Vernan Kee, a Ruffwear ambassador, is the latest in the dog gear company's Artist Series.

When Ruffwear, a Bend business that designs dog gear, wanted to support causes that champion the outdoors, it turned to its brand ambassadors for artistic inspiration.

The company knew the artists in its artists program could create unique designs for Ruffwear products that would benefit the communities they live in and connect with pet owners. A portion of the proceeds from each sale in the Artist Series goes to a nonprofit organization of the artist’s choice.

The latest ambassador in the series is Vernan Kee, a Native American from the Navajo Nation who designed a new series of dog leashes, collars and harnesses.

Inspired by the weavings of his grandmother, Kee used graphic design and technology at NativeOutdoors, a company he works for, to draw an orange and blue diamond pattern.

Kee chose Turquoise Paw, a dog rescue nonprofit on the Navajo Nation, to benefit from his designs.

“My grandmother made these geometric patterns. It’s a cool memory I have. As I drew, I heard her loom smacking together. I wanted to honor the women in my life. That’s where this design came from.”

This is the second product series created under the Artists Series, which launched in February 2020. It is by far the most popular, said Dani Reese, Ruffwear community manager.

In the first 24 hours that Kee’s leash, collar and harness were up for sale, more than 2,500 items were sold. The other items in the series are three different designs printed on bowls and hats. Each nonprofit receives 5% of the proceeds from the item, Reese said.

“I’m sure it’s slowed down some, but it was exciting to see,” Reese said. “I think it’s because of the cause, especially in Bend, where we have a lot of reservation dogs in our community. That cause resonates in our community.”

The artists are paid for their designs. For Kee’s design, Ruffwear wanted to ensure it was important that the design was not culturally inappropriate, Reese said. This is about appreciation of a traditional design, not appropriation, she said.

“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship,” Reese said. “Each artist in the series chooses a nonprofit where a portion of the proceeds go to, so their work benefits a cause they believe in.”

Compassion for dogs

Purchasing products that benefit a cause resonates with consumers, said Todd Laurence, Oregon State University-Cascades business and entrepreneurship adjunct instructor. Young consumers, in particular, expect companies whose products and services they purchase will support social causes aligned with their own values, Laurence said.

“Corporations of all sizes do extensive market research to understand their ideal customer profiles, not just age, gender, income demographics, but also psychological attributes including what causes are important to them,” Laurence said. “The companies form brand partnerships to support those causes explicitly as a way to deepen connections with customers, build brand loyalty and increase repeat business.

“The overall goal is, of course, to maximize the lifetime value of the business relationship with the customer.”

The Ruffwear Artist Series features three artists designing caps and bowls. They are:

• Bend artist Christina McKeown, who designed a pattern inspired by Sparks Lake for the bowls and hat. The nonprofit she chose to support is American Whitewater, according to Ruffwear’s website.

• Adam Haynes, of Camp Sherman, designed a pattern inspired by Mount Baily, a shield volcano north of Crater Lake. He chose the nonprofit, Protect Our Winters.

• Sheila Dunn, a Bend resident with roots in Colorado, designed a pattern that is inspired by Alvord, an alkaline flat desert 20 miles long and seven miles wide. The nonprofit she chose is The Conservation Alliance.

For the 36-year-old Kee, creating the design brought him closer to his Navajo roots, gave him the opportunity to use his graphic design skills and helped rescue more dogs.

“I selected the blue first and then the sun color pops out,” Kee said. “The geometric shapes were my own style, using the traditional Navajo weavings as my inspiration.”

When Kee returned to his New Mexico home after living in San Diego for several years, he visited places that he knew as a child.

Unfortunately, those places had changed. They were overrun with trash and stray dogs. As he visited these places, he’d collect the dogs, take them to spay and neuter clinics, foster them and then try to find them new homes.

Some stick around. Kee now has 11 dogs of his own. When he’s not rescuing, he’s building dog houses, giving them away and picking up strays on the reservation. It all costs money, he said.

“I have dogs of my own and they’re my kids. I have compassion for dogs,” Kee said. “Ruffwear came to my attention and I asked for help.”