Way back in 2016, North Range Dogs started with hand-dyed Rope Leashes. Before I opened NRD I dyed all sorts of fibres, I loved playing with wools and silks and more exotic fibres like milk protein fibres. There was a moment where I thought I could combine my love for dogs (I was already a trainer) and my love of colour. At the same time I stumbled on Biothane and fell in love and started ordering that. But this is a story about rope leashes not Biothane.
I’ve made thousands of leashes over the years. More often than not the colour combos I’ve dyed were custom and designed by the humans for their dogs. Those colour combos were named after the first dog they were made for. I had so much fun collaborating and making people’s visions come true.
The Announcement
But today I am announcing that I’ll be moving to a different model for rope leashes. Why? The reality is that rope leashes take a really really long time to make. Days really - and there is no way to shorten this up. The dyeing of the leashes is the shortest part of the process. It’s really hard to batch the work. This means I struggle to keep up.
So what will the new model for rope leashes look like?
- I’m will create a “ready to ship” area on the website and post leashes there.
- I will open up custom dye days (with lots of notice) so you can snag the leashes you want.
- Wholesale customers will still be able to order the leashes they would like to carry in store.
You will still get to name your custom leashes! And they will still be made from the amazing unbleached cotton rope one at a time by hand. I’ll still be using the professional grade dyes that bond with the cellulose in the cotton. And the end result will still be the amazing one of a kind leashes that represent they bond you share with your dog.
