Hidden Gems: Meet Debbie Wright of Indy & Olly’s

Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Wright.

Debbie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My love of rescuing dogs started with Taffy, the Basenji who befriended my dad on the U.S. Army Base in Okinawa. Taffy flew all the way from Japan to Pennsylvania and was my first childhood dog. From that point on, our family always had a rescue pup in our home. I’ve continued to support dogs in finding their forever homes by adopting them into my family and volunteering to walk dogs at a shelter.

In 2019, I took the leap to create a company to make a difference in the lives of dogs on a bigger scale. That’s when Indy & Olly’s was born. We are a for-purpose dog bandana company donating one for one to rescues and shelters to improve adoption photos and help dogs find their forever homes. Why bandanas? The second I saw the adoption picture of Olly, I immediately fell in love and had to meet her! It made me realize there was an opportunity to increase adoptions by improving photos.

Dogs look so cute in bandanas! It creates a better adoption photo, hence our tagline & hashtag – Better with Bandanas. Our mission has been well received from our local community and throughout the country. We support all types and sizes of organizations, from breed-specific to fosters to some of the largest shelters. So far, we’ve supported over 50 rescue organizations and animal shelters with hundreds of bandanas donated.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The first thing that comes to mind is that I didn’t know how to sew! With only knowledge from a home economics class in junior high school, I bought my first sewing machine, watched YouTube videos and came up with the product design.

The biggest bump in the road was when the pandemic hit just as I was trying to spread the word about my business and expand our reach beyond friends and family. Markets and dog fundraising events were cancelled or virtual. So, I didn’t have many opportunities to build brand awareness or for in-person experiences where doggie customers could try on the bandanas.

One way I pivoted and continued growing was to start offering face coverings to match the dog bandanas. I know it put a smile on people’s faces to match their dogs, even if we couldn’t see it! Just like the dog bandanas, they are wear one and give one. For each one purchased, one is donated to shelter employees taking care of our animal friends.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Indy & Olly’s?
Indy & Olly’s is a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning we focus on purpose over profit. We are proud of our wear one, give one concept and the mission to help homeless dogs find homes. It is important for us to bring awareness to pet adoption and also to be a voice for spreading the spay/neuter message to keep dogs out of shelters.

Each dog bandana is handmade in Evergreen, reversible for two great looks and has two hearts sewn in – one for Indy, one for Olly. Indy was a mixed breed girl adopted from Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Olly was rescued by NBRAN, the National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network. She is still with us today and is the face of the organization.

We have lots of seasonal styles from daisies & dragonflies for spring, watermelon & surf dogs for summer and lots of autumn styles with leaves, pumpkins and Halloween. Holiday styles are very popular, especially for family photos since pets are part of the family!

We do custom bandanas as well. Customers have chosen fabric with bikes, baseballs and coffee. Our beer ones were a hit at some of our outdoor events at breweries where people bring their dogs to beer gardens. We offer embroidery, so you can customize the bandanas with your dog’s name and brand new to our product line is our cute bow ties!

What are your plans for the future?
We want to continue expanding our reach with new retail opportunities and partnerships with shelters and rescues nationwide. The more dogs we can help to find their forever homes by standing out in photos, the better!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.indyollys.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indyollys/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndyOllys/

Image Credits
J Renee Pet Photography