A new product made on Catalina Island called “Sac a Pooch” is now available and on display at Confetti Catalina on Crescent Avenue. The “Sac A Pooch” is similar to an infant harness that hold infants on the front of a person’s chest, but in this case it is for dogs. The product has been in the development stages for a while by Gigi (Guidalthy) Rousseau, 35, a new employee at the Hermosa Hotel.
A new product made on Catalina Island called “Sac a Pooch” is now available and on display at Confetti Catalina on Crescent Avenue. The “Sac A Pooch” is similar to an infant harness that hold infants on the front of a person’s chest, but in this case it is for dogs. The product has been in the development stages for a while by Gigi (Guidalthy) Rousseau, 35, a new employee at the Hermosa Hotel.
“I have been working on this product for nearly four years and had a prototype constructed and brought it with me to Catalina Island,” Rousseau said. “My neighbor at the Hermosa is Marta Arellano and she is an exceptional seamstress. I talked with her about my project and she jumped right in. Marta was trained at the Art Institute in Guadalajara, Mexico and it was actually nuns that taught her the skills she acquired as a seamstress.” As Arellano began making the dog harness, Rousseau secured an agreement with the Confetti Catalina store to offer them and began selling them last Saturday.
Many Islanders have small dogs that are aged and cannot walk great distances. This will be a way for them to not only walk the their dogs, but slip them into the Sac A Pooch to carry them about town.
“I make clothes for the locals such as dresses and pants. I am also hired to make costumes and party gowns for local children,” said Arellano, a seamstress.
The Hermosa hired Rousseau as a manager nearly a month ago. She is a single woman from Costa Mesa who has worked in management and marketing for such firms as Reebok and General Mills.
“I am elated with the fact that Mindy has the skills to be able to discover these high aptitude people to bring into our community,” said hotel owner Mark Milan. “I am forever grateful to Mindy both as her employer and her father.”
“I wanted to have a product not only produced in the United States, but right here on Catalina Island,” Rousseau said. “I am so happy to live and work on the Island.”
