Current thoughts from the founder of JULIUS-K9 – 2023
The increase in prices, inflation, and gradual impoverishment do not exactly encourage people to keep dogs, much less the production of dog equipment in Europe. The costs of caring for pets have also increased, and whether they are pedigree or mongrels, their situation has become uncertain in many families. More and more pets are being taken to animal shelters, often because their owners no longer have the time nor money to care for them.
The fate of the JULIUS-K9 company has always been one with dogs.
Thus, we have experienced extremely difficult moments as entrepreneurs in recent years, like never before. In my business, that was founded a quarter of a century ago, you can find my friends, my dog loving sports partners, and my comrades who are still active in animal rescue work. The tenfold increase in energy prices and the cost-cutting measures introduced due to the general market uncertainty are drastically affecting every European employee, including the members of the JK9 team.
What happens in the world around us is something we can easily experience in our own lives or within a business.
However, I firmly believe in the following philosophy: “all changes start from within, and not the other way around”.
Our inner world, our beliefs and our will are projected onto and shaped by the outer world.
After seeing so many human tragedies in recent years, the question arose in my mind: can I take advantage of the fact that many people are paying attention to JULIUS-K9? Can we say something to them today that will make them believe in their own strength and in tomorrow? Regardless of how often the world around them seems to be collapsing?
It reminded me of the huge impact our first dog harness patches had on people 20-25 years ago.
For the first time in history, dogs wearing JULIUS-K9 harnesses became striking colour spots on city streets. Back then, dogs shaped the world with messages.
JULIUS-K9’s “speaking dog harnesses” delivered messages to dog owners and people on the street. The information coming from an unexpected direction and appearing on a dog harness can still be effective today, I thought.
I called my product development designer colleague, Alberto Vasquez, on the phone, determined and ready to act. I literally attacked the poor man:
Alberto, I just can’t believe that we can’t write something current on the harness labels?! Which shows that everything will get better and that dogs can only help us in this. Some mixture of PEACE, JOY OF LIFE, OPTIMISM, DOG’S PAWS and TAIL WAGGING that awakens something positive inside everyone?!
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds. I realised I might have been a little too aggressive and I was about to apologize.
NEW DAY NEW WALK – was his calm response.
He didn’t even wait for the thank you, he simply hung up. I don’t even think I could have said anything all of a sudden in any case. He must have known that he made my day in an instant. Savouring these few words, something good started in me. Something that allowed me to see a brighter tomorrow. I looked at my puppy and read out loud the inscription of the future’ dog harness: New day new walk!
He liked it!