From Pets to Furbabies

For me, family pets are a household necessity.

Growing up in Portland, Oregon, there was always at least one dog and a few cats within my home. I resonated with their energy, appreciated their unconditional love, and the way they would console you in times of need. From a young age, I viewed those furry loved ones as some of my closest family members.

In my lifetime, I have witnessed a perspective shift around the place that dogs and cats have in our family unit. I am part of a growing generation choosing to have pet-children over human-children.

For me, dogs and cats are not just pets, they are my furbabies. I do my best to provide them a happy, healthy and enriched life as a core family member.

~Founder, Josie

Meet Our Family

  • The Luminous Pets Teammate Ember

    Ember

    Birthday: August 12th (Leo)

    Toy: Wand Toy

    Life Motto: I can do what I want, when I want

    Title: The Empress

  • The Luminous Pets Teammate Ronan

    Ronan

    Birthday: August 10th (Leo)

    Toy: Big stuffed toys that honk

    Life Motto: Must always be vigilant

    Archenemy: Fed-Ex Trucks

  • The Luminous Pets Teammate Kahlua

    Kahlua

    Birthday: May 5th (Taurus)

    Toy: Chuck-It Ball

    Life Motto: All you need is a good ball, and a pantry full of snackies.

    Rainbow Bridge: Dec 2023

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  • The Luminous Pets Founder Josie

    Josie

    Birthday: August 27th (Virgo)

    Color: Sage Green

    Food: Isiah's Homemade Spicy Mac and Cheese

    Favorite Animal: Harpy Eagle, or a Javelina

  • The Luminous Pets Founder Isiah

    Isiah

    Birthday: February 29th (Pisces)

    Color: Violet

    Food: Margherita Pizza

    Favorite Animal: Ducks or Capybara

Our Journey

The Luminous Pets Furbabies Ronan and Kahlua at the Oregon Gardens as Bandana Models

Cue the Pawpawrazzi

It was a few years into having Kahlua and Ronan when I moved from pet-owner to furbaby-enthusiast, and created their own IG account. There I could share my cutest pictures of our outings together.

It wasn't long until my adorable bandana wearing duo were selected to be models for a small woman-owned dog bandana shop.

The pups' bandana wardrobe started to expand.

"From a young age, I knew I was going to be a mama to furbabies" ~ Josie

Cat on Leash at the Tulip Festival

Ember, The Spark That Started Our Bandanas

In 2018, we adopted a confident cat and named her Ember Visenya.

By 6 months old, she was harness and leash trained and regularly attending the dogs on their weekly park outings.

I wanted her to be able to wear bandanas just like the dogs. However, I knew how much we previously struggled to find comfortable accessories for the dogs, let alone finding any accessories specifically for a cat.

The Problem With Traditional Bandanas...

They are designed with a small subset of pets in mind. The traditional triangle cut that needs to be tied on are made for: Dogs with short fur, average neck and body size.

Ember did not fit any of these qualifications. Even the smallest bandanas were bulky around her petite kitty neck. Tying on also left an uncomfortable chunky knot around her neck.

Snap on bandana frayed flannel pink and black plaid handmade by The Luminous Pets

Once You Snap, You Never Go Back

One of my solutions, add 3 metal snaps on each bandana.

Allowing for easy adjustability, and making it a more inclusive design for cats and dogs of all sizes.

Cat Lovers Unite

Just like Ronan and Kahlua, Ember got her own IG account to document her adventure cat lifestyle.

Instantly, others started reaching out about where we found her cat-sized bandanas. That is when Isiah and I recognized there were other pet enthusiasts interested in our handcrafted snap-on bandanas.

The Luminous Pets was founded in the spring of 2019.

Founder Josie hanging out with a shelter cat

Managing The Growing Pains

The Luminous Pets was gaining momentum, and Isiah and I were feeling the pull between the shop and our full-time traditional jobs.

In the fall of 2021, I made the move to a new part-time job in Animal Care at the local Humane Society. I was able to directly work with furbabies waiting for their furever homes, while also allowing for more time to grow our shop.

Chihuahua in The Luminous Pets Snap on Bandana at A Summer Street Fair

Meeting Pet Lovers

As we navigated the post-covid lockdown, we found a new love for our small shop in the form of local events and markets.

Isiah and I were soon booking our weekends with everything from pop-up events, to popular street fairs, to major handcraft markets.

We love directly connecting with the community, swapping stories about furbabies and (most importantly) sharing adorable pet pictures.

Small Shop, Big Dreams

Our mission is to spread pawsitivity by enriching the lives of furbabies and their human companions with comfortable and stylish accessories for cats and dogs.

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