Friends, Dog Trainers, Business Partners
Marisa Robazza and Zoe Neidy met as dog walkers in 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario. They started with small talk, and quickly became buddies, organizing their schedules to walk at the same time, go to dog related events together, and hang out in their spare time. In 2020, they realized there was a lack of merchandise for dog enthusiasts between the "dog mom" and "hardcore K9" categories and wanted to fix that, giving every day dog enthusiasts and professionals a brand that they could represent without needing to fall into a category.
Humble Beginnings
When Sit Pretty Apparel was first launched, an amazing community was born with support and words of encouragement from friends in the dog community as well as people we had never met before (some coming from as far as Australia!).
We wanted to build a community that was based on respect for training styles, different lifestyles of dog ownership, and acceptance for our differences - looking at you, cat people. The people that we engage with and create our products for have done just that, representing our message with pride.
Handdrawn Designs
Our hand drawn designs come from our imaginations, something we wanted to wear but couldn't find anywhere else.
We design them from the heart, wanting to share a message, and empower our audience with rad designs and powerful words.
We fill the gaps in the dog industry, giving everyone a little bit of something to wear, simultaneously making a difference, and building a community within a community.
Enjoy Your Dog
"In 2019, I had to learn to enjoy my dog.
I was training to compete with my Belgian Malinois, Lumi, and somewhere along the line I got caught up in self image, a lack of knowledge, and being heavily critical of myself. It gave me no room to learn or grow and I was stuck in a cycle of being frustrated that I didnt't magically have talent without practice or training. I needed to take a step back and reevaluate.
The reason I was doing sports with my dog was so that we could have fun, and if I was being critical of myself and getting mad because she wasn't perfect, then what was the point in competing?
I don't ever want to do it for the trophies or high scores if the entire journey was miserable. If I want to look back at our competitions as a proud achievement, I want to be able to look back at it and remember how much fun I had, not how much I cried and resented my dog.
Dogs are only in our lives for a small fraction of time, and we only have that time to enjoy them and give them the best life they deserve. Everyone goes on a journey of self discovery at some point, but I want to jump the gun on that and remind people that above all else in your journey with your dog, remember to enjoy them and your time together."
- Z
A community within the dog community
We work hard to make sure that we are constantly developing our community. From working doing fundraisers for charities to collaborating with other local brands, we crave the connection that the dog community can bring us.