Welcome to Pawthena!
If you’ve found your way here, we thought it was only right to introduce ourselves and share the story behind our little business.
Like many great stories, ours starts with a dog.
A Labrador called Athena.
When we first brought Athena home, we thought we were getting a puppy.
What we didn’t realise was how much she would change our lives.
Athena quickly became our best friend, our shadow, our adventure buddy and the centre of our world.
For us, Athena isn’t just a dog.
She’s family.
We don’t have children and don’t plan to, so Athena truly is our baby. Every plan we make, every goal we work towards and every dream we have for the future includes her.
Athena has changed our lives in more ways than we ever expected.
One thing we’ve never really spoken about is the impact she’s had on anxiety.
I’ve struggled with anxiety for most of my life and honestly, I still can’t fully explain how she’s helped.
It’s not gone away completely, but things that once felt incredibly difficult don’t feel quite as impossible anymore.
Before Athena, even something as simple as going out would feel overwhelming. Now, when we’re out on walks together, I find myself focusing on her instead of worrying about what everyone around me is thinking.
If another dog owner stops to chat, I find it much easier to join in the conversation. I still get anxious, but nowhere near to the extent I used to.
Somehow, Athena has given me confidence without even trying.
She gets me out of the house, introduces me to new people and reminds me to enjoy the little things.
She probably has no idea she’s doing any of that.
To her, she’s just being a dog.
But to us, she’s so much more than that.
She’s one of the biggest reasons Pawthena means so much to us and one of the many reasons we’re so determined to give her the happiest life possible.
And if you’re a dog owner, chances are you understand exactly what we mean.
Because dog people get it.
You understand taking hundreds of photos of your dog.
You understand buying them a new toy and getting more excited than they do.
You understand planning days out around them.
You understand that dogs somehow become the most important part of your life.
That’s exactly how we feel about Athena.
And she’s the reason Pawthena exists.
You might have already guessed where the name Pawthena comes from.
It’s a combination of “paw” and Athena, because from the very beginning, she has been the heart of everything we do.
It only felt right that the brand she inspired carried a little piece of her name too.
The Dream Behind Pawthena
Pawthena wasn’t created because we wanted another business. It was created because we wanted to build something inspired by the dog who means everything to us.
We wanted to build something that reflected the love, care and effort we put into giving Athena the best life possible.
Like many dog owners, we dream of giving Athena everything she deserves.
More adventures.
More experiences.
More freedom.
More opportunities to simply enjoy being a dog.
One of our biggest goals is to one day have a place of our own where Athena has even more space to run, explore and enjoy life to the fullest.
Every order, every review, every mention and every piece of support helps us work towards that dream and we’re incredibly grateful for every pup and their hooman who chooses to support our little brand.
If We Wouldn’t Give It To Athena, We Won’t Sell It
One thing that’s incredibly important to us is that we only stock products we genuinely believe in.
Every single product on our website is something we would happily buy for Athena ourselves.
If we wouldn’t use it with our own dog, you won’t find it at Pawthena.
It’s really that simple.
We’re dog owners before we’re business owners.
We know how important it is to trust the products you’re buying for your dog.
That’s why we spend time carefully choosing what we stock rather than simply adding products for the sake of having more products.
Whether it’s a chew, a treat, a toy or an accessory, we want it to be something we’d genuinely recommend.
Because if it’s not good enough for Athena, it’s not good enough for Pawthena.
Learning Together
Dogs don’t come with instruction manuals.
No matter how much research you do, there is always something new to learn.
We’re not trainers, behaviourists or veterinary professionals and we’ll never pretend to know everything.
But we’re passionate about helping where we can.
If a new puppy owner is struggling with teething, we’d happily recommend products that can help.
If someone asks us about enrichment, we’d love to share ideas we’ve found helpful.
If we can help point someone in the right direction, we’re always happy to do so.
We’re always learning ourselves and we love sharing what we’ve learned along the way.
Because sometimes a small piece of advice can make a big difference.
Designed With Love
One of our favourite parts of Pawthena is creating.
We absolutely love designing.
Our Savage Bloom walk wear didn’t start as a product.
It started as a drawing.
Seeing one of our hand drawn designs become a real product was incredibly exciting.
But seeing other dogs actually wear it?
That feeling is impossible to describe.
Every time we see a dog wearing our Savage Bloom walk wear, we still get excited knowing it started as one of our hand drawn designs and is now part of another dog’s adventures.
While we currently have only one walk wear collection available, we already have lots more designs waiting behind the scenes, ready for the day we can bring them to life.
And trust us, we can’t wait.
The Best Part Of Pawthena
People often assume the best part of running a dog business is making sales.
For us, it’s also the dogs.
It’s seeing your unboxing videos.
It’s receiving photos of happy pups.
It’s hearing that a dog is obsessed with their new chew.
It’s seeing dogs wearing our walk wear out on adventures.
It’s packing an order and knowing it’s heading to someone’s dog.
That feeling never gets old.
Every parcel we pack is going to a dog somewhere.
And honestly?
That makes us ridiculously happy.
More Than A Business
Over time, we’ve realised Pawthena is becoming so much more than a business.
It’s becoming a community.
A community of dog lovers who care about their dogs just as much as we care about Athena.
A community that shares advice, celebrates milestones and supports one another.
A community built around the belief that dogs deserve the very best.
Whether you’ve placed an order, followed us on social media, joined our ambassador team, shared one of our posts or simply taken the time to read this blog, thank you.
Your support means more than you’ll ever know.
Building A Future For Athena
Like many dog owners, we have dreams.
Big dreams.
One of those dreams is creating the best possible life for Athena.
More adventures.
More opportunities.
More freedom.
More space to explore.
Every order placed with Pawthena helps us take another small step towards that future.
And while customers may see a parcel arriving at their door, what we see is something much bigger.
We see hoomans and their pups choosing to support a small business built around a dog who means everything to us.
That’s something we’ll never take for granted.
Our Promise
As Pawthena grows, one thing will never change.
Dogs will always come first.
We’ll continue choosing products carefully.
We’ll continue helping where we can.
We’ll continue creating and designing.
We’ll continue learning.
And we’ll continue building a brand that we’d be proud to buy from ourselves.
Because Pawthena isn’t just a dog brand.
It’s a dream.
A journey.
A community.
And at the heart of it all is one very special Labrador called Athena.
Thank you for being part of her story.
And thank you for being part of ours.
With love,
The Hoomans🤎 & Athena🐶