The Art of Organic Dog Armor

This battle-ready Beagle looks like he could defend against any attacker.. He is really just posing in the latest creation from a small but growing group of dedicated and very artistic individuals who are embracing the art form of organic pet armor.

Deep in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, Paul Hersey and Jennifer Murphy are creating interesting works of art for humans and their pets. Since 2006, Paul Hersey has been involved in an artistic career with a very narrow focus: Organic armor for dogs and people.

The armor suits for the dogs began with a request for Paul to create a piece for a Los Angeles art gallery show in 2006, with a theme of "Dog is Love". About the same time, the couple's young son developed a love for the Pug breed of dog, and the couple met a woman who ran a Pug rescue organization. To bring attention for the need of a rescue of this breed of dog, Paul made a couple of costumes for the dogs and they were featured on Gizmodo, and became a viral internet success.

Now the couple creates and supplies artistic creations for a wide variety of customers wanting dog and human armor suits from all over the globe. The dog armor ranges in price from $350-$700, depending on the size of the dog and the complexity of the armor.

Jennifer Murphy was asked about the materials used in the making of the pet "armor":

Organic Armor is made primarily of natural latex, a sap-like liquid from the rubber tree. It is about 95% hand fabricated. For small repeated elements like the jewel settings and some of the horns, we make our own molds. The rest is built by hand from a variety of textiles, including denim fabric (sometimes old blue jeans), woven straw, felt, foam, clothesline and even dryer lint. Wire is used as an armature when needed. Layers of latex and other coatings bond it and create the integrated, antique-looking surface. Then it’s painted with metallic paints, and sealed with a UV protection coating. The secret ingredient is love.

Sometimes the couple gets an unusual request from their customers. One lady asked if they could create a suit of armor for her Pekingese dog who was encountering attacks from crows in her backyard.. (The armor is not for protection, just for show). Another potential customer wanted a suit of cat armor, but decided later that the cat probably would not want to wear it for more than a minuite or two.

The art has extended into other areas beyond pet and human armor suits. Helmets for video game characters, fairy crowns, and steampunk tophats are also available.

Jennifer stresses that many people are into the upscale pet culture, and are willing to spend money on the very best items for their pets, including armor.

The website created by this artistic couple can be found here: www.organicarmor.com and features over 100 handmade items in their shop, along with several galleries. They also have a blog, mailing list, and regularly post on Twitter and Facebook.

People admire anyone who can turn a hobby into a passion for a successful business. The very fact that someone can create and sell artistic armor for dogs and people gives us new hope for what others can produce to get this economy moving again. Bravo for organic art, the "Battle Beagle" and the "secret ingredient" of love.