Design

Jenni & Chachi + The Dude

By Chanel Dror
Jenni Kayne and her dogs

It’s hard to pigeonhole Jenni Kayne’s talents into one job description — as the designer of a luxury clothing line and the blogger behind Rip & Tan, the mother-of-two is the leading lady of classic, effortless style as we know it. So of all the subjects we’ve featured in our Fox & Hound series, leave it to Jenni to make cuddling up with her pooches seem like the most chic pastime imaginable. Her sweater! The bedding! That white wood panelling! And just as integral to the “California cool” aesthetic, those dogs! With all that shaggy fur, we just had to know more about Chachi and The Dude..

Jenni Kayne and her dogs

Your name: Jenni Kayne, Mom, Designer and Blogger

Your dogs’ names, breeds and ages: Chachi, a first generation Labradoodle, 2 years old and The Dude, first generation Labradoodle, 11 months old.

  1. How did your dogs come into your life? I’ll never forget. I met the most wonderful Labradoodle named Bamboo one day while shopping – his owner was wearing a seersucker suit and I just fell in love with his dog. I’ve always had two dogs, so after we got Chachi (from a great breeder in Telluride) I knew there would be a second.
  2. Your favorite thing about Chachi and The Dude: I love the way Chachi wakes me up in the morning. He puts his paws up on my pillow and stares at me with his big green and blue eyes. And my favorite thing about Dude is how he hops like a bunny rabbit. I think one of his back legs is shorter than the other – it’s the most endearing thing.
  3. Your favorite thing to do with your dogs: I love taking them down to the lake to fetch sticks and swim in the water. The Dude is still getting the hang of the water!
  4. What’s the funniest things your dogs do? For Chachi, it’s the way he sits on the sofa. His legs are so long that he sits his bottom on the couch and wrests his head on the coffee table – the only thing touching the floor are his two front paws! And I can’t get enough of how The Dude sleeps — with all four paws up in the air!
  5. The naughtiest things Chachi and The Dude have ever done: Chachi chewed the rope on my favorite vintage Wegner chair! And unfortunately, last week The Dude got his paws on my son Tanner’s favorite stuffed animal Quacky!
  6. If your dogs were a person, who would they be and why? Chachi would definitely be a Rastafarian and The Dude is Jeff Bridges

*photo by Lauren Ross