Local's Website Barking Up the Pet Lovers Tree

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, although a local woman is doing her best to train the Internet to be a more welcoming and supportive place for entrepreneurs and animal lovers alike.

Nancy Dewar, a Hampton resident and former marketing expert, created SnazzyJazzyPet.com recently with a goal in mind: to give animal lovers an outlet to buy locally-made, unique designer items for their pets while at the same time helping the creators of those items gain better footing in a rapidly expanding market.

"I really want Snazzy Jazzy Pet to be like the 'Anthropologie' for pet lovers, because they just have fabulous unique goods," said Dewar. "I'm really looking for more design-type products, not utilitarian products because you can get great utilitarian items [like basic leashes] everywhere.

"I don’t want to be another Daily Deal or Groupon. I think it's better to find a way to offer limited-time or discounted goods, then take a step further and have an online store that always has those items. It's an ideal combination of deals and inventory. Some other pet-related sites are like that, but I want it to be more than that. I want Snazzy Jazzy Pet to be about discovering unique items or purchasing them at any time."

Dewar has been as entrepreneur herself for the past 16 years after leaving the marketing game, during which she represented major companies like Lindt and L.L Bean, and she said the guiding ideology behind SnazzyJazzyPet.com is "entrepreneurs supporting other entrepreneurs."

The site launched last February, selling Dewar's "Live Life With a Wag" bags — a line named after Dewar's beloved rescue dog and "inspiration" Jazz — and other goods. The site has since expanded to include countless lines of handwoven or handmade collars, bedding, beach supplies, animal clothing, and animal-themed items for humans, and other pet supplies.

Dewar said she personally doesn't dress her dogs in costumes, although she said her site does have clothing items — especially those that serve protection and other real-world applications beyond just the desire to dress pets — and it's among the many areas of the site she is expanding as she continues to carve her niche in the $52-billion-and-growing designer animal goods industry.

"I’m trying to transform the human look for pets when I’m trying to find products," said Dewar. "Over the last year there's been a big trend in the humanization of pets. I think it has to do with a feeling of 'emptiness' with a lot of baby boomers, because pets become their kids. I think women like to find something totally new or unique, so our mission is to find really unique, great products for pets and pet lovers."

Dewar said she has encountered some competition with "big box" retailers, although she said there aren't many national forces in the boutique world of pet products. SnazzyJazzyPet.com's had a lot of success so far in New England as well in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, among others, according to Dewar, because of the products it offers as well as the way Dewar helps its vendors with marketing and public relations.

The site's currently exploring expanding its shipping beyond the 48 continental states, and Dewar said there's already been interest from pet lovers in several foreign countries, including Norway.

Dewar said, though, that she's "trying to stay focused" on where the site is "right now" and "building a solid brand with great products" while increasing marketing efforts for the company before she attempts to grow the business and go international, which she expects will happen at some point next year.

As she works toward that goal, Dewar said she'll continue to draw inspiration from Jazz, who passed away at the age of 11 not long ago. Dewar said her initial nickname was "Boo" because she was "scared of everything" after the adoption, which Dewar said Jazz overcame that soon after thanks to a healthy dose of love, attention and a warm home.

"She lived the rest of her life with her tail wagging furiously," said Dewar. "I think it was her spirit that helped her overcome tough, tough times and find that [she] could be happy. When dogs are happy, they wag their tails. That to me was inspiring. We all want to be happy and live life with a wag."

More information about the company can be found at SnazzyJazzyPet.com. Users can also register for e-mail alerts through the site in order to stay on top of the active deals.