Started on a muddy driveway.

PawTrail started when Mara Chen kept a blue harness on a hook by the back door and a towel that never quite dried. Her Labrador, Otis, had a talent for finding mud between the river path and the car.

In 2019 she sketched a water bottle that could pour one-handed while holding a leash. Friends asked for copies. Then a seat cover for the ride home. Then a mat that rolled flat in a tote. Nothing loud. Nothing that looked like a pet supermarket.

Today we still design from Portland — for mornings when the plan already includes a dog. We make fewer things, on purpose. Each piece has to earn space by the door.