Dunedin Woman Gives Dogs, Furniture a Second Chance

Tia Bennett sees a homeless pooch, she tries to volunteer as a foster parent.

Likewise, when she sees castaway yard sale or thrift items, she tries to re-purpose them. 

"I don't see it as junk, even if it's a weathered old table. It's all about reusing. What can we make that into?" she said.

Bennett, a Suncoast Animal League volunteer, turned her love for animals and yard sale treasures into a new business called "Lucky Dog Gone Green."

The busy, mother of two has a home studio in Dunedin where she smashes colorful old plates into pieces for mosaic dog feeders and cuts up furniture, only to stain it, paint it, and add pillows to make charming dog beds. Bennett also paints pieces of wood to make decorative dog-themed signs. 

The crafty entrepreneur says her furniture is more appealing and less expensive than some of the items you might see at pet stores.

One of Bennett's goals with the business is to provide pet owners with stylish, custom furniture created to accommodate a dog's height and size and also compliment decor in the pet owner's home.

Prices for dog furniture, toys, name tags and other accessories start at $5 and go up to $60 and more, depending on the amount of work involved and cost of materials. 

Bennett sells her creations on her Lucky Dog Gone Green website and also updates her fans about her work on the Lucky Dog Gone Green Facebook page.

She gets lots of support from her husband Kevin and her two kids, Brendan, 15, who attends Palm Harbor University High, and Ryin, 11, a student at Garrison-Jones Elementary in Dunedin.

"We're proud of her, she does a great job," says Kevin.

Molly, one of the family's three dogs, also helps out. She serves as official product tester for the furniture. 

Bennett also owns her own marketing firm and came up with a method for local businesses to get the word out to animal lovers about their company while helping animal rescue groups.

She offers a sponsorship program where businesses can pay to have furniture donated in their name to an animal rescue group. Sponsors are also recognized on the Lucky Dog Gone Green website and in social media, marketing materials and giveaways.

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