Founder Alison's dogs: Lulu, a Springer Spaniel and Mac, a Parson Russell Terrier.
LULU
Alison's hunt for the perfect Drying Coat began with Lulu after daily beach walks in Norfolk. Lulu was so shivery, sandy and soggy, Alison needed a drying solution for her dog and protection for her car and home. Needless to say her search for a Drying Coat was fruitless, so Alison made her own and the rest is history! Lulu is special. She's our CEO, muse and inspiration! Now 12, Lulu is still youthful, handsome and perky. She is an obedient girl, an ex-agility star and for a Springer, petite and demure. She even eats poo delicately! Her adoration of Alison is a beautiful thing to witness - she simply worships the ground she walks on. In general she's submissive to every adult and spends more time on her back waiting for her tummy to be tickled than standing! She won't tolerate nonsense from dogs she finds annoying though...On a beach walk she shows her Spaniel genes. She barks impatiently until a ball is thrown into the sea because she never tires of retrieving it and she loves being on the coast in all weathers!
MAC
Mac is four and Alison's newest and naughtiest dog. Bought from Scotland, much as Alison loves Mac, she sometimes finds him exasperating and considers sending him back up North! That said, he's never boring, predictable or dull. Like all terriers, his hearing is excellent until he gets a whiff of something, at which point he's instantly stone deaf. Mac's obsession with Muntjac is only matched with his passion for anything that stinks, which he then rolls in, meticulously aiming for 100% coverage. Basically his actions are dictated by his nose and he has no self-control! The upside of all this is that he keeps Alison on her toes, makes everyone laugh and is so full of life we are all smitten by him. Mac is the sort of dog you see in movies reuniting long-lost lovers and catching the baddie. The butcher would forgive him for stealing the sausages and he'd save the little girl from the river. He's the lovable rogue with the heart of gold, and we too, cannot resist his charm!
TOP MODEL MOMENTS
Lulu has grown up staring into a camera and is super obedient so makes a great model. She is very patient and always wants to please Alison, which really helps as we ask a lot of the dogs during photography. Happiest on the beach, maybe it's not surprising that we take the best pics of her there! Lulu wears an ML in real-life and an M on camera, because it's smaller so it looks neater. Alison likes to have lots of coverage so that when Lulu's a wet dog she has a Drying Coat covering her fur as much as possible. The wicking action of the double-layered cotton towelling cannot work unless it is in contact with the fur, which is why the fit and coverage of a Ruff and Tumble dog robe for wet dogs is so important. The wide belly flap and big hoody/neck on the Ruff and Tumble Drying Coat were designed with Lulu and the beach in mind. The belly flap contains the sand that's in her undercarriage, and prevents it going into the car. Alison simply shakes it out when she gets home. The hoody is brilliant for soggy Spaniel ears and can be folded over them and fastened underneath with Velcro. The Ruff and Tumble Drying coat for wet dogs is carefully designed to help dry damp dogs easily and quickly!
The camera loves Mac - and he always looks cheeky and cute in photos. Mac wears a size M Drying Coat in real life and a size S in photos for the same reason as Lulu! Both sizes fit - the S looks neater but the size M dog Drying Coat covers more of the dog with the towelling, so is more effective at drying! Mac suits many colours because he has a lot of white in him and, as he has to be bathed so often, has quite a collection of dog drying rugs for wet dogs in his doggy wardrobe!
Keep your eye out for the next instalment of The Office Dogs!
Next time, we'll be talking about Olivia's pack!