A Question I Couldn't Shake

I didn't set out to build a dog experience. I set out to answer a question that wouldn't leave me alone: why do dogs make people so happy, and why isn't there a place built entirely around that?

It Started With My Sisters

They both got dogs, and suddenly their entire lives began orbiting around them. A stocking at Christmas. An invitation to the family vacation. Leaving dinner early because the dog was home alone.

At first, I thought it was a little excessive.

Then one afternoon, I found myself at a dog park watching complete strangers light up over a game of fetch, cheering for catches, taking photos like proud parents at a school play, sprinting across the grass like kids on a playground.

Pure, unguarded delight. Everywhere.

That's when it clicked. These aren't just dogs. They're chosen family.

Meet Rick

Around that same time, I was going through a breakup. My sisters nudged me: just look, see what's out there. I wasn't sure I was ready. Then I found a listing for the cutest Westie I'd ever seen. It was peak COVID, so I figured the process would take months.

The next morning, an email: "I have a Westie puppy. Can meet at Costco at 2:00 PM."

I met Rick in that Costco parking lot. And that was the beginning of my family.

My Constant

Through heartbreak, a move to Austin, and every hard stretch in between, Rick has been my constant. Curled up in bed. Riding shotgun. Nudging me outside when I needed it most.

He finds joy in everything, chasing pretend mice, hopping through snow, sprinting toward his friends at the park. Every day is the best day of his life.

Watching him taught me something: dogs don't perform joy. They just live in it. And when you're around that long enough, it changes you. Their happiness nudges you a little lighter every encounter.

The Disneyland Feeling

It made me think about the rituals parents create for their kids. The first trip to Disneyland, saved for and planned for, not because the parents want to ride the rides, but because they want to watch their child's face light up. There's a specific kind of happiness that only comes from witnessing someone you love experience pure delight.

That's exactly what it feels like with Rick.

So I Built It

I started asking: where is that experience for people and their dogs? Where's the place designed for that specific joy, the joy of watching your dog be completely, gloriously, unhinged-ly happy?

It didn't exist. So I built it.

Dogland is for everyone who knows their dog is family. It's a place to celebrate that, together, out loud, fully present.

The best part isn't what you do there. It's watching the dog you love have the absolute best day of their life.

When your dog is that happy, somehow you are too.

That's why I built Dogland. I simply cannot wait to share that joy with you, and your family!

With love,

Alex Phillips + Ricky Cha-Cha