KONA THE DOG

About Kona, Our Muse and Inspiration

Kona (a.k.a Kona Bear), a Jack Russell Terrier, born in the beautiful beach town of Montauk, New York, was raised on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan.  He spent his days in Central Park and his weekends in the Hamptons playing ball on the beach.

In the evenings, when Kona wasn’t snuggled up on his mom’s favorite Ralph Lauren cashmere blanket, he was in her bed, sleeping under the covers.

When Kona's mom traveled around the world, fell in love with a German man and moved to Munich, Kona was no longer allowed to sleep in the people bed and snuggle under the blankets. Poor Kona was left out in the cold.

Kona’s mom was heartbroken and wanted to create the perfect bed to keep him snuggled, warm and protected at night. In addition, this bed needed to be stylish and attractive in their home. After intensive research, endless design prototypes, and more than two years of thorough testing, Kona and Kristen's dream bed was finally realized, the KONA CAVE® Snuggle Cave Bed.  Not only did his new bed meet all his natural sleeping needs, it was modern and sophisticated and looked great in their home.

In 2017, the KONA CAVE® Snuggle Cave Bed was recognized for its unique and functional design and was awarded patent protection in multiple countries.

Kona lived an exciting and full life.  He traveled the world, was the muse and inspiration for two lifestyle pet brands, became a professional model, was the ring bearer at his parent's wedding and brought all of his friends and family tremendous happiness.  Kona never met a tennis ball he didn't love.  Ko passed away quietly, surrounded by his beloved family, in 2020 at the beautiful age of 16.

He is missed every day.

About Kona's Mom, Our Founder

With KONA CAVE®, Kristen found her passion and continues to design fashionable and practical dog items that she needs but cannot find on the market.  The KONA CAVE® Travel Mat was one such item, designed so that Kona would have a clean and warm place to sleep while out in the restaurants and cafés of Europe with his parents.  The KONA CAVE® Home Interior collection followed quickly as pet parents wanted beautifully designed, pet-friendly home accessories to complement their KONA CAVE® lifestyle. 

Kristen Geldermann, a longtime executive at Polo Ralph Lauren in New York City, applied her extensive luxury, fashion and style-know-how into designing elegant, high-quality dog beds for her four-legged love, Kona.  
Her passion and dedication to elegance and quality are evident in every detail of KONA CAVE®'s lifestyle dog products.