Hand Knit Wool Dog Sweaters from CutieDog

Sophie in her
CutieDog sweater

I love what I do! I get the opportunity to discover great designers, find cool niche shops and share what I find with others who love dogs and dog fashion! I do a lot of research on Etsy and Facebook, and it was during one of my Etsy excursions that I found CutieDog, a hand knit dog sweater shop.  I thought they were really cute, so I reached out to the shop owner, Heather Pugh. She blew me away with her kindness and offered to make a sweater for Sophie, pictured above. It’s a really beautiful sweater, very well-made, and fits Sophie’s long, skinny body perfectly. As Heather and I got to talking more, I learned about her lovely story.

Heather lives in Wales, UK. and is married to Mike, a steel worker in Port Talbot. They have grown daughters and three pre-teen and teenaged grandchildren. After a 20 year career as a retail manager in ladies fashions, with an emphasis on strong customer service, Heather and Mike’s life took an interesting turn that led to her retiring from retail. They started fostering children in need. “We wanted to try to give a child a better start in life,” she explained. “Or, at least help them along.” Over the course of five years, they fostered 10 children, some for a couple of years, some for a couple of weeks and some for just a few days. “It was hard work, but very rewarding, too.”

CutieDog Knit Party
Dress w/sparkly lurex thread

Now, retired with free time on her hands, Heather was looking for something to do to “keep my brain and my hands busy.” She was taught to knit by her mom, who still loves knitting at 83! Her idea was to take that love, and turn it into a business. But what to knit?

One day while out with her husband, she saw a lady walking her dog. The pooch was wearing a sweater and Heather had an Ah Ha! moment. She did some research online, found Etsy, and CutieDog was born.

“I was so excited when I had my first order!” Heather exclaimed. “I still get excited now, at over 130 orders.” Heather loves receiving photos from satisfied customers of their dogs in her sweaters. You can see them in her Etsy shop.

I asked Heather where her inspiration comes from for the pieces. “I love frilly things,” she shared. “I also love pink. I like to mix and match my favorite stitch patterns. And, baby clothes sometimes inspire me.”

Most of her sweaters are custom made, so they fit very well. If you are interested in purchasing from her, you’ll need to send measurements of your pet. Her prices are very competitive; I think they’re very reasonable for the quality of  garment you receive. Most sweaters are between $21-$28, before shipping. I plan to buy Sophie another of her designs…just deciding on a color! I like that I can brainstorm with Heather to mix and match the different things she does; she’s very willing to work with you to create something not necessarily shown on her site.

Shades of Blues/Lilacs
w/little satin bow

I also like that CutieDog is a company that gives back. Heather just sent seven sweaters to Battersea’s dog and cat shelter in London, to use or raffle to raise money.

And, while Heather and Mike don’t have a dog, they do get pleasure from all of Heather’s happy customers. Their baby is Olly, a one year old cat who is very cute.

In summary, I highly recommend CutieDog sweaters. I was very happy with what Heather made for Sophie, her prices are very reasonable, you can tailor design a sweater with Heather,  and I really like her as a person. What more could a customer want?

Mike & Heather’s
Little Olly

You can browse the CutieDog shop here.