Pet products and services have become a lucrative business in Bangkok, with more and more catering to the needs of spoiled pets — spas, cafes, hotels and even a taxi service.
People are marrying later and having fewer children, so they tend to pamper their pooches as they would their children, says Ms Ketkhanee. Somchai Poomlard
The rapid increase in these pet-centric businesses has turned pets into fashion accessories and changed people's perceptions of the role of pets.
"People are generally marrying later now and having fewer children, so they tend to treat their pooches like children, says Ketkhanee Suyanand, 34, founder and managing director of Doodletons & Friends Co.
"That's why people are buying more expensive pet products, spending as much as they would on their children," she adds.
The company sells dog accessories ranging from collars and snacks to coffins under its own Sketch and Doodletons brands for small and medium-sized dogs.
The company was officially founded in 2012, but Ms Ketkhanee began selling dog clothes in 2009.
A dog carrier or an exercise bag?
"Owners of small and medium-sized dogs tend to buy more products than do owners of large dogs, which just wear collars and harnesses," she says.
"The popularity of dog breeds depend on the trend, but right now the up-and-coming breed is French bulldogs. But Pomeranians and Yorkshire terriers are consistently popular."
Prior to Doodletons, she worked with major fashion retail merchandisers and buyers.
"My mother is a veterinarian, so I grow up around animals, particularly dogs," Ms Ms Ketkhanee says. "I thought I wanted to do what I was already familiar with and so started Doodletons in 2009."
Initially offering only dog clothes, she wanted to offer more products as the business grew.
"The thing about the pet industry in Thailand is there are not many customers, so I wanted to do something that would prompt each one to buy a lot of products," Ms Ketkhanee says. "I wanted our brand to take care of their dog from birth to death."
For this reason she created Sketch, a relatively cheaper version of Doodletons.
Doodletons' posh leash
"But compared with other brands in the market, especially local ones, Sketch is still quite expensive," she says.
Ms Ketkhanee says international brands tend to be imported rather sporadically, as no companies keep up with it. Most products are imported only in response to certain pet fashion trends.
"Functionality is the core of Sketch, and our products and designs reflect that," Ms Ketkhanee says.
"We know some of our customers live in condominiums and don't want the bag they put their dog in to look obviously like a dog carrier. It has to look like an an exercise bag.
"We've developed our products to be as neutral as possible so they can fit most dogs. Body type must be considered, but that's only a minor detail," she says.
Production is the most difficult problem, as the company outsources all of it.
Doodletons & Friends is a small company, and the amount of attention paid to detail that is required makes it difficult to find decent manufacturers.
A dog basket made for elegance and comfort
All Doodletons & Friends products are designed and made in Thailand, with each product taking six months to design and launch.
"Many of our designs have been copied by others, but I cannot worry about that. That's just how it goes in this business," Ms Ketkhanee says. "Our solution is to design better products and find a production partner to help us."
She chose the name Doodletons because she liked to doodle. With Sketch, she wanted a name that had some structure to it.
With starting capital of 5 million baht, the company has grown by 10% per year on average since 2012 and looks to be on course to break even in 2017.
Customers consist almost equally of Thais and expats, who find the shop through social media such as Instragram.
Doodletons & Friends products are available at the company's store on Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Soi Thong Lor), selected pet stores in the Sukhumvit area and their online store.
"Most customers still come into our store. Only a small number of repeat customers shop online. We get orders from abroad too, even from as far away as Europe, and that's more than I was expecting," Ms Ketkhanee says.
She says distribution will remain in the Sukhumvit area due to the high product prices, but she would like to expand abroad if an opportunity arose.
"There have been talks with potential partners, but nothing has come of them yet. At the same time, it would be too much of a burden to open another shop since the company consists of only two people," Ms Ketkhanee says.
She says while the market for premium dog products is growing continuously, the market remains small.
"More competitors are needed, particularly local ones," Ms Ketkhanee says. "This will be crucial if there are going to be more pet-friendly public spaces. But changing people's perceptions of dogs must begin with their owners."
Doodletons & Friends plans to introduce food supplements for fur and bones by partnering with major producers of pet supplements.
The company will also open a dog-grooming shop next April specialising in dogs that are at risk or have a history of skin disease.
While the company will continue to expand its products and services for dog, Doodletons & Friends has no plans to include cats.
"It's not that I don't want to. I'm just not familiar with cats, plus I'm allergic to them," Ms Ketkhanee says. "The Doodletons and Sketch brands were created because I've been familiar with dogs ever since I was little."