Oh Hey Hippo - Dog Bandanas, Apparel & Decals

10/23/2026

Me: runs a dog bandana shop
Also me, on a random Tuesday: “I should probably learn to sew.” 🙃

Welcome to Trial, Error & Etsy, where every new make is either a Listing or a Lesson, and my seam ripper is working overtime. Follow along so you can say you knew me back when I sewed things inside out on purpose (it was not on purpose).

10% of every sale goes to the OhHeyHippo Community Fund, so even my mistakes are helping dogs. Kind of. Not the really bad ones. Those go in a drawer. Not the dogs, the mistakes. 😅🐾

10/15/2026

I have the sewing bug.
Unfortunately, I do NOT have the fabric math. 😂

Black paint splatter is HERE! 🖤🎨

Turns out I highly underestimated how much fabric it takes to make a bandana that could fit a gorilla. Who knew. So this drop is for the tiny dogs and the absolute beasts:

• ONE XS scrunchie bandana
• ONE XL scrunchie bandana
• TWO matching flat fabric keychains 😉

Normal sized dogs, please respect my learning process. 😂

Bandanas can be personalized or have an “Adopt Me” design added for an extra fee!

Shop this bandana.. here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/4595657487/paint-splatter-dog-bandana-personalized

+ if you want to match your furry bestie:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/4595665557/black-paint-splatter-wristlet-key-fob

This is a VERY tiny drop, but I’m hoping to get my hands on more of this fabric! 🩵

This Wristlets item is sold by OhHeyHippo. Ships from Lincolnton, NC. Listed on Oct 14, 2026

10/13/2026

I made a thing. Then I made matching things. AND NOW THEY’RE LIVE. 👀🩵

One day I woke up and decided I needed a sewing machine. Did I know how to sew? Absolutely not. But apparently I have enough determination to fuel a tanker truck, so here we are. 😂

Meet our first little fabric drop: pink gingham scrunchie dog bandanas and a matching wristlet key fob—sewn by yours truly!

The bandanas have a smooth triangle in front and stretchy scrunchie backing. No tying. Just slip it over that cute little OR ridiculously large head.

Available in this drop:
• 1 XS — $8
• 1 Small — $8
• 2 Mediums — $9 each
• 2 Larges — $10 each
• ONE matching key fob — $6
(I’ll plan better next time. 😂)

Keep your bandana plain or add:
• Basic “Adopt Me”: +$2
• Your dog’s name: +$3
• “Adopt Me” with a paw print: +$4

These will be small fabric drops with VERY limited quantities. Some favorites might return, but once a pattern is gone, it could be gone for good! I’ll share each new pattern as it becomes available.

As always, 10% of sales goes toward our Community Pet Fund. 🩵

Shop both listings here:
https://ohheyhippo.etsy.com

Check the bandana size chart before ordering! Shipping is additional.

10/01/2026

Quick shipping PSA because USPS has apparently decided tracking is more of a suggestion than a system. 🙃

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had multiple packages picked up without being scanned, packages sit “in transit” for days with no movement, and even packages get delivered while tracking still says they’re somewhere out in the void.

If you’re currently waiting on an OhHeyHippo order and your tracking looks weird, I am genuinely sorry. I know how frustrating it is to watch a package appear to go absolutely nowhere.

Orders ARE being shipped on time. Unfortunately, once they leave my hands, I’m stuck watching the same chaotic tracking updates you are.

I’m keeping an eye on anything that looks unusually delayed and will always do what I can to help if a package truly goes missing.

Thank you for being patient with me while USPS works through whatever... this is. 😂🩵

09/23/2026

Saint is home! 🩵

His final bill came to $2,481.99—still a lot, but thankfully much less than the high end estimate of $4,000 we were originally given.

He’s home recovering now, and we’ll go back for a recheck in two weeks to make sure everything has healed properly. Until then, he’ll be wearing the cone of shame and running into absolutely everything in our house like a very sad, very expensive wrecking ball.

Thank you so much to everyone who checked on him, shared our post, placed an OhHeyHippo order, or simply laughed with me while I tried not to cry. Your kindness and support genuinely meant more than I can say.

We’re not completely across the finish line yet, but he’s home. 🩵

08/22/2026

🚨 SCRUNCHIE BANDANA TESTERS WANTED 🚨

When I decide I want to learn how to do something, I apparently just… do it. So I bought a sewing machine and taught myself how to sew. 😂

I’m finally at the point where I need some real-world testers.

I’ll send a handful of dogs a scrunchie bandana completely free with ONE caveat:

I need you to abuse it a little.

Wear it regularly. Pull on it harder than you probably should. Let your dog roll around in it. Wash it. Dry it. Do all the things the care instructions will eventually tell you not to do, but that we both know somebody is going to do anyway.

Then I need your honest feedback.

Did the elastic hold up? Did the stitching survive? Did it shrink, twist, stretch, fade, or otherwise lose the will to live? Was it easy to put on? Did it stay in place?

I’m not looking for compliments just because you got something free. I genuinely want to know what needs improving before I officially add these to OhHeyHippo.

I won’t be able to choose everyone, so if your dog would like to apply for this highly prestigious unpaid position, drop:

🐾 A picture of your dog
📏 Their approximate neck size
📝 A short bio explaining exactly how terrible your dog is going to treat this bandana and why I should choose them as one of my official product destroyers.

Tell me about the mud. The wrestling. The fence rubbing. The sibling tug-of-war. The dramatic floor rolls. Sell me on your dog’s complete lack of respect for my craftsmanship. 😂

I’m specifically looking for dogs who can give these things a real-life beating, because I’d much rather find the weak spots now than after somebody pays me actual human money for one. 🩵

**photo is of my first ever ANYTHING sewed… ever, be kind. 🫣

08/03/2026

Black fur. Lime green bandana. Absolutely zero chance of being overlooked. 💚

Because *“Adopt Me”* should be bright, bold, and impossible to scroll past, especially when the dog wearing it has already perfected the soulful-eye routine.

These bandanas are made to help foster dogs get a little extra attention while they wait for their person. Available in the shop, because apparently humans sometimes need fluorescent instructions. 🐾

Look Good. Do Good. Give Back.

07/20/2026

7/18 update:
We love seeing all the green checkmarks! ✅
To be honest, we were a little worried that people might not come out due to weather - heat and the threat of storms ⚡️- but adoptions happened anyway!

We would still love to see more adopters step up! And fosters need to apply through rescues ASAP to give them a chance to process apps!

Apply to:
🩷 Wiggles Way Rescue Corporation
🩷 Adopt a Homeless Animal Rescue Inc
🩷 Lovepaws

07/20/2026

💰 Community Fund Update 🖤

Today’s Community Fund donation wasn’t glamorous.

It wasn’t a huge check.
It wasn’t a shelter sponsorship.
It wasn’t paying an adoption fee.

It was $15 sent to a volunteer.

Earlier today, a tiny kitten ended up at the emergency vet with a sudden abscess on its face after refusing to eat or drink. The volunteer freshly fostering this little nugget spent more than five hours at the emergency clinic… and she leaves for Florida tomorrow. Talk about terrible timing.

I actually asked her to take this kitten as a favor after a friend found it, so I watched the whole day unfold from behind my computer screen wishing I could do more.

So I sent her coffee money for her 9+ hour drive of doom in the morning.

Not because $15 fixes burnout.
Not because it covers an emergency vet bill.
But because sometimes the most important thing you can give someone is the reminder that someone noticed.

Rescue doesn’t happen because shelters exist.

It happens because volunteers answer their phones.
Because fosters lose sleep.
Because someone rearranges their entire day for an animal that isn’t even theirs.

That kind of compassion deserves to be seen.

This Community Fund isn’t just for pet food, medical care, or adoption fees. Sometimes it’s for the humans carrying the weight of animal rescue, too.

To every foster, transporter, volunteer, and rescue coordinator who’s running on caffeine, dog hair, and the vague hope that maybe you’ll eat dinner before 9 PM…

I see you.

And I appreciate you more than you’ll probably ever know. 💙

-Darla

Look Good. Do Good. Give Back.

07/13/2026

This is one of those resources I wish everyone knew existed.

Before you surrender your pet because life got expensive, overwhelming, or just plain rude (which, let’s be honest, seems to be life’s favorite hobby lately)… please check this first.

🐾 pets.findhelp.com

All you do is enter your ZIP code, and it’ll connect you with free and low-cost resources in your area, including:
• Pet food assistance
• Affordable veterinary care
• Spay/neuter programs
• Behavior and training resources
• Temporary pet support
• And more

Sometimes people don’t need someone to take their pet.

They just need someone to help them keep their pet.

If you’re involved in rescue, fostering, or animal welfare, save this post and share it often. If you know someone who’s struggling, send them this link without judgment. We all need help sometimes, and keeping families together is almost always the best outcome.

Because the goal isn’t to fill shelters.

It’s to empty them.

❤️ pets.findhelp.com