Why We Love Stinky Dogs

5 Minute Read –

We’ve been making candles for nearly ten years now and they quickly became the top seller in the shop. They’re made with essential oils and soy wax and all that good stuff. Over time we expanded into making new scents and about three years ago we launched a sub-brand of candles called “Stinky Dog”.

We launched with five new scents and promised two things:

To donate a portion of the proceeds to local shelters.
The scent with mask any pungent odors your four-legged-friend may leave lingering.

People always walk into the shop and the moment their eyes land on the white and black label they comment on how cute the name is.

I love how customers love it, but I think the true story behind the name should be told.

Ahem…

I’ve seen a lot of things while stuck in Los Angeles traffic but never anticipated something that would eventually change my life until one late afternoon while stuck in gridlock in South L.A. I saw what appeared to be a homeless man kicking a small black dog up the street. Without even turning the car off, I charged the guy into a nearby park before he vanished into the bustle that is Downtown Los Angeles. I backtracked and found the victimized pup shaking in a nearby alley. Her thick hair was matted by her ears and paws, and when she could even manage to walk, she had a nasty limp. Expecting the worst, I rushed her to the vet where I was relieved to learn she hadn’t been injured but was, in fact, living with something called Cerebellar hypoplasia, a rare defect that stunts the growth of a puppy’s cerebellum so they have severe trouble walking or even standing.

With no collar or tags, the vet guessed the poor thing had been left for dead and I could either take her home with me or leave her there. All alone. With no one to hug her. Not to be held accountable for any puppy’s fear of abandonment, I named her Katie and shared a home with her for years to come.

(this is not Katie from the story, this is Adam’s dog, Rosie, and frankly, she’s just too adorable to not be posted)

At least, that’s the cute part. The nastier side of the story comes rolled in unavoidable facts that you’re forced to get used to when living with a severely handicapped dog. For starters, Katie’s legs had a slower reaction time than her bowels, so unless you were ready to carry her outside at a moment’s notice, you had a mess to clean up (and even if you did make out in time you usually had to clean yourself off anyway). Needless to say, there were countless times the phrase “Stinky Dog” was used in lieu of Katie’s name (sometimes replacing “stinky” with other creative descriptors when necessary) but it was always followed by, “I love you,” or “you’re the cutest,” because she was and we do.

I think we all have our own Stinky Dog and we all have our reasons why we still love them regardless, and that’s why I keep my Stinky Dog Candles burning around the house (besides helping with the problematic aroma). Because they remind me of why I love my pet so much, and I hope they can do the same for you.