In 2014, Paul and Pamela Mott were leaving their local dog park in Scripps Ranch, San Diego, with their three small dogs. Paul had already loaded two into the car. Their rescue dog Buffy was just a few steps behind. Then, in an instant, a coyote appeared from the brush, seized Buffy by the neck, and disappeared up a hill before the couple could intervene.
“It happened in a blink of an eye,” said Pamela. “We didn’t have time to throw our arms in the air. We didn’t have time to scream and shout.”
Buffy was never seen again. The loss was devastating, but it planted the seed for something that would go on to save thousands of pets across the country.
After six months of grieving, Paul, a software developer and engineer by training, channeled his guilt into invention. He studied coyote skulls, researched bite strength, tested fabrics, and engineered a three-layer defense system: bright colors that psychologically deter predators, spikes that inflict pain on an attacker’s mouth, and stab-resistant material that coyote teeth cannot penetrate.
“I started off wanting to solve it for myself,” Paul explained, “and now I want to solve it for everybody.”
Paul and Pamela Mott launched CoyoteVest in San Diego after one of their dogs was brutally attacked by a Coyote in 2014.
In a blink of an eye
What began on Pamela’s home sewing machine soon became CoyoteVest, a pet body armor company that manufactures protective gear for small dogs and cats. The products are made in a 3,800-square-foot facility in Scripps Ranch with approximately 15 employees, all local to San Diego. The Motts deliberately turned down offers to move manufacturing to China, choosing instead to keep manufacturing in the US.
When the Motts began selling through their own website, demand quickly overwhelmed their small operation. Picking, packing, and shipping 50 to 100 orders daily was stressful, error-prone, and unsustainable. More critically, their customers needed the product fast.
“People who are worried about their dog don’t really want to wait too long,” Paul said. “Maybe they’ve heard a news story, maybe they saw a coyote. They want to get this product pretty quickly once they realize they need it.”
CoyoteVest products are made in a 3,500-square-foot facility in Scripps Ranch. The Motts turned down offers to move manufacturing to China.
They can’t wait a week
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) solved both problems at once. By handing off storage, packing, and shipping to Amazon’s fulfillment network, the Motts eliminated the logistics burden that would have required three to four additional employees. It also unlocked Prime’s fast delivery for a product where speed can mean the difference between life and death.
Pamela recalls a customer who called to share that she had ordered a CoyoteVest through Amazon one day and received it the next. That same night, a coyote attacked her dog. The vest worked. The dog was safe. “If I did not have that, I don’t believe my dog would be around today,” the customer told them. “That was because of Amazon. The vest got to me so quickly.”
Protecting the products that protect pets
With such a unique, patented product, the Motts faced another challenge: copycats. Inferior knockoffs flooded the marketplace. The products looked similar but didn’t have the construction that actually stops a coyote’s bite. Through the Amazon Patent Evaluation Express (APEX) program, CoyoteVest has had over 4,000 infringing listings removed, protecting their intellectual property. Brand owners with registered patents can report potentially infringing product listings in Amazon’s store and have them evaluated and potentially removed.
“I don’t think we’d be in business today if it wasn’t for the APEX program,” said Pamela.
CoyoteVests have a three-layer defense that includes bright colors to deter predators, spikes to inflict pain in an attacker’s mouth, and stab-resistant material that a coyote’s teeth can’t penetrate.
Amazon Ads has also been essential to CoyoteVest’s growth, putting their products in front of pet owners actively searching for protection solutions. Because shoppers in Amazon’s store already have purchase intent, the Motts see an efficient return on their advertising investment.
Today, Amazon represents 80 to 90 percent of CoyoteVest’s sales, which have totaled nearly $7 million over five years with 30 to 40 percent annual growth. The company has expanded from vests into collars, hawk shields, whiskers, and other accessories.
“Sometimes when you think the worst thing that’s ever happened to you happens, it might lead you down another path that’s important,” Paul reflected.
Buffy’s local legacy
The Motts are deeply rooted in their Scripps Ranch community, where they’ve lived for 40 years. CoyoteVest provides monthly financial contributions to their local humane society and donates directly to Second Chance Rescue, the organization from which they adopted all of their dogs.
The Motts also provide free vests to shelters, dog adoption agencies, and rescue organizations so that newly adopted dogs go home already protected.
“I do believe that this is Buffy’s legacy,” said Pamela. “I feel that at least she’s up there across the rainbow bridge looking at us and saying, ‘It’s okay, Mama.’”