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eed, 14, operates her business under ame I Want a Dog Co. For almost years she has been independently crafting dog products. It all started she wanted a dog. For years, she asked for a four-legged friend, but a mother who is allergic, two ger brothers who seemed to care less a dad who recommended, “you’ll to work for it,” she knew what she o do.

er father suggested that she use her ng talents and make dog accessories. bsite sold her a kit and model for her rs. Leashes were easy to design. Her grandmother taught her how to sew reated a pattern for doggie scarves. soft-spoken teen uses her mother’s ng machine to stitch together color-brics.

eed’s 3-year-old black Labrador ver is named Lucy. She is the reward for hard work and ambition. She is the first prize. Now Reed says, “I want a mil-lion dollars.”

Thinking big comes with a price. Reed’s most difficult hurdle is discover-ing ways to vend her wares.

“The challenge is finding outlets to sell my dog products,” says the Cedar Park Middle School student. “My dad and I have taken afternoon drives to Portland-area pet shops hoping to locate a buyer. Some of the shops had gone out of business.

“Another wanted my accessories to have bar codes,” she adds. “I don’t want to have to do this all of my free time.” Now that the initial learning curve has eased up, Reed can enjoy producing her

dog accessories. Bright fabrics, school logos and breast cancer pink ribbons set her products apart from traditional dog essentials. Colorful carves are available in three different sizes. Collars come in extra small, small, medium, large and extra large. The handcrafted dog leashes are 5 feet long and made from sturdy, durable nylon webbing.

Last summer, Reed sold her products adjacent to the Beaverton Farmers Market. Setting up in a 5-by-5-foot space in the Beaverton First United Methodist Church parking lot, she waited for cus-tomers with other designated “crafters.” Paying $10 for each visit, she set up her business for three August Saturdays. This year she hopes to get involved earlier. “I’m definitely figuring out a way to sell more,” smiles the young brunette. “I’m working on contacting different dog websites that might be interested in plac-ing orders. My dad and I are getting ready to e-mail photos of my products.” It took Reed about a month to sell enough dog accessories to purchase Lucy from the Oregon Humane Society. She sold 48 items to Puppy Love By The Sea in Cannon Beach.

“I had to learn how to save my money rather than spend it,” she says.

Reed’s collars and scarves sell for $6 each, and leashes are $12.

She hopes to set up shop at the 2011 Northwest Pet and Companion Fair in April at the Expo Center and at an annu-al Oak Hills neighborhood gathering. Having a stash of inventory makes it challenging for the teenage crafter to buckle down and sew additional products. “I want to earn more money,” she says. “I’d like to fill more orders.”

Reed is now perfecting a new doggie handicraft called a “ringy dingy.” It’s a potty training tool. A dog rings bells attached to a door leading outdoors, requesting to go out. She’s preparing to fill a new order.