About Dog Ear Leather

It Started With Stanley

It started with a dog. Obviously.

Stanley has never made a leather journal. He has, however, supervised the making of quite a few of them.

He's the face behind Dog Ear Leather, the inspiration behind our mark, and at least partially responsible for the belief that the things we carry every day should have a little more personality.

Dog Ear started with a love of beautiful leather goods, an unreasonable enthusiasm for personalization, and one simple idea: personalization should mean more than adding a few initials as an afterthought.

We wanted to make something beautiful and well made — but also something that could feel unmistakably like yours.

Beautiful Leather. Made Personal.

We make each piece by hand in Washington, DC, using beautiful leather chosen for its color, character, and the way it changes with use.

Then you get to make it personal.

Choose the leather. Pick the details. Add your initials, a phrase that means something to you, or even a not-so-serious drawing of an animal you seriously love.

We can emboss almost anything. (Almost.)

Dog Ear is intentionally small. There isn't a warehouse full of finished journals waiting for an address label. Your piece starts with the choices you make, and then we make it for you.

That means natural variations in the leather are welcome here. So are unusual color combinations, inside jokes, sentimental phrases, ridiculous pet drawings, and the occasional decision that makes absolutely no sense to anyone except the person ordering it.

Especially those, actually.

Made for the Long Journey

We started Dog Ear because we wanted to make leather goods that feel special without feeling precious — thoughtfully made things you're actually supposed to carry, use, mark up, and make your own.

Over time, the leather will soften. The vegetable-tanned leathers will develop a patina. Your journal will get filled, replaced, and filled again.

The cover stays with you.

Dog Ear Leather is an independent, woman-owned business based in Washington, DC. Everything is made one piece at a time, with a lot of care and a little personality.

Your companion for the long journey.