Stunt Puppy

Indigenous Design Series

In 2021, the Minnesota dog e-commerce brand Stunt Puppy sent out a survey to its customers asking what collar designs they’d like to see. The most common response: “Native American designs.”

Stunt Puppy wanted to satisfy customers without appropriating designs from Indigenous cultures, so they enlisted Chippewa-Cree graphic designer and illustrator Kaylene Big Knife and Diné interdisciplinary artist Dakota Mace to each create their own collar line.

As lead copywriter with Stunt Puppy, I wrote email and site content for the project — including Q&A features with Kaylene and Dakota to help tell their stories as artists and dog lovers. The Q&As are no longer online, but you can read excerpts of the introductions below.

Credit for all photos: Stunt Puppy

Meet the Artist: Kaylene Big Knife

Chippewa Cree graphic designer and illustrator Kaylene Big Knife is the lighthearted, joyful personality behind the Rocky Boy Pop collars in Stunt Puppy’s Indigenous Design Series. Her designs use bold lines and vibrant colors to bring to life everything that inspires her: the Ojibwe woodlands style, her home on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, Cree language revitalization and all of the rez dogs in her life.

Meet the Artist: Dakota Mace

Diné interdisciplinary artist Dakota Mace is the contemplative, dedicated mind behind the Łééchąą Yázhí (Puppy) collars in Stunt Puppy’s Indigenous Design Series. Her work is deeply connected to her origins: she explores Diné history, beliefs, community and identity through a variety of processes, including alternative photography, weaving — and now, dog collar designs.