Three Years, One Towel, Silver Medal: Our Journey

Picture this: You're walking along the beach at Jan Juc, Vic, with your beloved pup, watching them have the time of their life splashing through the waves. Then comes the inevitable – a stinky, soggy dog who needs to get in the car for the drive home.

That's exactly how Wet Dog and Co began just over three years ago. What started as a simple solution to our own wet dog dilemma became our very first product – the hooded dog towel. Fast forward to today, and that same towel has just won us silver at the Clean & Conscious Awards.

Operating from the beautiful Surf Coast here in Jan Juc, Victoria, we're absolutely chuffed with this achievement!

The Awards That Actually Matter

Let's be real – there are plenty of awards out there, but the Clean & Conscious Awards are different. They're not just about pretty packaging or clever marketing. These awards dig deep into what really matters: whether products are genuinely clean, ethical, sustainable, and responsible.

The process is thorough too. Real experts get their hands on your products, test them in real-world conditions, and provide honest feedback. No popularity contests, no voting campaigns – just proper, hands-on evaluation by people who know their stuff.

When we discovered that 86% of consumers are more likely to buy a product that's won a Clean + Conscious Award, we knew this was the validation we wanted for our sustainable mission.

The Journey Before the Journey

But let's rewind a bit further. Before we even launched our first towel, we were out there testing our ideas and our passion. We won the sustainable pitch night at Happy Spaces Victoria, supported by Ripple Surfcoast which gave us the confidence that we were onto something special. Then we went through the pitch night at RunwayHQ in Geelong, putting ourselves out there and learning what it takes to turn a beach walk problem into a real business solution.

We really tried to make it all right from the start – and honestly, we're still trying every single day!

Taking the Plunge

From those early pitch nights to the Clean & Conscious Awards, entering was still a bit nerve-wracking, if we're being honest. Here we were, the small team from Jan Juc, going up against established brands with years of experience. But we believed in our hooded dog towels – and more importantly, we believed in our mission to create gear that's brilliant for both pups and the planet.

Our towels aren't just about drying your dog after a muddy adventure (though they're bloody good at that). Each one is made from recycled plastic bottles, turning waste into something genuinely useful. Add in those cute little ears, drawstring design, and that 1-year free repair service, and we had something we thought was pretty special.

The question was: would the experts agree?

What the Experts Really Thought

Spoiler alert: they did! But it wasn't just a pat on the head and a "well done." The feedback was detailed, thoughtful, and honestly made us a bit emotional.

Aurelia St Clair got straight to the heart of why we created these towels: "The struggle of drying your dog after a bath or day at the beach is real. I love how much easier this dog towel makes this." She loved the practical design – those drawstrings that make securing the towel around your wiggling pup so much easier, and that adorable hood that's as functional as it is cute.

But what really got us was her recognition of our community focus: "I love that wet dog & co puts an effort into connecting with their customers and community in a meaningful way."

Eljay Esson was all about the design and sustainability combo: "This was such a fun and vibrant print. The texture was durable yet soft and it was a plentiful size which appeals to a wide range of dogs." Then came the comment that made our day: "Really commendable to find a brand that uses recycled plastic bottles in their products especially when it comes to materials."

Kate Atkinson saw the bigger picture: "It's such a versatile design. They clearly take their ethical and social responsibilities seriously. I look forward to seeing the success of this brand in the future."

And the overall panel feedback? They called our use of recycled plastic bottles through r-pet microfibre "a great innovation" and loved that our 1-year free repair service was "a practical way of further promoting re-use."

The Science Behind the Softness

Here's something cool that the experts picked up on – our r-pet microfibre isn't just environmentally friendly, it's genuinely better for your dog. The recycled plastic bottles are transformed into ultra-soft, super-absorbent fibres that are gentle on sensitive skin but tough enough to handle the muddiest, sandiest adventures.

Each towel diverts approximately 4-6 plastic bottles from potentially ending up in landfill or our oceans. That's 4-6 bottles that get a second life as something that'll make both you and your adventure buddy happy.

What This Win Means for Us (And You!)

This silver medal isn't just a shiny rosette for our wall (though it definitely is that too!). It's validation that our approach is working – that you can create products that are both brilliant for your pet and kind to the planet.

For us, it means we're on the right track. We set out to be the Patagonia of the dog world, creating gear that's built for adventure and built to last, with sustainability at its core. This recognition from industry experts tells us we're not just dreaming – we're doing it.

For you and your four-legged adventure buddy, it means you can trust that when you choose Wet Dog and Co, you're choosing gear that's been independently recognised for its quality, sustainability, and genuine innovation.

Looking Ahead: Always Improving, Always Innovating

After three years of operation and this incredible recognition, we're not slowing down. We're constantly working on improvements and developing new solutions that deliver the best functionality for all our products. Every design tweak, every material choice, every feature we add comes from real feedback and real adventures with real dogs.

As we grow the business, there's always something new to tackle, but we face it all head-on, trying our best to deliver the best products possible. It's a journey, and honestly, it means the world that you're sticking with us.

This silver medal isn't our finish line – it's fuel for the next leg of our journey. We've got more sustainable innovations brewing, more ways to solve those everyday adventure challenges, and more gear designed to make life with your four-legged mate that bit easier and more sustainable.

Thanks for your ongoing support and honest feedback – it's what keeps us improving and growing!

Our hooded dog towels might have won silver, but our commitment to the planet and your adventures? That's pure gold.

So here's to every muddy paw print, every sandy coat, every post-swim shake that sends water flying everywhere. Here's to the adventures that make the mess worth it, and to gear that cleans up afterwards without messing up the planet.

Ready to see what all the fuss is about? Check out our award-winning hooded dog towels and join the sustainable adventure movement. Your pup will thank you, and so will the planet.

Because the best adventures leave only paw prints behind.

– Nelly and the Wet Dog and Co team