t already. And, Like us  and Peace. Love. Paws. on Facebook and follow us and Peace. Love. Paws. on Instagram. That’s it! The giveaway will run from Wednesday, November 11 at 7am EST to Tuesday, November 17 at 11:59pm EST. A winner will be chosen at random. Good luck, everyone!

Learn more about Peace. Love. Paws.

Do you have a favorite piece that signifies the love you feel for your pet?

This blog post is sponsored by Peace. Love. Paws., which means we were paid to create and feature this content. Regardless of the payment received, we only feature products and services on Bark & Swagger that we use, love and/or feel our readers would benefit from using. All sponsored posts on Bark & Swagger will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions.