About Dog Mom™

Our Story

Hey there – I’m Sandra and these are my furkids, Emmy and Levi! I started Dog Mom™ to fulfill my passion for design, woodworking and, of course DOGS!

After Emmy needed Cruciate Ligament surgery on both of her knees by 2018, I knew I needed a ramp to help her in and out of the car (she does NOT like being picked up and she certainly couldn’t be jumping in and out of the car). I borrowed a plastic store-bought car ramp from a friend but Emmy wasn’t comfortable with the hollow sound and lack of grip. That’s when I decided to build her a ramp myself.

Whenever people saw me using the ramp outside the Vet or the Veterinary Physiotherapists, they approached me wanting a ramp for THEIR dog. That happened so frequently that I pivoted my woodworking business, Boometime Custom Design to focus primarily on helping other dog lovers by building couch ramps, bed ramps, raised dog feeders, dog beds and Bailey Chairs.

Having had a career in Marketing since leaving school, I am passionate about design and creative outlets, which is why I started designing shirts, mugs and other items for dog lovers like me and, thus … Dog Mom™ was born.

And now, here you are…finding out more about Dog Mom. I hope you find something you love and, if you don’t, why not drop me a line and ask me about a custom design…I love a challenge.

A Few Words About My Inspiration

2 November 2011 – A day I’ll never forget …. it was the day I found love at first sight. Scrolling through my Facebook Feed, I came across this picture…

I wasn’t thinking about adopting a dog, had never had a dog in my life (despite BEGGING my mom regularly as a kid) and was certainly not expecting to fall in love, make some phone calls, complete adoption papers and pick Oscar up that very same day! 2 November 2011 – the day I became a dog mom and one of the best days of my life! Oscar was the best thing to ever happen to me….and then I adopted Emmy. Oscar, sadly, passed away from cancer in October 2019 at the age of 8 (worst day of my life) and he is sorely missed every single day. But his memory lives on and I can’t thank him enough for allowing me to become a dog mom. In February 2023, Kerry – the amazing founder of The WOW Project rescued Levi, along with 5 of his siblings. Kerry was called out to Atlantis after a female dog had given birth to a litter of 15 pups and 10 had died. Kerry rescued the other 5 and reached out to her network for bottle feeders. Sadly, in the 3 days following their rescue, 3 of the pups succumbed, leaving only Levi and his brother Diesel. From 11 days old, I bottle fed Levi and Diesel and 6 days in, rushed them both to the vet as they weren’t doing well and wouldn’t drink their bottles. That traumatic night, I had to say goodbye to Diesel and wasn’t sure what the outlook was for Little Levi. BUT, this boy is a fighter and he’s been going from strength to strength. Read more about Levi’s story and my foster fail on the Dog Mom Blog, https://dogmom.co.za/living-with-levi-the-beginning/