When David Hayford and his wife stumbled into starting a dog toy company, they never imagined it would become their full-time passion. But here they are—celebrating ten years of Tether Tug, an interactive dog toy company built around one simple idea: helping hyper dogs burn off energy in a fun, safe way.

Based online with a small but mighty team, Tether Tug has carved out a unique niche in the pet product market. “There’s nothing quite like our product out there,” David says. “And thanks to a crazy great patent, there never should be.”

Working with dogs every day may not have been part of the original plan, but David feels lucky for the unexpected path. “How lucky are we that we get to work with dogs every day?” he says with a grin.

Throughout the journey, the Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce has been a valued resource. From finding contract help to evaluating online presence, David says he turns to the Chamber any time he's stuck on an internal need. “What you see on the surface is just a fraction of what they do,” he explains. “The people there are some of the nicest folks you’ll come across,” he says.

One of the most helpful tools? Chamber University classes. “They’re always great,” David says. “I’ve even brought employees with me when I think it could benefit them professionally or personally.”

His advice to other local businesses: “If you want to be involved in and knowledgeable about your community, the Chamber is the place to start.”

And if he could give his younger self a piece of advice when starting out? “Trust your gut. You’re smarter than you think. Make sure you’ve got the right people on the bus—but remember, the bus is moving.”

Ten years later, Tether Tug is still going strong, helping dogs everywhere play harder and live happier—just the way David and his team intended, even if it wasn’t part of the original plan.