A Womens Crusade To Help The Dogs

Rescue Dogs Benefit from Odd Dog Toy

A one-woman, four-dog company in Kansas has raised over $130,000 for dog charities by selling a unique dog toy scented with "eau de bovine."
Most days, you can find 52 year old Mikel Miller at work in her shop with her four dogs napping or playing nearby. That may not seem unusual, until you consider that this little one-woman, four-dog company has raised over $130,000 for dog charities over the last 5 years.

It all started when Miller started making and selling an unusual dog toy to help with the expense involved in traveling to dog agility competitions with her Boston Terrier. Dog agility is a sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. “We gave 25% of the sales to the local Humane Society. People liked that and loved our toys.

Miller calls her popular dog toys Udder Tugs and her company Helping Udders. Udder Tugs are made from recycled rubber liners used in machines to milk real cows. Miller explained that contact with the cows leaves a faint odor behind that dogs seem to love. “Dogs immediately recognize the difference between Udder Tugs and their ordinary dog toys.” Mikel, who was raised on a dairy farm in Kansas, admits that “eau de bovine” is an odd smell, but says it isn’t offensive to dog owners.

Helping Udders’ website is linked to by hundreds of dog rescue websites across the country and gives 10-50% of every online sale to those rescues. In addition to the Udder Tugs, Helping Udders sells an eclectic array of uncommon dog related products and offers hundreds of original t-shirt designs in their Big Pile of Dog Shirts.

“The first year we only raised a little over $2,000 for the rescues and shelters, but in 2008, we were up to over $40,000.” Now over $130,000 has been generated from sales and from donations to send high tech cooling vests to Military Working Dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s just me and my four dogs. I work a lot more for a lot less now,” laughs Miller, a former U. S. Marine and MBA who quit her well-paying executive job in 2007 to pay herself less than $1,500 a month. “But, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Udder Tugs are not only good for the environment because they are recycled but 25% of all sales goes to the animal rescue organization of your choice. They come in models for little dogs, big dogs, fetching dogs, dogs that like to shake and dogs that like to tug. Rescues and shelters are invited to sign up for donations at www.helpingudders.com