An Interview with Ashley and Ahmed, Founders of Lucy & Co. and Dogs of Instagram

Image by Joy by Jo

Our new favorite gift set Woof x Lucy & Co. just went live! We partnered with Lucy & Co. to curate the new go to gift for new pup owners. We sat down with Ashley and Ahmed, the founders of Lucy & Co. and @dogsofinstagram to learn more about their start, growth and favorite projects.

What inspired you to start Lucy & Co?

We were three years into building a community of dog lovers at @DogsofInstagram and we had this very unique privilege. Each day, we would hear all these personal stories of companionship from individuals, sharing details about their love and adoration for their pups. For this reason, we believe dogs are deserving of all the good things in life. In reflecting on our own Lucy, we realized that the products we wanted to articulate our style and her personality didn't exist! So, we set out to create them and launched Lucy & Co. in Fall 2014, focusing on quality and design.

What do you do when you're feeling stuck or in a creative rut?

We go for a walk with Lucy! It's amazing what a breath of fresh air, a change of scenery, and time spend with (wo)man's best friend can do to get the blood flowing and remind us why we do what we do! A step back from the daunting. Getting out into the world and seeking out some beauty. Observing what's swirling around in the world. These are all the ways we collectively shake creative blocks when we're stuck; both Ahmed and I are natural observers. So, flipping our perspective or seeing it through a different lens proves to be effective!

How has the growth of @dogsofinstagram influenced your lives (professionally or personally)?

Well, perhaps, most monumentally, @DogsofInstagram brought Ahmed and I together as a couple. It is something that has been running in the background of our relationship since Day 1, since Ahmed launched it ten days before we met. As co-founders and life partners, it has taught us how to work together, it revealed each other's strengths, and it strengthened our bond to our dog, Lucy, and our bond as a family.

On a professional level, @DogsofInstagram created jobs for us, launched not one but two companies, provided a crash course education in entrepreneurship, and has introduced us to a deeply-rooted community and a network of other inspiring do-ers, makers, and dreamers. Those real life, human and dog connections are the gifts that keep on giving; that keep us inspired to keep going!

What has been the most exciting project, collab or experience you've worked on since starting @dogsofinstagram?

This is a really tough question! In the eight years we've been doing this, we have pet so many doggos, released a book, and walked plenty of green carpets with celebrity dogs and humans (including meeting @TunaMeltsMyHeart, @cats_of_instagram, Vanessa Hudgens, and Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things)! @DogsofInstgram started as a fun pet project, but has had so many strange, funny, unbelievable twists and turns - if you're open to opportunities and say "sure! why not!," @DogsofInstagram can surprise even the most grounded and most calculating of dogpreneurs!