ABOUT US

My name is Anita Kristof, the owner of the specialist handmade dog outfitter, D&J - Dog & Jacket. 

I decided to start my unique business when a couple of my passions collided. The extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic and my desire to reduce the amount of time I spent commuting to London gave me the final push I needed to make a major life change. 

After leaving school I trained as a tailor and have worked with fabrics for over 20 years. 

Four years ago, me and my partner, Rob, decided it was time for a new family member, so Teddy the cockapoo joined us! 

During their first year with we spent so much time cleaning him after each walk, that's when I decided to try do something about it.

So we went online to try to buy a dog jacket from a well-known supplier. However, we found it difficult to find a jacket to fit Teddy and the waiting time was over two months. 

So, I turned my tailor’s hand to working with different designs and fabrics to make my own comfortable onesie and cooling vest for Teddy. 

It took a year before I was happy with the final result. 

Rob came up with the perfect name for the new dog jacket business and I put my energy into pushing it forward as I knew the jackets would make all dogs’ and owners’ lives much easier. 

During the first year of trading, we sold items to England, Scotland, Ireland, United States and Canada. 

We offers a unique, made to measure service, where I am happy to take the dog’s measurements for local customer’s dogs to ensure a much better fitting jacket. 

Customers can contact me directly by phone or use the simple method on the website to send in their dog’s measurements. 

We now also added WhatsApp option too.

Starting up D&J was the best decision I ever made. Yes, it’s hard work, taking up many weekends (as most business owners know) but it’s all worth it when customers tell me how happy they are with the jackets they’ve bought and then order more. They recommend me to their friends, and I get to hear how my jackets have made their dog-owning lives better. 

I love receiving the fabulous photos of their furry family members in their cool new tailor-made jackets! It just makes my day every time and my work worthwhile!