Once we committed to opening our own record store, naming it quickly became the focus of many purpose-driven drinking sessions. We ran through a long list—some names were far too precious, others impossibly long, and a few firmly in the “absolutely not” category.
Days passed. Nothing stuck.
Then our friend Jenn came by and told us a story from her very first job. She was working at a small variety store in her hometown, where the owner had proudly (and expensively) imported a few hundred animatronic puppies—cute, fluffy little things that were supposed to bounce and yip on command. But when she set them up and turned them on, not one of them moved. Not a yip, not a bounce. Devastated, she cursed the universe and stormed into his office, slamming the door behind him.
Jenn, unfazed, figured they were still pretty adorable. So she grabbed a Sharpie and made a sign:
“Dead Dogs for Sale – $5 each.”
They sold out in a week.
And that’s how Dead Dog Records got its name—a tribute to finding beauty in the broken, charm in the unexpected, and value where others might see none. It's a name that reminds us to look past the surface and to embrace the weird, the wonderful, and the slightly offbeat.
Not long after, our iconic mascot was born: Morty—the scruffy, sweet, slightly tragic pup you see on our logo. Morty’s been with us since day one, keeping watch over the bins and reminding us (with his X-eyed stare) not to take ourselves too seriously.
We’re not just here to sell records—we’re here to celebrate music in all its forms, to champion the overlooked, and to create a space where curiosity thrives.
Welcome to Dead Dog Records.