by Kelsey Warren-Bryant | Photos courtesy of Rob and Sereta Wilson
Not very many canines have a place of business named for them — much
less three. But Annie, a beloved yellow Labrador retriever belonging to Rob and Sereta Wilson, inspired three businesses in Norman — Annie’s Ruff House, Annie’s Rescue Foundation, and Yellow Dog Coffee Company.
Annie lived a full life with the Wilsons before she died in 2018. However, she and the other dogs the Wilson have rescued remain the inspiration that drives their businesses.
Annie’s Ruff House
When Annie once escaped from the Wilsons’ yard while they were at work, the scare was enough to drive Ms. Wilson to look around for a doggie day care. It soon
became apparent that Norman had no animal day-care facilities at that time. Ms. Wilson, with support and assistance from her husband, worked to create a solution, and in May 2009, Annie’s Ruff House opened.
Annie’s Ruff House, lovingly named after the Wilsons’ dog, turned out to be a raving success. It has continued to be successful even in the subsequent rise of competing day-care facilities. Ms. Wilson finds that the sheer size of the facility has contributed to its success.
“We have a giant yard for dogs to run and play in and four other smaller yards also big enough to get a full run on,” she said. “We are the only day-care and boarding facility in Norman with that much land that we use as play space.”
Annie’s Ruff House goes beyond providing Norman residents with a large space for their pets to stay in. The facility hosts several groups to provide extra kennel space for rescue organizations and even has a pantry stocked with dog and cat food that is open and accessible to the public. People in the Norman area who are struggling to feed their pets or who are interested in donating to the food pantry can contact Annie’s Ruff House through the numbers listed on the website.
Annie’s Rescue Foundation
Annie’s Rescue Foundation started as an additional effort on the part of Annie’s Ruff House to help the local community. Just over a decade ago, a large tornado swept through the Moore area and displaced many animals from their homes. The new influx overwhelmed many nearby shelters. Annie’s Ruff House offered to house 20 dogs from the Moore Animal Shelter to assist with the overflow, and word spread quickly. Donations began to pour in from people across Oklahoma who wanted to help. In 2012, Annie’s Rescue Foundation became officially established after an application for official nonprofit status was approved.
Since then, Annie’s Rescue Foundation has housed approximately 800 animals to help local rescues and shelters. The foundation also uses its kennel space to house animals for people who are experiencing homelessness, health issues, domestic violence, or other issues that might force their animals into local shelters. The foundation has spayed or neutered more than 1,000 animals so far and has hosted several community dog walks.
Although Annie’s Rescue Foundation offers many services to the public, the main goal is to simply keep as many dogs and cats out of local shelters as possible by creating opportunities for those animals to remain in their homes.
Yellow Dog Coffee Company
In 2018, the Wilsons marked another exciting start. Wilson had discovered a newfound passion after trekking across the European landscape with his wife on a backpacking vacation — roasting and brewing coffee. Tasting local coffees across Europe sparked his desire to learn how to make his own roast at home and eventually to turn his craft into a business.
Wilson had supported his wife fully in her endeavors to start Annie’s Ruff House and Annie’s Rescue Foundation, so she was happy to do the same for him. Once again, the Wilsons named the business after their beloved dog Annie — Yellow Dog Coffee Company.
Their duo turned into a trio when Kate Bierman joined the team to help bring new perspective and to grow the business even more. They began by purchasing a Cool Beans drive-through in 2019. They moved to the current downtown location in 2022 so they could host events and provide customers with a livelier and more personable experience.
Customers at Yellow Dog can expect coffee with beans sourced from co-opfarms throughout several countries in South America. Wilson or his roasting team roast and grind the beans. A cup of coffee will have a minimum grade of 80 out of 100, categorizing it as a “specialty coffee.” Customers who order pastry to go with their coffee can expect it to be freshly made by the in-house bakery, called Meant To B Bakery. The professional bakery makes, packages, and sells pastries daily at Yellow Dog and bakes
for private clients, all from Yellow Dog’s commercial kitchen.
Customers can also expect many opportunities to attend events at Yellow Dog throughout the year, including live music every Saturday morning. Check out the events page at yellowdogcoffeecompany.com/ events to find an event you might like to attend.
You can find Yellow Dog Coffee Company at 222 South Porter Avenue, Norman.
