Weapons-Grade Dog Boxes
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The Gunner Kennel made quite a splash when it hit the market a decade or so ago, and it continues to redefine the space within innovative accessories and color choices that only enhance its ability to save the life of your dog. This is a product that is out in front, and yet the man behind what is arguably the finest dog box ever made is disarmingly quiet and unexpectedly humble. Addison Edmonds created his kennel because he wanted to keep his dog at the time, Gunner, safe while they were on the road, and he seems driven now by his desire to keep your dogs safe as well. Even that seems like a bold assumption, that one product can so positively impact dog safety, but the possibilities and the statistics that support the assumption keep Addison’s focus clearly on the road ahead.
Addison grew up in Nashville and took to the field and stream like a moth to the flame, eventually hunting and fishing every chance he got, including trips to neighboring Alabama for deer hunting and Arkansas for duck hunting with friends and family. Trying to catch him in his element, we joined him for a duck hunt at Wild Wings, an extraordinary private duck camp outside of Stuttgart, Arkansas, a place Addison has hunted many times. If you ever get invited to hunt this magical place, run, don’t walk.
Even in the early morning of our first hunt, Addison’s passion for the place and the sport was immediately evident. There was a steady analysis taking place behind the enthusiastic chaos. Not only was he trying to ensure the decoy spread was attractive and we were placed correctly with the wind and logical entry points for the ducks, Addison seemed also to be weighing the waders, the dog stands, and all the related accoutrements that make for a great duck hunt in flooded timber. How were the different elements performing? Was there an opportunity for improvement? Addison’s analysis was not in conflict with the fun of the morning, though, as he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. It’s as if standing in flooded timber watching ducks commit to a spread was fueling both sides of his brain: the rabid fan of the outdoors and the entrepreneur trying to build the next big thing. It was mostly just fun, though, and that seems to be a recurring theme in Addison’s story.
The hunting and fishing as a kid made Addison’s college and career choices fairly easy. On a relative scale, Ole Miss is in the middle of nowhere—granted, Oxford, Mississippi, is a social epicenter unto itself—and Addison chose wisely, even cultivating deer stands close to town. The bright outdoors were a central element to his higher education, studying business when the hunting seasons slowed. But the dark spaces also contributed. Seeing an opportunity in the niche marketplace of college bars, Addison built an advertising business, growing that side hustle into a going concern that was conveniently marketable when he graduated, moved back to Nashville, married Emily, and together with his new bride, started a business. That’s a lot of life choices in a very short period and, if you’re wondering, the man does not sit still, but he does so quietly.
Addison’s business lens seems trained on innovating and improving, rather than creating new products from whole cloth. He had seen the advertising business in another setting and saw a way to improve it. The same is true for dog kennels. He saw what was available in the marketplace and saw a way to improve it. His early efforts were rewarded by the industry, including the Subaru Crash Test Safety Award, an achievement that launched the young kennel business into consumer awareness. That original award-winning product continues to perform, and the ensuing 10 years or so have seen an assortment of accessories enter the dog space with the Gunner brand: dog bowls, training essentials, food containers, just to name a few. Addison has an almost indiscernible gleam in his eye when he talks about ideas for future products or, rather, doesn’t talk about them, assuring me that more products are in the works without specifics. It is also clear that connecting dogs and people remains an important motivation, especially when that connection inevitably leads to people spending more time outside.
Looking back on the 10-year journey, Addison still reminisces about the surreal experience of seeing a kennel in the wild, usually in the back of a truck heading down the highway. To honor the shared commitment to dog safety, Addison reveals a characteristically quiet habit when he’s near parking lots where hunters typically gather: He roams the lot and slides a Gunner koozie into the driver’s door handle of trucks that are sporting a Gunner Kennel. It’s a way of saying thanks and welcome to the family, and it’s a reminder that it’s personal.
And speaking of family, Addison is growing into the model of fatherhood his dad provided, even though he selfdeprecatingly describes himself as an adequate husband and father. He lights up when talking about Emily and the kids, which is always a good sign, and he explains that spending time with them and teaching them about the outdoors has become primary in his life. It is, in many ways, analogous to the motivation behind building a business around protecting his first child, Gunner. Sure, the business has evolved and grown, but the motivation remains pure: Protect the ones you love.
It’s a chilly January morning and we’re waist deep in flooded timber along the Cache River. The spread is set, and the birds are working it. We harvest a few and the dogs excitedly retrieve the fallen. It’s fun to watch Addison working with Chevy, a dog with big paws to fill after Gunner’s passing. Addison is in the zone, but he’s concerned about Chevy’s perch, a dog stand that is well built but a little small to keep him high and dry. Between flights of ducks, I can see Addison’s mind working, redesigning another brand’s dog stand to better accommodate Chevy’s ability to shake off the latest retrieve. It doesn’t interfere with the fun—it seems to fuel it. That’s just the way Addison’s mind works. So here we stand, watching ducks circle a spread and dogs launch into cold water with unbridled enthusiasm. For Addison, there is peace. There is purpose. There is a plan.
Originally published in Volume 12, Number 5 (August-September 2024) of Covey Rise.
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