02 OctEpisode 27 | Katie Sturino, mom to @ToastMeetsWorld, on Instadog stardom
Katie Sturino is many things: A publicist, an influencer, a fashion blogger, a product developer and more. You might know her from The12ishStyle, the blog and Instagram account where she suggests celeb-worthy looks that can be worm by larger ladies who identify as "body positive" or "body neutral." She also has a product line, MegaBabe, which tackles problems like boob sweat. But all of her successes have sprung from her passion for being a "dogager" or "momager" to a brood of dogs who've gained nearly a half million devoted followers on Instagram. Katie and Annie discuss her passion for rescuing puppy mill survivors, the challenges of living with five dogs in Manhattan, and what it takes to make a dog Instafamous.
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Episode 27: Katie Sturino, mom to @ToastMeetsWorld, on Instadog stardom
**music**
Annie:
Hey there everyone. So if you’re into following dogs on Instagram, really, I don't know why you wouldn't be, you've probably come across an account called Toastmeetsworld. Toast, who sadly passed away last year, was really one of the first mega stars of Instagram. She had over 350,000 followers. She appeared in Vogue and on Good Morning America, she was in Harper's Bazaar. And it's tempting to say she brought all of this upon herself because she was just very, very cute and particularly memorable because she had this funny face with a tongue that was always sticking out. But I'd say the real reason for her success was the powerhouse publicist who rescued her. Katie Storino, who I was fortunate enough to interview for this episode. Katie now manages several Instagram accounts for her dogs. She continues to manage Toast’s account and also her late dog, Underpants’s account. She's, she has a real talent at naming dogs, I think they're all very funny, very unique names.
And when she isn't on Instagram, she is managing the lives of three dogs right now. Muppet and Cheese who, like Toast, were both rescued from puppy mills and then Sock who is a 16 year old Shih Tzu, who moved in with her when her fiance moved in with her. And there, there just so many amazing things about Katie. I mean beyond the fact that she is one of the only people I've ever met who has lived in a Manhattan apartment with five dogs, although now she's down to three. I think what's coolest about her is the way her career has kind of evolved and thrived in these unusual, exciting directions because of her love for dogs.
Having these Insta-famous dogs ended up leading her to get attention for a blog and Instagram account she started for herself called The 12ishstyle, which is basically about how to look awesome in celebrity-worthy clothing, even if you're not a tiny celebrity-shaped person. She uses the term body neutral, which I really like as an alternative to the whole body positive movement. And as someone who is a pretty solid size medium, I don't know, I think it's a nice way to label yourself, like can I just be a normal sized and healthy person and not have to attach myself to some kind of movement.
But there's more. So she went from being a dog publicist to I guess what you might call like a plus sized fashionista blogger to a product developer. She recently launched a brand of personal care products called Mega Babe and it's all stuff that, like, solves lady problems that I don't think anyone else has ever tried to touch. And few people have ever even tried to talk about in a public way. Two of the most popular products in the line are Bust Dust, which is a lotion meant to tackle boob sweat and then the stuff called Thigh Rescue, which is for what I like to refer to as “chub rub.” And let me tell you, thigh chafe is not something I'd really dealt with before, but currently five months pregnant and because of this, my inner thighs have developed a whole new relationship with one another. So I traded Katie for a stick of it in exchange for a few rolls of my Donald Trump dog poop bags. And I love it. It's made it possible for me to wear dresses again without having to put bike shorts underneath.
Anyway, I asked Katie how she identifies herself. Is she an entrepreneur? Is she a product developer? Fashion icon? The label she chose for herself, however was “dogager”. And I'll let her explain exactly what a dogager is.
Katie:
It is the evolved Kris Kardashian version of a dog manager.
Annie:
That's hilarious. I've heard other people say, I want to be…
Katie:
Kris Jenner.
Annie:
I want to be the Kris Jenner. And who knew this is the world that we would live in. And so you didn't grow up with dogs.
Katie:
No, I was obsessed with dogs. I had a big giant breed book when I was little that I used to carry with me and I would just go over and review all the breeds and I just, I've loved them so much and my parents were, like, no, you can not have a dog. And then one day we got a kitten…
Annie:
And that you were like, that's not a dog..
Katie:
Not a dog but it's an animal. So her name was Kitty and I grew up with Kitty who was like not friendly. Bite my ankles. Would hide under the couch and attack me.
Annie:
Not a dog.
Katie:
Yeah. Not a dog. A cat, if you will. So that's, so that's kind of what happened. And then right after I was able to, so I started working for myself, I was like probably 25.
Annie:
Just to back up, you grew up in Milwaukee and then you moved to New York?
Katie:
I moved to New York right after college.
Annie:
Where'd you go to college?
Katie:
I went to University of Wisconsin.
Annie:
Okay. And then what brought you to New York?
Katie:
During the summer during school, I interned here to work in fashion because there's not that much fashion in Milwaukee.
Annie:
Were you doing fashion PR?
Katie:
Uh, yes. Yeah.
Annie:
So how did you get into that?
Katie:
I wanted to get into fashion, but I didn't want to deal with numbers and I thought I wanted to be a buyer as I think like every girl does at some point who likes clothes and then you realize you were buried in spreadsheets and that's what being a buyer is. So I went into PR cause I wanted to be able to interact with people and then I started working for myself because I hated the environment.
Annie:
So did you get a dog when you moved here? Right away?
Katie:
No, I didn't, I had to wait. A while I waited. But I started fostering, I fostered a dog through, Ooh, what is the rescue that sits at union square?
Annie:
Umm, Mighty Mutts maybe?
Katie:
Yes! I started fostering through Mighty Mutts and I had a dog named Wolfie, for about six months we fostered her and she was old and she bit people. Eventually she had to go to another foster.
Annie:
So that was your first…
Katie:
That was my first and home dog, which was, I loved her. She was super exciting. And then I got, I rescued a Great Pyrenees mix puppy from Alabama named Baron and Baron lived in the city with me for about two years and he got people aggressive. So people and dogs but people was the main concern. In New York, like you're in the elevator with people, you're on the phone with people….
Annie:
You had him from when he was a puppy?
Katie:
Yeah. And it just like came out of nowhere or somewhere, but I don't know where. We went to trainers here, it just didn't, it wasn't working here for him. So I sent him to live with my parents in Wisconsin.
Annie:
Oh how;s that?
Katie:
It's good.
Annie:
Like sometimes not being in New York is the solution.
Katie:
He just he wasn't a New York dog and that's like not every person is meant for New York.
Annie:
Absolutely. I feel like that too. I think that it's hard for a lot of people to be in New York.
Katie:
Yeah. Yes, it just wasn’t for him. We sent him to like a behavioral camp.
Annie:
By the way, that doesn't mean I think there's some dogs like you can work with them, but that doesn't mean a wrong answer is finding another home for them?
Katie:
Yes. I don't actually think rehoming is a bad thing for anyone. I think it's almost less selfish. I know a family who has like a Cocker Spaniel who's high energy, they had kids and she's in her crate most of the day. She'd be better off with a big…with like a different family, you know. But people feel guilty and they're like…
Annie:
And they love their dog. It's, it's hard.
Katie:
Yeah it is.
So how did you get into… now I should say right now, tell me the accounts that you manage because that'll help introduce some of these dogs, we’re here with three, three hilarious dogs right now, which we'll introduce in a moment, but the history I guess starts with Toast.
Katie:
So toast. Toast was my first account. She wasn't my first rescue, actually. I got them Muppet. Muppet was my first rescue after Baron. Um, and then I learned about puppy mills.
Annie:
How did you learn about…
Katie:
Because they were both puppy mill rescues and..
Annie
Where did you rescue them from?
Katie:
Muppet from North Shore Animal League. She was from puppy mill in Missouri, which is where a lot of the puppy mills are. And I had no idea that pet stores get dogs from these factory farm style facilities and that the parents of the dogs are kept in the cages and given no interaction and no love, no care.
Annie:
What gave you an education on this?
Katie:
Um, North shore animal league? Yeah. Cause I was like, this dog is so cute. What's her deal? Why is she here? Did someone dump her here? And they're like, no she’s from a puppy mill. I was like, what's a puppy mill? And then I, like, flooded back to all my interactions with pet stores where I was standing in the window waving in the puppies and suddenly I'm like, Oh my God, this is just this horrible, I didn't even know that. I'm basically waving at this, like, terrible situation and bringing positive attention to it.
So Toast was five when I got her and all her teeth rotted out from having the puppies and no vet care. So she had just this little stinky tongue that hung out and she was so cute.
Annie:
And she was a English Toy Spaniel?
Katie:
She was a King Charles spaniel, ruby. And she was like a real… she just stole people's hearts. So I decided a couple of years into her living with us and Instagram was becoming more popular that I wanted to start an account for her just ‘cause I thought she was special and everyone who met her thought she was special and I thought we could really like do funny pictures and get, you know, get more awareness for puppy mill rescues. So it started off like that.
Annie:
And then what year was this?
Katie:
- 2013 something like that. But Instagram dogs weren't happening. It was just Tuna, like from Tunameltsmyheart and Jiffpom. No, not JiffPom, Boo. It was just Boo and Tuna were the only dogs that people knew about and GrumpyCat. That was it. That was the animal scene at the time.
Annie:
Were you doing fashion PR with Instagram at that point?
Katie:
I mean not really, like it was still early and brands were figuring out how to engage socially. Um, but I could see that it was coming. I felt like Instagram somewhere and I took Toast as a bit of like a client if I was doing fashion PR. So I just, I reached out to my network. I did who Who wore it Better’s with her. I dressed her up in different,like, movie character outfits and just started sending these photos out to different editors and seeing if anyone would pay attention.
And in the beginning everyone was like..
Annie:
I love that. So it was like a passion project kind of, or an experiment.
Katie:
No, it was a total passion project. For like six months, it was like me putting a lot of time and effort into it and everyone else being like, what are you doing? This is weird. So…
Annie:
I love that. So I mean, did you think like, I'm going to make money off of this eventually as much as it was a passion project did it seem like, no, no, no. I see where this is going.
Katie:
Like I saw the possibility for where it could go, but at the time it wasn't happening with anyone. So I didn't, I mean, I've had other ideas in the past where I'm like, “this is it” and then not it. So I was just hopeful. Right. But yeah, that ended up being a really incredible life changing experience and Toast did so many cool things and she got married on Real Housewives and she wrote a book and she was..
Annie:
Was there one moment where you were like, “oh, this is actually going somewhere?”
Katie:
Oh, I think Barney's…
Annie:
or was there like a certain number of followers?
Katie:
No, the followers never grew in the way I thought that they would like so many dogs have more followers than she does.
Annie:
How many followers does she have?
Katie:
Um, when she passed, she had like 370,000.
Annie:
So she never got the amount of followers, but she must've had the right followers.
Katie:
She had a quality following as they call it. Um, but she, I think Barney's approached her to like do something like just not for money but just to have her at some event that I was like, well, this seems important.
Annie:
I got my dog into Barney’s
Katie:
My dog is like taking Barney's, I'll take it.
Annie:
I love that.
Katie:
So that was very cool. And then the social media thing kind of started to blow up. And then like brands really started to use dogs as actual, like, advertising vehicles. Um, and I think through Toast’s Instagram with, like, the “adopt don't shop” message that we were promoting. I think that a lot of people got to know, like, what a puppy mill is. Like what the potential is for a rescue to be like beautiful and cool and not damaged. And we did a national billboard campaign around adoption and like how shelter pets are like stars and how they're cool and they're not like, not sad but like a positive thing.
Annie:
There's no reason that a shelter dog has any, is not necessarily any less happy than any other dog.
Katie:
Or more damaged or more prone to have problems.
Annie:
Right. But that, you know, the photos that you see of shelter dogs are usually like poor, sad dog, you know,needs at home. Whereas, you know, the dog that might've been having an awful life in a puppy mill but now is living in a glass box that had puppies at a puppy shop isn't branded to look… It's part of what part of what's interesting about it for you is that you're also a vegetarian. Because to me that means like you're really standing up for a much broader cause of treating animals fairly because I think people tend to think, you know, cats and dogs are one thing…
Katie:
We have such a disconnect with cows, horses, pigs. Like we, we think that they're…
Annie:
less than us…
Katie:
or that there's like a difference. People are shocked that they wouldn't eat horse meat, but they'll eat cows. And what's the, what is the difference?
Annie:
Yeah, I think it's weird for example though, like I think it's really weird and I’ll probably make some enemies by saying this, but I think like conformation breeding and training is really weird.
Katie:
What's that?
Annie:
Well, like all the stuff that you see at, you know, Crufts or Westminster or any of that. Um, it's all breeding. It's basically eugenics. It's like how…can we breed a dog that is this specific size and has ear shapes that are exactly like this And the winner of the best in show is like the one that conforms most to whatever the breed has decided it is, like, which is crazy when you think about it. It's like if we were trying to breed all people to look like, I don't know. Jennifer Lawrence or something. How close is this person to that ideal and so much of breed trends stem from that.
I mean maybe we're moving away from that a little bit with all like the doodles and everything which aren't part of that. But I mean at least most people with, like dogs, who aren't official breeds I don't think are breeding. I don't know how much doodle breeders are like trying to breed like that the ideal doodle.
Katie:
I feel I've seen a lot of fucked up doodles on the sidewalk. Like I've seen like some weird short legged doodles. Some super tall doodles, like just some weird things ended in a weird place for them.
Annie:
I don't think that's weird. I don't think that's any weirder than you being like I'm larger than everyone else in this room, frankly. We all come in different sizes and you want a dog…
Katie:
But the expectation for a doodle breed, right? Because people have expectations around like the standards of what things look like.
Annie:
People might have expectations, but not in the same way they would for, like a Springer Spaniel or a Doberman where;s actually written down in a book. Like this is what, and that's what the confirmation breeding is. I actually think it's cool then that, that dogs can be in such varied size because like, it's actually healthier. You know, genetically it's healthier that they are not all the same, you know, the same breed and , you know, and, and all breeds started out as some kind of mix.
Anyway, so you got Muppet first.
Katie:
Yeah.
Annie:
And then you got… and Muppet is a Cavalier King Charles.
Katie:
Muppet is a Cavalier King Charles.
Annie:
And was he from North Shore?
Katie:
She's from North Shore. Toast was from a Humane Society mill raid in North Carolina and then she came up to get fostered in New York. Fostered Toast kept her, and then I got Underpants two and a half years ago. And she was in the mill of the longest. She was eight years old and we got her and she had some cancer tumors and some eye business going on from her time there. But other than that, she was pretty cool and she was a very interesting dog. She didn't really ever fully bond with people the way that the other guys have, but I don't know, she was very special and very interesting.
Annie:
Did she bond with you?
Katie:
Not really, not in the way that you, not in the way that these two psychos behind me have. Like they're, they've gotta be near me and they've gotta be on me. They're watching me. Pants was like doing her own thing. And that's, I think that’s what made her really cool.
Annie:
So you started this account,people started getting interested, in rescue and was this before or after then you started The 12ish style?
Katie:
This was all before. So it, The 12ish Style actually started because I met the Man Repeller girls on a NARS shoot for Toast.
Annie:
Interesting.
Katie:
She was there as, like, a model for this..
Annie:
Part of what I love about your story is I feel like part of my goal, I guess, with this podcast is to show all the different jobs you could have that involve dogs. And because I always think that growing up, it never occurred to me that I could be anything other than a vet. And if I wasn't going to be a vet, I wasn't gonna be able to work with dogs. Because, you know, I, I didn't think I could aspire to grow up and be a dog walker that didn't seem like it wasn't, you know, exciting enough. But I was like, well, I'm not going to be a vet. I don't think I could do that and so therefore I can't do anything.
But here, you took this passion you had.
Katie:
So would say this modern career that we have here and who knows how long it'll be around. But there, if you really look, there's dogs in ad campaigns, there's dogs everywhere. And those dogs typically I've found are a different type of training. They're like, they're just different, they're like a higher performance dog, like, do you know what I mean? Like they're, they're there to do certain on command tricks.
Annie:
And I'm sorry, do you mean the dogs? Are you talking about Instagram Famous dogs?
Katie:
I'm talking about like a ad campaign, movie-that kind of dog. Those dogs typically I find are they're working with, like, they're working in a more traditional sense where they're working with like a trainer that has them like doing like rollover like crazy, like hoop things and like barking on common.
Annie:
Yeah but a lot of the time the dogs that are like in ad campaigns and stuff aren't doing really anything much more than like a really good sit stay.
Katie:
Yes, yes. Yeah. But I feel like they pull those from traditional animal training agencies. Which is not what I do. And there is, there are like specific dog agencies now.
Annie:
And do you think of yourself as an agency for your dogs?
Katie:
No. No.
Annie:
Or for other dogs?
Katie:
No, no.
Annie:
You said not what I do. I'm just trying to understand.
Katie:
Oh, what I do is more like commercial…
Annie:
….partnerships. ‘Cause sometimes it's just funny to me that like we're posting photos of our dogs and sending them to each other at all. Like how would you explain that like to a dog, like, yeah.
Katie:
Yeah. It's crazy.
Annie:
Like you have all these fans of people that you don't know, who will probably never meet you.
Katie:
Toast knew she was famous though. Toast was like more, I don't know, she had like a whole thing going on. She was just more aware, I swear. You know, and she was a real professional on, like, the photo shoots like she could, it's like she could speak. It was very interesting.
Annie:
So that helped you then move up, move on to non dog-related Instagram.Because I guess it's true you almost have to think of it as an agency. It's sad to say, I mean I'm imagining you actually kind of as an agent for your dogs
Katie:
I am an agent for the dog.
Annie:
With…what's the word? A rolling roster, because sadly, you know, some of them are going, but they all aren't going to die eventually.
Katie:
Yeah, it's true. Especially when you're rescuing seniors.
Annie:
And so it's this funny kind of brand that has like an expiration date.
Katie:
Yeah.
Annie:
So do you see yourself continuing to rescue?
Katie:
Of course, there is no other option for me.
Annie:
Where do you rescue from? Do you have a process?
Katie:
Um, I think I start to get like obsessed with the idea and I'm like a really, we need to bring someone else in. Like I want, this is who I want, this is who I see for us. And then I go for that dog. So very rarely, actually zero of them have been found through the process of like, “oh, like she came to us and it just worked.” Like I went out seeking the type of dog I was looking for, not necessarily for Instagram, but for me. Like with Pants, I wanted a funny dog. I wanted a dog that would make me laugh every day. And she did, cause she was just so weird. Her face was so funny. And I looked for her face like I wanted the face that was gonna make me laugh. And that was her.
Annie:
How has it been bringing one dog in with the other dogs? Since sometimes that can be a tricky thing to navigate.
Katie:
It's never a thing there. It's like these girls are more, it's more like a, like a cool girl clique, like they won't let you snuggle with them for like a month.
Annie:
All three of them?
Katie:
So we're down a couple of dogs in here, but when it was Pants, Toast and Muppet, when we would foster, they would like not snuggle the foster dog until like a couple of weeks had passed and they had some like time and then they were like fine you can sleep with us. And then when Cheese came, they were like so mean to Cheese, not meaning like barking or growling, but more like just icing her out and then, and then eventually they were like, okay, you can sleep with us.
Annie:
Um, but they snuggle with each other then?
Katie:
Oh yeah.
Annie:
They don’t try and get to bed with you.
Katie:
They love sleeping in my bed. They love it. But I had, after I had four dogs in there and like…
Annie:
…it was too many dogs.
Katie:
Someone I had to get up and get water. Someone had to go to the bathroom, someone stepping in my face like it was, I was up all night every night and for no reason. So we started having them sleep out in the hall.
Annie:
Yeah, my dog sleeps in bed with us, but I also sometimes get grossed out when I think about like him walking on the street all day and then I don't like clean his face.
Katie:
Or when I kiss Cheese when all she does is like lick pee. But, like, I love her.
Annie:
So what would you suggest to someone who's interested in trying to get their dog Insta famous?
Katie:
I would suggest that you come in with a really specific angle that is not happening already because I feel like people think that they have a cute dog and they can just take pictures of it, it will become famous, which is not the case. We're actually trying to think about how to reshape Toast’s Instagram, obviously to keep it as a rescue platform, but to find a more like a better personality fit for Cheese and Muppet. Cause that's who's here, right? So we're trying to figure that out.
Annie:
So you mean like getting a dog that's a new Toast?
Katie:
No, like just a new angle.
Annie:
To photos you already have of Toast then?
Katie:
No like a new angle for new themes to post with Cheese.
Annie:
Okay, in Toast’s account.
Katie:
Yeah. And then, um,…
Annie:
Rather than just give Cheese her own account?
Katie
Yeah.
Annie:
Is this a conversation that was considered?
Katie:
Well yeah ‘cause Toast has quite a lot of followers, so it's not like something and that…
Annie:
You don’t want to throw it away. So you can't just change the name?
Katie:
I could totally change the name, but to what?
Annie:
Cheesemeetsworld?
Katie:
I don't know. I don't know.
Annie:
CheeseonToast?
Katie:
These are all the names I thought about which is so funny that these are the two first things you're saying. But yeah, that's been discussed and it just hasn't felt right. So I'm still workshopping.
AnnieL
Interesting. I mean, it's interesting, like a modern day question. Your dog dies, what do you do with their Instagram account so you can still leverage…
Katie:
….the following and like Cheese is so cute. And has such a good personality.
Annie:
Maybe we need to make Cheese into a training star and you can do have her doing tricks.
Katie:
I think tricks are fun for her.
Annie:
How old is she?
Katie:
She's only four.
Annie:
So tell me about bringing Sock into the mix.
Katie:
Yeah. Sock was like a total surprise to my life I guess because I didn't anticipate having a dog who I didn't bring in the house, I guess. Um, but she's interesting because she's so old and she's blind, 16. And the dogs really are very gentle with her and they're nice. Like everyone gets along and she doesn’t snap at them. And Sock’s mostly just interested in food.
Annie:
I like dog names that aren't like people names.
Katie:
I hate people names. Bella..
Annie:
There are a lot of Bella's.
Personal question, if I may.
Katie:
Sure.
Annie:
You're engaged is that, right? And you're engaged with Sock’s person?
Katie:
Yes.
Annie:
Did he know about your dogs then before he met you through social media?
Katie:
No, he didn't.
Annie:
No? So what was his reaction when you were like, by the way, my dogs are famous.
Katie:
He was like less shocked then you would think someone would be. Most people who I was talking to or going on dates with when you say that my dogs are famous, but they like don't really know how to react to it cause they're like, right? Like, Oh, you're crazy. So it's like, I let people in on that really slowly because it's already enough to have, I had three dogs at the time that I was single. So…
Annie:
It's a lot going into any relationship.
Katie:
Yeah. It's a lot. Like I was a single woman with three dogs seems…
Annie:
But you know what, you have to set some kind of like test, I guess in a way. The way I think of it. I'm like, if you're going to love me with three dogs..
Katie:
Yeah, you gotta take the dogs into account. And that meant like everything. That means like you're, you're cool with walking them, you're cool if they're just like pee in the middle of the ground.
Annie:
You want to find someone who's like excited about…
Katie:
Yes.
Annie:
And that not just like, okay, I'll put up with that.
Katie:
Yes and that for me was my fiance He like, he came right in as a dad and that was a lot. And Sock didn't move in with us for awhile. It was like his mom he brought from like the old country. Like he waited until we were all like settled. He was like, I've got some on for us. And I was like, I already love you. Fine.
So Sock stays with her mom sometimes, but her primary residence is here.
Annie:
All the more people to love her.
Katie:
She is very loved. people.
Annie:
And so now what's your main business? I mean, what's your, so the dog stuff led to your 12ish style stuff, which I think is so cool and it's such a great idea. I mean, like you said, you kind of need a gimmick and I think you found a really great one.
Katie:
Thank you, yeah.
Annie:
And then I guess, how do people who aren't familiar with The 12ish style…
Katie:
The 12ish Style, it's a blog about accepting your body yourself, everything at every size. And through over time it's become more of a like an activism place, calling people out who are not accepting or..
Annie:
I like your notion of being body neutral.
Katie:
Oh, yeah you really know.
Annie:
I think that's a great way to be about it. Like, you know what dudes of the world, this is who I am…
Katie:
I need to draw like glitter on my stretch marks. Like I don't need that level of like body love. I just need to not say things to myself in the mirror as I pass by.
Annie:
Yeah.
Katie:
Right. That's, that's where I am.
Annie:
You need to feel like, you know what, this is who I am and life’s too short for me to be wasting a lot of time and like do I wish things were different. I am like totally on that page. And I think like, I'm glad someone's saying that.
Katie:
Thank you.
Annie:
But I would say that the gimmick, the gimmicky part, gimmick in a good way, it would be your, dressing up as …
Katie:
Supersize The Look. Supersize The Look where I take a celebrity style and I just help translate it into a curvy body type.
Annie:
And what gave you the idea for that?
Katie:
Well, I found myself, and I think I've always done this, getting inspiration from other women I see, especially in New York. And celebrities have become like…
Annie:
And inspiration, you mean like I like what that person is wearing?
Katie:
I like what what that person's wearing. I like their vibe and I like how they've styled this, how can I make it work for me? It's basically how I get dressed. Uh, and celebrities have stylists, right? They've got a whole payroll people who make them look good everywhere they go. So I figured that that's where that's like a great place to get inspiration from. And I think it's helpful because a lot of people talk themselves out of trends or clothing types because they're like, “Oh, I can't pull that off.” But I like to show people that hopefully that they can.
Annie:
That's neat because I think it's, I mean, having seen it, it's like the right mix of like helpful.
Smart. And, but also like, what's the word? Like, winking.
Katie:
Yes. That’s the super size, right. It's like, it's meant to be funny.
Annie:
Right. But you're also like, you look good in the clothes.
Katie:
Yeah the clothes are meant to be serious. Like there's a..
Annie:
It;s subtle though, the way that you're able I think to do that because.
Katie:
Thank you. Yeah. There's a comedian named Celeste Barber I think, she's Australian and she does like side by side comparisons of like photo shoots where she's doing like a mocking version of like what a real person would look like if they were dreaming. But that's not..my intention is certainly not to mock them or look silly. It's actually to just show you can wear something. But from 12ish style, I got the idea to launch Mega Babe, which is my women's personal care line because I wanted to tackle things like thigh chafe and boob sweat in a way that wasn't being done. And I launched that a year ago, so that's been awesome.
Annie:
Well, I've been experiencing some Chub Rub myself. I brought you for trade for a stick of Mega Babe if possible..
Katie:
Oh yes!
Annie:
My Donald Trump poop bags.
Katie:
Oh yes, I love your Donald Trump poop bags. My fiance is really going to love these. This is awesome. No, you're gonna have a totally different experience going home with a stick today. Today's when things changed for you.
Annie:
Awesome. That's really cool. Well, you know, when I was writing, when I was working as a journalist, I wrote an article about, maybe 10 years ago about, like stuff for men with bald heads like that as sort of a niche market of like different razors people could use, different gels people could use to get like a matte head or a shiny head. And I remember thinking like, “Oh wow, this is so cool. This like weird little niche market that's actually not little.”
Katie:
No, there are a bunch of bald men around.
Annie:
But that nobody ever does. It's just like no one had thought of this before.
Katie:
It’s not sexy.
Annie:
And I remember thinking what's another like thing like that, you know, everyone experiences, but like has not been addressed. Like you kind of found it.
Katie:
Yeah. Yes.
Annie:
What's next? Don't smell like dog perfume
Katie:
I'm always very conscious of that. I hope my house doesn't smell like dog.
Annie:
No. But do you have any tips on how to…
Katie:
On how to not smell like dog? I do a lot of Laundress spray.
Annie:
Is that a brand?
Katie:
Yeah. Yeah.
Annie:
Is that better than Febreeze?
Katie:
Yeah it’s like a safer, like a nontoxic version of that.
Annie:
Laundress spray? And does it have a scent? Or does it just take away scents?
Katie:
It has a scent, so it's basically, it's like a safer Febreeze. And then I dunno, I have a housekeeper that comes once a week. So that we make sure like the floors are clean ‘cause they have accidents it's all the time. The day after the housekeeper leaves is oh so good. But it only lasts for like 12 hours and yeah, I just try to, I just am very conscious of scent.
Annie:
Well, it's hard to keep a house clean when you have three dogs.That's a fact.
Katie:
We had five in here.
Annie:
Really? Five. Wow.
So having three dogs now. And I know that you have people who work here and you have your partner. But yeah, like how many hours a week do you think you spend caring for your dog?
Katie:
Not that much. No. No.
Annie:
Your dogs I should say.
Katie:
I don't think so. I think the morning walk, I go get coffee. We walk for about 45 minutes. Like that's a big part of my, it's like one of my favorite parts of the day.
Annie:
Don't you find it's hard to go get coffee when you have the dogs? What's your trick there?
Katie:
What do you mean?
Annie:
Well, because a lot of places won't let you bring in a dog to get your coffee.
Katie:
You get a dog friendly place, that’s where I go.
Annie:
That's great. What's your dog friendly place, do tell.
Katie:
The Highline hotel right here. They have an Intelligensia inside.
Annie:
So it's really because it's a hotel.
Katie:
Yes. Yes.
Annie:
See that's the trick. Hotels are more lenient…
Katie:
Than yes, and they are a dog-friendly hotel.
Annie:
You know what haschanged my coffee life is the Starbucks app because now I can like order ahead and like run in with my dog and run out so I don't have to like wait inside and get yelled at.
Katie:
Oh, I'm a big fan of just bringing them in everywhere.
Annie:
You know, I am too, but I've gotten in trouble.
Katie:
Yeah, totally.
Annie:
And yeah. I feel like it puts such a…it makes it hard to integrate your dog into your life when you can't bring them to places where they wouldn't necessarily be a bother. But like if you are, if you're doing errands and one of them is going to the post office, you know…
Katie:
The post office is such an issue. I don't know why they're not allowed in there.
Annie:
Right. Like, what are they going to do to the mail? I think it stems from some dogs. Some deep seated. Yeah. Well I've brought my dog to the post office and you know, and I run an online store, so I end up at the post office and I've brought my dog to the post office and then like put him in the backpack and I've gotten yelled at even for that, having him in a backpack.
Katie:
Really? I think, you know what? I think as long as, you know, as long as you're having a jerk about it and your dog behaves.
Annie:
So my husband and I were just in Europe for two and a half months and like, they're so different there with dogs because I think that's it. Like I think people in Europe just expect you, like if you are, your dog shouldn't be in this.. in a public space, if your dog can't deal with being in a restaurant, like you shouldn't be bringing your dog there
Katie:
And they're not going to.
Annie:
Right. Like, it's just rather than it becoming some sort of righteous thing, it's like, I should be able to bring them dog into this, I know, whatever, whatever.
Katie:
But they're actually pretty good in restaurant settings and things like that.
Annie:
Which is great, right. And it's made a big difference in New York now that you can eat, you eat outside with the dogs.
Katie:
That was the stupidest rule.
Annie:
Right? Right. It was like the dog had to be outside the barrier and then they're..
Katie:
And they're crawling and climbing up the barrier the whole time. It was so stressful. I hated that.
Annie:
Yeah. Yeah. And it's like, are the other dogs and like make the food dirtier.
Katie:
I don’t know.
Annie:
But again, like I think people need to use their judgment.
Katie:
Right. And I think probably people don't.
Annie:
Probably, people don't, but you know, but, but people kind of do with kids, right?
Katie:
No, no…ish?
Annie:
Any recommendations you have for someone looking to rescue a dog.
Katie:
Start at Petfinder. It's like online shopping for clothes and just sort like what you're looking for. And I think fostering is awesome. It's a really great way to test a dog out in your home and see how it's going to do.
Annie:
And I think that's true.
Katie:
And so many rescues need fosters.
Annie:
And the other thing about fostering, it's like, like everybody wins.Like even if you don't keep the dog, which you might not or probably won't, the dog is still getting something.
Katie:
I've never kept a foster.
Annie:
The dog is still getting something out of being in a home setting with someone who's paying attention to him.
Katie:
You’re helping him get where they're going.
Annie:
Absolutely. And it makes the shelters all the less crowded.
Katie:
Yes, agreed.
Annie: speaking to the dogs
Oh my God, you guys are just adorable. The cuteness factor off the chart.
Annie:
Big thanks to Katie for taking the time to talk to me. You can find her online at the12ishstyle.com. Also put a link to her various projects in the show notes.
And Fun Dog Fact of the Day. According to the New York Times, the most popular dogs on Instagram are Pugs, Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, Huskies and Terriers. Also sort of interesting fact I guess is that Katie actually used to be married to another Instagram powerhouse, The Fat Jewish who has an interesting account, although not as cute as her dog's accounts, I have to say.
Our Woff Shout Out this week goes to our student mini Goldendoodle, Terrence, who we call Terry. He can be found on Instagram, actually at terrythedood that's Terry the D O O D. Terry has been a Day School regular in our drop off Day School program for about two years. And he is just one of the sweetest, fluffiest, loveliest dogs I've ever met. He really looks like a sort of apricot-colored Teddy bear and he just gives me the biggest greetings whenever I see him. I think everyone on staff is in love with him and, sadly, he and his humans are moving to Brooklyn because he is going to have a set of human twins in his family soon. So they're leaving their East Village abode, which means they're not going to be coming to Day School with him anymore and we are going to miss him so much. So Terry, please come back and visit. We love you oodles and oodles.
And, uh, also a special thanks to Alex Kriss for producing this episode and to our sponsor, SaneBox.
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