We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Steve Herron. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Steve below.

Steve, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Thank you for having me, it’s an honor to be able to share O.T.I.S. with your readers. Otis is my Doodle. Before I was the founder of O.T.I.S. the brand, Otis the dog began behaving noticeably protective around certain children. When his attentive and concerned behavior did not stop, I knew something was amiss. Upon further investigation, I learned Otis was picking up on the fear and trauma the children were expressing. What was eventually revealed was that the children were suffering from severe trauma. Otis discovered it and the love of dog was revealed. Through this situation, I realized the power of a dog’s intuition, love, and their ability to change lives. This revelation prompted me to take action, and O.T.I.S. was born.

O.T.I.S., which stands for “overcoming trauma, inspiring survivors,” is a company dedicated to helping children heal from trauma through the support of Medical Dog programs. With every product purchased, O.T.I.S. donates $1 to its cause, directly contributing to the specialized training of Medical Dogs and assisting medical communities in hiring these incredible animals as full-time employees. In less than one year of our launch, O.T.I.S. donated $10,000 to Children’s Hospital of Colorado’s Medical Dog program.

The Importance of Medical Dogs

In hospital settings, Medical Dogs (also known as Facility Dogs) play a crucial role, especially when it comes to providing support to children. These remarkable dogs are trained to perform specific tasks, such as helping calm patients during certain procedures, encouraging kids to get up and move around even when they’re feeling sick, comforting kids who have experienced trauma, and even easing patients’ fears by demonstrating how to take medications and undergo medical procedures. The benefits of Medical Dogs are immeasurable. Numerous studies have shown that their presence can have a profound positive impact on patients. These dogs can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and even improve coordination and fine motor skills. Moreover, they provide emotional support and companionship during challenging times, fostering a sense of hope and well-being.

Steve, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Steve, the CEO and founder of O.T.I.S. O.T.I.S. is a social cause-based business that is committed to sustainability and creates tasty, innovative treats and supplements for dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds. I’d love to share a little bit about our products.

Our jerky treat line is called Wild Things. Each of our jerkies contains novel proteins (venison, elk, and bison) and uses simple, sustainable, and upcycled ingredients. Our proteins are ethically sourced, grass-fed, and pasture-raised. Our treats are free from hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs, and they have no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. 

In addition to treats, we create nutritious supplements. We have three supplement lines; Sit, Stay, and Fetch. Our Sit formula focuses on anxiety relief and enhancing a sense of calm. Our Stay formula helps to support overall wellness, including immune support, heart health, and eye health. Our Fetch formula is for mobility, helping to support healthy bones and maintain cartilage and connective tissue. Each Sit, Stay, and Fetch supplement is offered in two varieties: A delicious turkey broth-based liquid form, which is great for adding to your dog’s favorite food, or a hearty honey-pork soft chew form, for the dogs that go wild for treats. 

Our newest product, Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon Oil, has been a big hit among our customers. Available in both an 8oz and 16oz bottle, our Salmon Oil helps to support joints, immunity, skin, and cognition. 

In addition to being a cause-based company, we are extremely passionate about promoting sustainability and making a positive environmental impact. We focus on renewable energy, eco-friendly packaging, and sustainably sourced ingredients. We are committed to improving the health of our planet and reducing the carbon footprint of the pet industry.

• Renewable energy: Our treat packaging is made with 100% renewable wind energy and our salmon oil is bottled with 100% renewable wind energy.
  
  • Eco-friendly packaging: Our products are packaged using 100% recyclable materials and our liquid supplement labels are made with water-based inks, ensuring that our packaging aligns with our commitment to the environment.
  
  • Sustainably sourced proteins: We are committed to sourcing protein ethically, using only pasture-raised and grass-fed bison, elk, and venison.
  
  • Sustainably sourced ingredients: One of the innovative ways we contribute to environmental sustainability is through upcycled flaxseed, where we utilize byproducts that would otherwise go to waste.

As our company continues to grow, our focus is to create even more unique and innovative dog products. Without giving too much away, we have some exciting new products in the works.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

We are a company that truly cares. From day one, we built this business around our social cause and a call to action. We care about helping children, we care about supporting Medical Dog programs, we care about your dog’s health, and we care about our environmental impact. We want our dog customers to go crazy for our treats, and we want our human customers to feel good about buying our products and supporting our company. When a company is producing trusted, quality products and working to generate positive change, people will take notice.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

One word: Transparency. We are a company that was founded for a cause. We take our commitment to this cause seriously. We work hard to answer every comment, message, phone call, and email that comes into our company. Ultimately, it is our customers that make our job possible. It is through our customers’ trust that we make a positive impact in children’s lives, and for that, we are extremely thankful. In many ways, our gratitude towards our customers motivates our communication. Whether a customer has a suggestion, is curious about which supplement would be best for their dog, or just wants to tell us about their best four-legged pal, we are happy to chat. We are a company founded by dog lovers, so we are thrilled to talk about dogs all day, every day. 

Our goal is to make the world a better place in everything we do. Whether it is donating to our cause, supporting sustainability, or making your dog’s day with a delicious treat, we take pride in making a positive impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.otislove.com
• Instagram: otislovepets
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/otislovespets

Image Credits
Jordan Stephens, Ally Cooke, Nyah Gray, Children’s Hospital of Colorado