Barking Up the Right Tree: How CoyoteVest Revolutionized Pet Protection By Writer and Contributor Emily McGinn
Paul and Pamela Mott are now the CEO and president, respectively, of CoyoteVest, a thriving business that supplies pet owners with pet body armor to protect against predators. However, the Motts never expected to find themselves in the dog business.
Then, in 2014, Paul was walking the rescue dogs that the Motts fostered and a coyote leapt out of the bushes and snatched one of the dogs, Buffy.
“It was horrible,” Pamela says. “We had been hearing stories about coyotes, but at that time they used to say, just throw your arms in the air and yell and scream. But by then, the surprise attack has already happened. Your dog is already seriously injured or dead. We were devastated. We were angry.”
The Motts began to search for a product they could buy to protect their dogs but could not find any online. Paul, an engineer, then began to research innovative ways to solve the problem himself. As a result, the CoyoteVest was born.
They started using their creation for their own dogs. Other people began to request them and then, with the help of a news channel, the CoyoteVest went viral, resulting in hundreds of orders.
Now, people worldwide use the CoyoteVest and the company’s other accessories to protect their pets. The Motts have realized that the coyote danger is relevant to communities across the globe. For example, the Palos Verdes Peninsula community experiences coyote sightings regularly and has experienced an increase in sightings in recent years. This increase has correlated with an uptick in small pets going missing, according to the City of Palos Verdes Estates website.
The company has grown to offer not only the original vest, which features spikes and thick material to deter predators, but also variations such as the CoyoteCollar and accessories such as CoyoteWhiskers. CoyoteVest has also expanded to protect against birds of prey with items like the HawkShield and HawkEyes. These accessories can attach to the CoyoteVest to add protective measures against other threats that dogs might face.
The Motts remain committed to their mission of loving and protecting dogs as they continue to add accessories.
“We’re always looking for: Here’s the problem — how can we solve it? And how can we keep our dogs and all the fur babies around the world as safe as possible?” Pamela says.
Although the company is now well-established with customer testimonials of successes, the Motts initially had to overcome the uncertainty of not knowing if the CoyoteVest would do its job. Testing was difficult to execute, and the Motts encountered naysayers early on in their company’s existence.
“We had people trying to tell us that it wouldn’t work, trying to tell us we were stupid for even trying to do this, but we kept pursuing it and it wasn’t too long before some of our customers started having encounters and it did work,” Paul says.
For Pamela, the most impactful aspect of what they do at CoyoteVest is hearing from customers who have had encounters about the lives they have saved.
“You cannot imagine how you feel in your heart when you get a call from somebody and they say, ‘My dog was attacked and your vest saved my dog’s life.’ There’s nothing like it,” Pamela says.
Images courtesy of CoyoteVest Pet Body Armor
For more information visit: CoyoteVest Pet Body Armor
We are a small family owned business that was started by Paul and Pam Mott and Nicole Mellom.
Our goal is to help prevent others from experiencing the heartbreak we suffered when our beloved Buffy was killed by a coyote.
Our address is 9985 Business Park Ave. Ste B, San Diego, CA 92131
We have been in business since April 2015.
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Emily McGinn: A Dedicated Journalist
Fueled by passion and curiosity, Emily McGinn is a fervent journalist whose heart beats for truth and creativity. As a graduate of California Baptist University, Emily’s academic voyage is adorned with rich interests in environmental science, political science, and graphic design. Her portfolio is a mosaic of hard work and dedication, evidenced by a repertoire of content that stands as a testament to her journalistic commitment and academic pursuits.
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