SKOWHEGAN (NEWS CENTER Maine) — If you’re looking for another way to fight Maine’s growing tick problem, you may have a lot of company. An ever-increasing number of people are worried about illnesses carried by ticks.
A business in Skowhegan says it has something that can help. Dog Not Gone is growing by making clothing for people and pets that will repel ticks. Dog Not Gone uses special fabric that contains permethrin, which owner Julie Swain says drives ticks away.
Permethrin is basically embedded in the fabric woven by Burlington company No Fly Zone, according to Swain. They began making and selling products for dogs, selling in the company’s website and to L.L.Bean, Renys and Maine Walmart stores, she said.
The product line dramatically expanded a little over a year ago when the company added products for people: vests, gaiters, hats, caps and socks, among others.
Swain said sales have been brisk, and that customers are eager to find ways to ward off ticks.
"Oh, people are desperate to find anything to keep protected," she said. "Almost everyone knows someone who has had Lyme, or they themselves have had Lyme."
Aside from socks and ball caps, which come from a supplier, Swain said all their products are made in the businesses factory in Skowhegan.
It was the home for years for a company called Maine Stitching, which did contract sewing work. Swain and her husband, Bill, said they had been using the company to make the Dog Not Gone products until the owner began talking about shutting down.
The Swains bought the factory, kept the workers, took over the contract stitching and added a showroom for the tick repellant products.
Two of the veteran sewers now spend their days cutting and assembling all the products. Alice Quirion said she turns out 10-15 dog vests per hour and is a big booster of the products.
"I buy the vest and hat and I think they do wonderful," she said, adding that she does a lot of gardening and "hasn’t been bit."
Swain said they have added some children’s clothing items and are always looking for more products to make. She said Dog Not Gone focuses on outerwear products, not the pants and shirts that some others make, and that some of their customers also sell.
She said the growth has been gratifying, but added that "it feels good" to be making and selling a product that helps keep people, and pets, safe.