From designing canine couture to testing out dog-friendly hotels, you won’t believe people get paid for these barking mad jobs
IT'S one thing loving dogs, and another to make a career out of it.
We meet the women whose barking mad jobs are almost too good to be true.
‘Every dog deserves a luxury holiday’
Florence Simons, 24, is a travel manager at Pets Pyjamas. She lives in south London with her cocker spaniel Maisy, seven. She says:
“As I sat across a table and watched a waiter tuck a crisp white napkin into Maisy’s collar before serving her the canine version of a full English, I couldn’t help but smile.
It might sound totally bonkers, but for me, sitting down for a meal in a luxury hotel with my cocker spaniel is completely normal.
When I tell people that I get paid to stay in hotels all over the country with Maisy, they look at me in disbelief.
Growing up in Chichester, I was always surrounded by animals at home – chickens, cats, rabbits and dogs, including Maisy, who we got as a puppy in 2010.
I’d also spend my summer holidays working at stables. But I’d never considered a career working with animals as I had a passion for law, so I studied criminology at the University of Manchester.
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However, by the time I graduated in May 2014, I just couldn’t see myself doing a normal nine-to-five desk job. Knowing how much I have always loved animals, a family friend told me about Pets Pyjamas.
The company sells animal accessories and runs a doggy travel agency. I’d never heard of anything like it before, but it sounded awesome – and the best part was they were looking for an intern.
After getting in touch, I moved to London and began my internship in September that year. At first I worked in the office taking booking requests and putting together hampers of goodies for dog clients.
It might sound totally bonkers, but for me, sitting down for a meal in a luxury hotel with my cocker spaniel is completely normal.
Florence Simons
I loved every minute, and after just a few months I was offered a full-time position as travel concierge, which meant I’d be researching and booking dog-friendly accommodation for people who wanted to holiday in the UK with their pups.
It might sound pretty niche, but there’s certainly a market for it, as business is booming. We’re a nation of dog lovers, and these days rather than putting their dogs in kennels, families want to bring them on holiday, whether it’s to a boutique city hotel or a cottage on the coast.
After a year I was promoted to travel manager, which means I am in charge of finding and organising the best dog-friendly breaks. It involves taking about two trips away a month, either popping in somewhere to make sure they’re still offering a good pet-friendly service or staying over to test the facilities.
Of course, I couldn’t do it without Maisy, who divides her time working with me and living with my parents. She’s so vital to the job, she’s even got the title of pet travel relationship manager!
On an average trip, as well as assessing the accommodation, we’ll be looking out for any doggy extras offered, such as memory foam dog beds for the soundest sleep, spa treatments for pooches who like to be pampered, or even special ‘hair of the dog’ drinks that are animal-friendly.
It’s so important the experience is enjoyable for both humans and dogs.
Recently, Maisy and I had to test out a luxury beach hut in Devon, which meant we ended up sitting on the balcony together, watching the sunset. It was a real pinch-me moment, and I remember looking at Maisy and thinking: ‘I can’t believe this is my job!’”
‘I look after the Kates and Caras of the doggy world’
Layla Flayherty, 35, is the founder of animal casting agency Urban Paws UK. She lives in Liverpool with her Yorkshire terrier Buttons, five. She says:
“I’ll never forget the day I got a panicked call from a producer who was shooting an advert with one of my model dogs in London.
I’d advised the owner not to overfeed her Border terrier the night before the shoot, but she took it a step further and didn’t feed him at all, which meant when he turned up to the set he ate everything in sight and was sick everywhere.
It was pretty stressful, but it’s all in a day’s work for a dog model agent.
As a kid, I was always finding stray cats and dogs and trying to persuade my mum to keep them. I love animals so much that I’ve always wanted to work with them, but at the age of 12 I started modelling and later starred in various reality TV shows.
But I never forgot my dream, and by 2014 I had so many great contacts in the TV and media world that I knew I was in the perfect position to set up an animal casting agency.
First, I spent a year researching it, looking at other established agencies in the UK and putting out feelers to people in the industry to see if
the business had legs.
I also went to dog training schools across the country to learn what kinds of tricks and skills they were capable of learning. Thankfully, because it’s a small industry, everyone was really lovely and I soon got to know handlers and dog owners.
When I told my friends and family about my plans they thought I was absolutely crazy, but after I explained how much work I’d put into it, they eventually realised I was serious.
Finally, in April 2015, I launched my dog casting agency from an office space in Liverpool. It was nerve-wracking, as even though I’d managed to recruit a handful of dogs from Jack Russells to shih-tzus, I spent the first few months sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.
It took three months for the first job to come in from a production company looking for a dog with ‘character’ for a film called Free Fire starring Brie Larson and Cillian Murphy.
I had just what they were looking for – a scruffy Staffordshire bull terrier cross with one eye missing, who just had to walk around in a few scenes.
Our biggest earners can easily command four figures or more per job. They’re like the Cara Delevingnes and Kate Mosses of the doggy modelling world!
Layla Flayherty
Sadly, by the time the movie came out, his part had ended up on the cutting-room floor, which I was gutted about. But at least he still got paid, with me taking 20% commission from the fee.
It also meant I’d got my foot in the dog casting door. From there, jobs started to roll in, and soon I was booking magazine photo shoots and television commercials.
By the end of the year I was working flat-out 16-hour days, seven days a week, so I hired another animal booker in January 2016. Not long after, I brought in two marketing people to join the team.
These days I get up to 10 dog owners a day asking me to take their pet on. I ask them to fill out a questionnaire and send images and videos of any tricks their dog can do. All the pooches I represent must have basic obedience training, too.
About six months ago I started taking on cats, as they were proving a popular request. Now I’ve got 100 on my books, along with 400 dogs.
I’ve worked with everyone from Aldi to John Lewis, and just last week I had to travel to London for a photo shoot with half a dozen French bulldog puppies, which was pretty chaotic.
Of course, there are days when I have to say no to potential models. Two years on, it hasn’t got any easier telling someone their dog isn’t quite right for the agency, either because we already have one similar or they just don’t have the skill set.
But those days are totally outweighed by the good ones – especially when our biggest earners can easily command four figures or more per job. They’re like the Cara Delevingnes and Kate Mosses of the doggy modelling world!”
‘My doggy designs go for up to £3,000’
Lilly Shahravesh, 51, is the founder of dog clothing company Love My Dog and lives in east London with her Jack Russell cross, Rabbit, 10. She says:
“From trying to fit an outfit on a snoring pug to dealing with a Border terrier who had a tape-measure phobia, I think it’s fair to say that life as a doggy designer is never dull.
In fact, only recently I had to deal with my own pooch Rabbit shredding a canine customer’s toys when I brought him with me on a job. It also meant that the black Labrador I was trying to dress ended up cowering on the sofa as he felt so terrorised!
I’ve always loved fashion, and until I was in my 30s I worked as a textile and knitwear designer. However, when I wanted to spoil my sister’s chihuahua Missy by buying her a luxury blanket, I realised there wasn’t any high-fashion stuff for pooches.
So, in the summer of 2000 I used my design skills and started making Missy blankets and outfits. I loved it so much, I decided to turn it into a business using £1,500 of savings.
While close friends and family were really supportive, some people were completely confused by my plan and could only muster a bemused ‘Oh?’ when I told them.
It was the same when I started approaching stores and boutiques to show them my collection – when I explained it was for dogs, most thought it was a joke.
Thankfully, I managed to secure a meeting with Harrods in 2002. I was so nervous presenting 10 designs including coats, blankets and collars, but the buyer said they were brilliant and would be a massive hit with their Japanese and American customers. Soon Harrods was stocking my range, selling coats for around £80 and hats for £50.
A year later, the stock was in such high demand I officially launched my pooch clothing company Love My Dog. Looking back it was a real gamble, but I was brimming with confidence so didn’t consider it might not work.
It was a slog, though, and my Friday nights were often spent stitching coats until the early hours while all my friends partied.
Despite being stocked in Harrods, for the first four years I barely broke even. But now I’m stocked in Selfridges, Liberty, Heal’s and The Conran Shop, plus I sell online and employ a team of six people.
I even offer bespoke pieces if someone wants their dog to have a really special custom coat, which cost between £1,000 and £3,000.
I’ve even got celeb clients, including Jonathan Ross’ dog Professor Snowball.
Lilly Shahravesh
For those clients, I’ll travel to their homes. I’ve had some bizarre commissions, such as one dog who was so terrified of Velcro that I had to make her a coat with press studs, and I’ve even got celeb clients, including Jonathan Ross’ dog Professor Snowball.
I always get Rabbit to try out my prototypes. He’s the type of dog that will run into a river or roll in fox poo, so if they can survive a day on him, I know the design is functional as well as beautiful.
In recent years we’ve gone global, selling in countries as far away as Japan and Australia. It’s pretty amazing, and I must admit it’s a real buzz knowing I’m dressing dogs all over the world.”
If you're a dog lover, you need to check out this Caribbean beach where cute puppies are loaned out to tourists for morning walkies.