Y ena Kim describes her Shiba Inu, Bodhi, as her "soul dog." She hadn't planned to get a dog , but when she held him for the first time 15 years ago, she knew he was special. "I truly believe that we were meant to meet," Kim, now 37, says.
"He was meant to be my muse and inspiration." Ten years ago, Kim was working what she calls her dream job at Ralph Lauren when she decided to quit so she could spend more time with Bodhi. "It killed me to see his sad face as I left home for work," she says, "so I designed a new job where I can spend all day with him.
" Menswear Dog was born. The social-media brand features Bodhi modeling menswear outfits that Kim makes. For a couple of years Kim built the account on nights and weekends while working a day job as a marketing consultant so that she could afford a place in Brooklyn with a yard for Bodhi and her other dog, Luc.
She even went without health insurance for a while to make sure the dogs were taken care of. (The pups always had insurance .) Now she earns enough from Menswear Dog to focus on it — and her dogs — full time.
Advertisement "Bodhi and Luc have forged a path for me and with me," she says, adding that taking care of her dogs has given her an "immediate sense of purpose." She isn't the only millennial who feels this way about her pets. The generation is leading the way when it comes to pet ownership — almost a third of US pet owners are millennials.
And they adore them: In an online survey of American pet owners in Apri.