The LEUCHTIE Story

It all started with Robert Stahl’s vision of keeping his dog safe when taking nighttime walks.  A tech aficionado and dog lover, Robert tried out several types of lighted and reflective collars, but each one had significant problems, from switches that shorted out in the rain to lights that fell right off of the collar!

A certified electrician, Robert decided to take matters into his own hands.  He built a battery-operated string of LED lights, enclosed in a colored tube that slid right over his dog’s head and rested comfortably around his neck. On his very first walk, a neighbor admired the first LEUCHTIE, and asked Robert if he could build him one too.  Robert’s disdain for dimly lit and poorly constructed lighted collars produced by other companies – along with the continuous demand from friends and neighbors – made him realize that there was a market for a quality product.  And he was right.

After dedicating himself fulltime to LEUCHTIE in 2004, Robert found that the demand for LEUCHTIEs grew quickly in his community among private dog owners and professional users such as military and police working dogs, and “bloodhound” search-and-rescue dogs.  Brightly lit LEDs and smart engineering resulted in a self-activating, waterproof product visible from hundreds of yards.

Robert’s production has doubled every year for 4 years, and is tripling in 2009!  More than a thousand pet shops in several European countries have become LEUCHTIE dealers, and Robert has expanded the product visibility throughout Europe and the US.

With the help of his US Business Partners Patrick Bennett, who handles the US market introduction and vendor communication, Peter Taylor, who oversees finance and business development, and Jennifer Taylor, who heads up marketing and communications, Robert is currently introducing LEUCHTIE to the US market.