Nothing says quintessential New England quite like all things nautical.

It’s partly this fact that helped Dave Bill, a teacher at Tabor Academy, find his niche in the world of dog and cat toys.

About 20 years, when Bill was the waterfront director at Tabor, he would bring his yellow lab with him when he went to work on the water. It was then that he found the inspiration for his business, Island Time Pets.

“There was always a lot of line about and I wondered if anyone made any nautical toys for dogs,” Bill said.

He found that they did exist, but pet stores like PetSmart and PetCo couldn’t offer handmade toys that were made with traditional nautical techniques.

“I kind of realized it would take too much time for mass production,” he said.

The company began by just selling dog toys, but eventually branched out into cat toys and dog leashes and collars using the same technique.

It’s his technique that he said people appreciate and pay for.

“I call it functional art, because it is artistic and unique, and it takes someone to appreciate the work that goes into it,” Bill said. “If someone wants to buy for price, they’re going to go to chain retail places.”

At first, most of the items were sold in retail stores, such as The Black Dog.

“They sold in niche, high-end stores, like boutiques for dogs and cats,” Bill said. “Stores in places like Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and coastal New England were my retailers.”

However, eventually Bill realized that he was spending just as much time making his products as before, but because he was selling them through other stores, he was only making half as much. This led to the creation of his online store.

Bill makes all of the pattern boards, creates all the designs and comes up with all the names of products himself. And he does it while working his full time job at Tabor.

“Fortunately orders aren’t so great that they interfere with my life,” he said. “When I first started off I was worried about keeping up with it, but I’ve never had a problem.”

When he started making dog toys 20 years ago, he didn’t necessarily think he’d still be at it all these years later, but emphasized it’s important to give your ideas a shot.

“I always think that if you have a good idea that its worth kind of seeing it out, because good ideas can often turn into interesting ventures,” he said. “You never know how it’s going to play out.”

For more information or to purchase from Island Time Pets, go to islandtimepets.com.