EPISODE 25: LIFE, STUFF, STYLE

WALKIES IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

Dachshund through the snow. (On a less-than-snowy day.) We’re in the forest of Theale photographing our Christmas campaign. Wagging tails, muddy paws and a chorus of barks. It doesn’t sound like our group of new models. (But it is.)  We asked on our social media if anyone with dogs would like to model our festive collection. Over 1,500 of you said yes. It was a tricky decision, but we settled on 14 eager new models and their willing owners. Was it chaos? (What else did you expect?)

Can you tell us about how you got your dog?

Penny: Brooklyn was actually rescued from the meat trade in China. We believe he was about six months old on the back of a meat truck with 60 other dogs. This incredible charity rescued him, took him in. He had a really severe virus that's often fatal to dogs and he survived it.

Mike: We rescued Maggie. She was born with three and a half legs. I saw a picture and said to my wife that we just had to have her.

Carla: The police did the raid on a warehouse in North London and realised it was a puppy farm. As soon as I heard Stevie’s story, saw her, that was it. I thought ‘I’m definitely taking her in’.

Steph: Same with me. I looked at Willow and I just knew that she was our dog. You wouldn't know she was a rescue Greyhound because she settled right in. It's like she knew that we'd given her a home and that we were the right parents for her.

Any more backstories of your dogs before you rescued them?

Louise: Carter was rescued by a charity and he'd been in a cage on his own outside because he was used as a breeding dog. So the only time he was with other dogs was for ‘you know’. And basically his whole life, he would have just been eating his own sick, so he didn't die.

Alys: They think Quinn was just running around on the street.

Alice: Ralph was a rescue from Cyprus. They had a flight of dogs that came over and when we went to collect him, he was so scared. He'd been travelling for 24 hours. We just had to get him home and get him safe.

How would you describe the bond you have with your dog?

Caroline: He's definitely my best mate. The best thing that's ever happened to me. My Enid Blyton dog. There was always a dog in the stories that you would want to be in your life. And I’ve got that.

Rosie: I can’t imagine life before him. It's as if he's always been there.

Liz: Because I work remotely from home, she is a friend and a colleague. She's my HR consultant, my IT guru. She's everything.

Jo: I feel like we’re soulmates. He's like my child, but also my best friend. We just get each other. Even my micro expressions, things that I don’t know I’m doing, he notices.

And what’s Christmas like in your house?

Carla: Oh, it’s chaos. She'll be in the presents, she’ll want to eat everything.

Carter: One time he ate a massive bowl of salt and vinegar crisps, a whole thing of mince pies and chocolate cake. And he was so rotund. He didn't have a waist anymore. Like a ball.

Rosie: Being a hairless dog, we're really lucky because we can put different outfits on him. He's got a pair of burgundy pyjamas, some tartan fluffy ones. And he's got some coats as well. I spend more on his clothes than my own clothes, which is terrible!

Alys: I make sure to give him a Christmas dinner. So we'll be doing dog friendly stuff he can eat.

Penny: It's the most magical day. For us, our dogs are our two children. So we make Christmas magical for them. Stockings, gifts. It's just nice to have the tree and the lights, and have winter walks, cuddling with them and watching Disney movies.

Has having a dog changed you in any way?

Hannah: I definitely enjoy going out a lot more. I would honestly just walk for hours with him if I could. He's made me a better person.

Jo: What I've learned from him is that he doesn't think about the past and he doesn't think about the future. He's about the here and the now, and I really love that about dogs. That's something we can all learn.

Caroline: You make their life as happy as possible, and therefore your own life becomes as happy as possible.

What would you say to someone thinking of rescuing or getting a dog?

Hannah: I’d encourage more people to rescue dogs. 100%.

Alice: When you re-home one dog, you're also making a space for another dog at the shelter. So it's sort of saving two dogs' lives.

Louise: I think it’s giving them a proper chance at life, isn't it? People think he's really spoiled. But for the first three years of his life, he had nothing. And dogs don't have long lives so I think the last few years of his life should be happy and relaxed. Dogs give so much and people take so much from them.

Steph: I think the dog knows they've been rescued and they know that you've chosen them.

Rosie: Knuckles is a Peruvian Inca Orchid. He's quite a rare breed. Not even recognised by Crufts. When we met him from the breeders, we just knew he was our dog. One of the things we would love is have him talk to us.

And what do you think your dog would say about being in our photoshoot today?

Noah: Alan loves the attention. He’d say ‘I should always be the star of the show. And it's too early for this, I need a coffee’.

Shani: He’s normally quite nervous. So he’d say ‘are you proud of me, mum? I've done a really good job’.

As part of our Christmas campaign, we’re supporting Woodgreen. A charity that rescues and rehomes pets, to help them get back on their paws. Read more about our commitment and shop the outfits (including the doggie jumpers) that our models are wearing below.

Woodgreen Pets Charity Registered Charity No. 298348. Registered in England & Wales.