An Innovative Onesie for Dogs That Solves Lots of Problems Say?
It’s cute, colorful and comfortable. The Shed Defender is also versatile. What are all the things it can do to help your dog? I’m talking with founder Tyson Walters to find out!
BIO:
The Shed Defender is a versatile onesie that contains pet hair and dander, reduces anxiety and can replace the medical cone for dogs with hotspots, skin conditions, allergies, surgical sites and more. Tyson Walters started working on the Shed Defender when he moved home from college in 2011. He had the idea to create the product because his St. Bernard, Harley, was a non-stop shedding beast. There was nothing on the market that worked, so he created the solution himself.
His mom helped him sew the first prototypes and he hired an additional seamstress off Craigslist. After creating his own website and a $5/month budget for Facebook ads, Tyson started selling about 2-5 units a month starting in 2015. Then one article came out from “The Dodo” and Shed Defender went viral overnight. The business exploded and within a few weeks, Tyson had over 1000 orders to fulfill and only one seamstress who could sew about 5 a day. Shed Defender was all over the news with interviews coming in from all across the world. It was a whirlwind and while the exposure and attention were validating and fun, the overnight success also meant Tyson had a ton of work to do and thousands of customers to deliver a product to. This only fueled his passion to keep working hard and grow the business, while attempting to keep up with demand.
In 2018 Tyson appeared on the popular television show, Shark Tank, to pitch his company to investors who might help take him to the next level. They received offers from three ‘Sharks’ and ultimately settled on a deal with Lori Greiner who agreed to $250,000 in exchange for a 25% stake in the company.
Fast forward 3.5 years and there are now four different versions of the Shed Defender onesie. Shed Defender will also be releasing a line of shampoos and soft chews that should come out in the summer of 2020. They sell through the Shed Defender website at www.ShedDefender.com, Amazon, Chewy.com, BedBathandBeyond.com, and select veterinary clinics.