Dazee goes in to lick her owner, Ruffwear founder and director of research and development Patrick Kruse, outside Ruffwear’s office in Bend on Thursday. Dazee wears Ruffwear’s Front Range Harness. 

The “aha” moment for Ruffwear founder Patrick Kruse came about three decades ago when a friend urged him to create an easy-to-carry water bowl for dogs on the trail.

That’s when he realized that tent material, which keeps rainwater out, can also be used to hold water.

The result is a collapsible fabric water bowl, a staple in the dog outdoor product line at Ruffwear, which offers a range of products that includes life jackets, harnesses and booties.

“Today’s competitive landscape offers us a chance to explore how we can refine our business and upgrade our approach to marketing, sales, and operations,” Kruse said. “The addition of these top-level executives to critical business units is part of a global growth plan and strategy that will help us to realize continued success in the next 30 years and beyond.”

Ruffwear’s beginnings were in 1994 in Huntington Beach, California, after Kruse saw people taking their dogs out of the backyard and into outdoor adventures. Today, the Bend-based business is still a privately held company held by Kruse and two other silent investors.

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The company recently announced it would enter a new era with the creation of three new leadership positions to take the company forward.

“We started before the internet even existed,” Kruse said. “We’ve grown mostly through word of mouth. Along the way, other brands have seen our successes. We invented this outdoor dog gear concept.”

Creating new leadership positions, while maintaining ownership, is a common practice with start-up businesses, said Todd Laurence, Oregon State University-Cascades instructor.

Often founders reach a point where their knowledge base is slim or they want to be more creative and focus on research and development, so they seek professional leadership, said Laurence.

“The new leadership can help the company to grow to the next level,” Laurence said. “Founders typically stay on in one capacity or another because continuity is important.

“It happens in almost every industry.”

Dog water bowls first created in garage

A serial entrepreneur, Kruse started first in the boating community. His first company was Mariner Marine Works, a sailing gear company and later he founded Salamander Paddle Gear. Both started in California.

Ruffwear keeps tails wagging

It was a natural progression from paddling and the outdoors to dog gear as all three of these businesses started by filling a need in the outdoor recreational arena, he said.

He began first in California with a $33 investment in materials to make 15 foldable dog bowls, sewn in his garage, that he took to the Outdoor Retailers Trade Show in 1994. He walked away with an order for 8,000 bowls, mostly from L.L. Bean, and decided to follow his nose into the dog product business.

In 1996, Kruse moved to Bend with Ruffwear.

In 2011, Ruffwear reported to have 23 employees and distributed its products across the United States and in 25 countries. In 2024, Ruffwear now employs 76 people and has its products in 2,700 retailers in 52 countries, Kruse said.

“Ruffwear’s commitment to Central Oregon and its employees has not only propelled Ruffwear to a global success but has also reinforced Bend’s reputation as a hub for innovation, lifestyle-oriented businesses,” said Don Myll, Economic Development for Central Oregon Bend area director.

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“Ruffwear has played a key role in building Bend’s outdoor industry and in turn has enjoyed the benefits of the industry’s strength.”

Founder now eyes European market

In the United States, there are about 65 million households that own a dog, according to the American Pet Products Association. An estimated $150.6 billion will be spent on Fido this year, compared to $97.1 billion in 2019, according to the association.

Europe is Ruffwear’s new frontier, Kruse said.

“The pet world is very competitive,” Kruse said. “If we want to remain relevant, we have to play the game differently. We’re still a customer-centric business. It’s about meeting customers where they are and being conscientious about how we set up our payments and how we interface with bigger stores.”

Dog gear should act like human gear

When Kruse began Ruffwear, he didn’t have a formal business plan. The water bowl, first tested in his backyard with his own dog, Ursula, made him realize that he was meeting a need.

“I came up with the brand name and tag line,” Kruse said. “Throughout the history of Ruffwear, we’ve been meeting customers where they are. Since the 1970s dogs left the backyard and began to join us on adventures. It’s a natural progression to needing gear.

“Our products resonate with people in the outdoors. We use outdoor fabric and hardware, and we expect our dog gear to act like human gear.”

The Ruffwear way is to put the customer experience first, Kruse said. That’s where the new corporate structure comes into play.

New leadership team 

Robin Skillings has been with Ruffwear since 2023, but has two decades of managing global teams at companies like KEEN, Honeywell and Johnson Outdoors, according to a Ruffwear announcement the new leadership structure.

Skillings, now chief marketing officer, will focus on building global brand awareness, supporting e-commerce and curating consumer experiences, according to the statement.

Young Joen has 13 years of experience with Ruffwear and was promoted to chief operating officer. Joen helped improve the supply chain and sustainability practices of the company, according to announcement. Joen will continue to focus on operations including logistics and explore how artificial intelligence will help the design and product process.

And Sandella Gansheimer, who was appointed chief revenue officer two months ago, brings 15 years of sales experience in the pet products business to Ruffwear, the statement said. Gansheimer has experience in distribution and retail sales that can support e-commerce expansion in pet specialty stores.

Meg Chun, who with her husband Dave Chun, launched, scaled and sold Kialoa Paddles in Bend, often shares her knowledge of the outdoor products business with startups, understands the evolution of an outdoor business like Ruffwear.

“You’ve grown this business and enjoyed the journey and it’s time to go,” said Chun who shares her knowledge as a mentor with Bend Outdoor Worx and Opportunity Knocks.

“Or the company is growing so quickly that you don’t have the experience of running a business so you run into too many things you don’t have enough experience with.”

That’s when you hire people with higher level of experience, Chun said. “I remember once time sitting with the sales manager and we had a conversation about how if we continued to grow at that pace I wouldn’t have a seat in the company. It would outgrow us, but the industry plateaued.

“Ideally you want to work as much as you can in your areas of strength and you fill in the pieces that fit around you and make you strong and create an amazing team.”