Our four-legged friends need rain protection, too. From the makers of Cleverhood high-performance rain capes for humans, there’s now Cleverpup raingear for canines. Both lines are made eighteen miles down the road in Fall River, Massachusetts, while the headquarters for the company is located on the West Side of Providence. Cleverhood is a pooch-loving business with six dogs between three employees.
“Extending rainwear to dogs was a natural extension,” says Susan Mocarski, founder and designer of Cleverhood and Cleverpup. The idea was born out of the search for a good raincoat for an elderly husky. “She would get soaked and it would take forever to dry her out,” she says. Mocarski could not find American-made waterproof raingear for her dog, so she decided her company would cater to canines as well. “I was shocked at how not waterproof any of them were and none of them (that I came across) were made in North America,” she says. “That made me think we could do a better job.”
On Thurs., March 30 from 7−9 p.m., Cleverhood is hosting a party to celebrate the Cleverpup line, complete with brews from neighbor Long Live Beerworks and Narragansett Beer, sweets from Sin Bakery, cocktails by Bootblack Brand, treats for dogs from Jack’s Snacks and more (but please leave your own dogs at home). The Companion Animal Foundation will also be on hand at the event. It provides veterinary care for the animals of people who are not able to afford special care, and Cleverpup dedicates a portion of its proceeds from product sales to the organization.
The execution of Cleverpup was made possible thanks to Rhode Island’s participation in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, hosted by Goldman Sachs in conjunction with the Community College of Rhode Island. Mocarski enrolled in the free program that included thirty other Rhode Island small businesses. “It’s a six-month-long grueling program which forces you to examine every aspect of your business and figure out what it is that makes your business potentially successful,” she says. “The pet line was in the back of my mind and I was able to flesh it out during that program with assistance from other business folks.”
The first Cleverpup garment is the Electric Houndstooth rain jacket, made with the same 3M reflective glen plaid fabric that they use on the original capes but with cozy berber fleece, plus military spec webbing that’s made in Pawtucket and aircraft-grade, aluminum climbing clasps. “We are designing for the city-dwelling dog owner who has to walk the dog out in the rain to get out of apartment,” Mocarski says. “The all-weather owner and all-weather dog is who we have in mind.” cleverhood.com