I rarely venture into Essex but I went this week in search of the TOWIE endorsed “Puppy Kit” store and dog spa. As I neared the top of Queens Road in Buckhurst Hill, the corner shop stood out like a pink beacon of doggie delights – with a twinkling of reflected canine happiness in the front window mirror balls.
You step over the threshold onto a black polished floor which sparkles with embedded bling. There’s a rotating display which contains extendable flexi leads – the fashion range – which of course includes lots of diamante, crystals and wild animal prints (love the neon pink zebra effect and, joy of joys, a relatively calm red polka dot). There was also a selection of dazzling crystal poo bag holders - £14.95. There were also bowties (£12.95) and bandanas (£14.95) and I’ve never seen dog panties (£14.95) before.
Adam, the owner of the store and of Ruby (Yorkie and Shih Tzu cross who is usually pottering around) explained that with bling being so important in this part of the world, one of the best sellers are the Jolie (that’s Angelina for some, and “pretty” in French for others) diamante dog collars – which are available for tiny new puppies and significantly larger dogs. I was surprised at the reasonable prices – a two strand collar starts at £17.95.
Although Halloween had just passed, there were a few seasonal outfits still around – and I loved the “Hot Dog” costume which had been reduced to a bargain price of £19.95. The selection of Christmas wear was impressive. From a modest Jingle Bell collar, to reindeer horns and red with white fur trimmed hats (£6.95) to darling Santa doggy dresses (£19.95).
I was also rather taken with the range of hand-made faux fur dog beds (major fluffiness with teensy decorative bows) which ranged in price from £100 - £190. And another novel item was doggy pyjamas (£24.95) in either pale pink or baby blue. Sweet! There were also lovely clear acrylic dog bowls – embedded with hearts and bones.
There’s an adjoining spa with treatments for fresh breath, conditioning coats, facial scrubs and canine nail varnish (Pugs, Bulldogs and Labs have been spoiled this way) - There’s even a doggy brand of nail polish (Colour Paws).
But it’s not just for girls. The store is one of the only stockists of football kit for dogs – although sadly the rising license fees mean that this will no longer be produced. The good news is that the remaining stock is on sale – so what are you Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs fans waiting for – cool kit for your dog at just £19.95.
The macho dog-owning readers may also be interested to know that I found a super Biker Jacket for £56.95 and a skull and cross bone motif jumper (£36.95) and lots of khaki and camouflage kit there too (mind you, they were next to a pink parka with a fur trim on the hood). There was also a good selection of dog jumpers – cable knit, grey marl, golf patterns and polo necks as well as some hoodies. I watched as visiting Dylan the Schnauzer tried on a warm puffer jacket – after we made sure that the door was securely shut.
I spent a while chatting to Adam and a visitor who owns two rescue dogs about the best ways to tackle naughty dog behaviour - I felt I was amongst a real dog-loving community, not the “accessory pet” place that I had expected after all. And I was genuinely surprised at the reasonable prices.
http://puppykit.co.uk/
