We had the good fortune of connecting with Samantha Lujan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In 2017 we adopted our dog Beau from the Key Largo Humane Society. Found in a garbage bin right after the hurricane, he was in really bad shape when we adopted him and we nurtured him back to health. In 2022, we adopted our second dog Buddy from Paw Patrol Animal Rescue! Given to the shelter after a family realized he was a Christmas gift they didn’t actually want or had the means to care for. It was in these moments that we knew we wanted to help out in some way that we could. We would often volunteer our time to various shelters but with everything else life got busy. Volunteering is amazing and the dogs really loved it, but working in shelters we saw that the most important thing that was needed was actually money. With the cost of vet bills, medicine, food, treatment, and animal care it was a lot to handle. Being that we are in our early 20s we didn’t necessarily have the means to pay out of pocket and donate money to the shelter. Over the years we thought of ways that we could give back and thus The Knotty Dawg was born. A nautical human/dog apparel and accessories company that gives back to animal shelters and rescues in need. Everything in our brand is dog related! On our human shirts, we’ve taken what we as humans do and added dogs into the mix to make it more comical! 10% of our profits go to shelters as our way of giving back! Our company has not only allowed us to give back, but to also raise awareness of shelters and rescues! We talk about their needs, available animals, and ways to help with our platform and our customers! Pets in general are a huge responsibility! It is a 15-20 year commitment and we can not stress the importance of this commitment! Education is one of the biggest factors! We love creating those conversations with others in hopes that they will continue to spread the word and help be the solution! With the way things are right now in south Florida, being that almost every shelter is over capacity, now is the time they need our help more than ever!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Sam: From a young age, my mom put me in soccer. Little did I know 26 years later that sport would mold me into the person I am today. See when it comes to my professional success and how I have gotten to where I am today, I give credit to 2 factors:

The first being my amazing mother, who single handedly raised 3 kids! Being her only daughter, she raised me to be a smart, independent, curious, and charismatic individual! Her strength showed me the true definition of what a successful professional woman was!

The second being soccer. Playing soccer all my life and then going and playing Division 1 Soccer at Florida Atlantic University prepared me for life outside of the sport. Some key items that I was able to take away from the sport and use in my professional life are: time management, leadership skills, teamwork, understanding others and their cultures, working hard, dedication, and perseverance! I am forever grateful for this sport and everything that it has given me over the years!

Kevin: He is strong, charismatic, and the true definition of a hero! Kevin is a firefighter/paramedic for Miami Dade Fire and Rescue! He loves his job and it has molded him into the amazing man he is today! His family also plays a huge role in his life as both mother and father were first responders as well! He had great role models to look up to growing up! His love for dogs is so strong and seeing the way he cares for our boys has been a blessing to watch! Kevin doesn’t just care for our dogs but for all dogs! Oftentimes, I get texts and pictures from Kevin of him petting the neighborhood dogs, feeding them, playing with them, or even trying to save them and find them homes!

I guess what I’m trying to get to is that our brand has been successful not only for the products we sell but because of the family behind the brand! I often believe that a great business starts with the amazing people who run it and that’s where we excel! In this tough world we live in, it’s often hard to find genuinely good people who actually care for the causes they represent! If you ask me where I think our success comes from, I think that’s where it starts!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The perfect weekend for us starts in the beautiful Florida keys! Mostly Key Largo, where we spend most of our days! The perfect day consists of a beautiful boat day on the water! We would have our friends come over (dogs included) and we would head to the sandbar (Mosquito Bank, Short Key, or Rodriguez Key) , where we would bring a cooler filled with drinks and food! We would grill out on the water and just enjoy the day swimming and playing with our dogs, family, and friends! We would end the day with a sunset cruise on the bayside of course to dinner by the water! There are multiple restaurants to choose from bayside in key largo, but some of our go toos are Big Chill, Snooks Bayside, or Bayside Gourmet! Then we would finish the night dancing it away at either the Caribbean Club or Hog Heaven!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to thank all of our Shelter and Rescue Partners for allowing us to help out and change the narrative of adoptable pets! They work day in and day out to find all their animals amazing, lovable, and lifelong homes. Often, a very tough challenge, but no matter how hard the challenge may be they never give up on them. It’s because of our dogs that we emphasize the importance of supporting rescues and shelters! There are AMAZING dogs at the shelter waiting to be loved! Please consider adoption when looking for your next fur baby!

Website: Www.theknottydawg.com

Instagram: @theknottydawg

Facebook: @theknottydawg

Youtube: @theknottydawg

Image Credits
These are all our photos taken by us so credit goes to @theknottydawg

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.