Queenie magazine cover girl
We interview Carshalton girls Josie and Kelly, owner of dog fashion brand Licks of London and proud mummy to our cover girl, Queenie the chihuahua
Q. What’s it like working with your mum/daughter? Do you always get on?
Queenie the Chihuahua
A. Kelly and I are a mother and daughter team like no other! We’re the proud owners of Licks Of London. We’re the bling queens of the doggie world and have taken Surrey to the next level of amazing doggy attire and accessories! Kelly and I work in perfect harmony; I have the creative mind while Kelly is more business orientated. The only quarrel we’ve had in the past is over the colours of coats and collars, apart from that we’re the perfect match!
Q. Who’s the craziest?!
A. We both think each other are crazy but Kelly says I’m worse. I always source the unusual items like rear gear, No More Mr. Brown Eye, a pretty pattern to cover you’re doggy’s bottom!
Q. Some people say dressing up dogs is cruel/unnatural. Do you think Queenie likes being dressed up and photographed?
A. I could give you lots of answers for this one! There are tons of reasons why people dress their dog; it’s not only for the fashion conscious pooch! Some doggies born without fur have to be dressed because if they didn’t they would freeze to death. The Great British weather can really affect the short haired breeds like Boston Terriers, Chinese Crested, Chihuahua's, Mexican hairless and Greyhounds. A coat can also cut down on the smell of your doggies hair. When a dogs coat gets wet from the rain it gets damp and smells; with a coat on the dog stays dry and the fur wont smell as much.
If your doggy doesn’t like clothing on them or if they are a long haired doggy then we advise you to opt for the bandana look, a stylish fashion statement without over heating your doggy. We would never advise long haired dogs to dress up in the summer; if your pooch is long haired then you can only have clothing on them if the temperature is cool and you mustn’t leave their clothing on for long periods of time. Its common sense, no harm comes to doggies that are dressed appropriately by a responsible owner.
Queenie the Chihuahua
Q. Is dressing up pets at Christmas especially exciting?
A. Any time of year is exciting to dress your doggy, as long as you follow our guidelines above. At Christmas we remind everyone that it’s hot indoors so take pictures of your doggy in their outfit, share with friends and take the coat off for the comfort of the doggy.
Queenie loves to open presents and gets so excited to see all her new outfits and toys at Christmas, she patiently waits while wagging her tail looking at her stocking hanging over the fireplace in the morning.
Our doggy parties are like no other, we have games and treats and an array of the most trendy coats and collars for Christmas. At our Christmas party this year we have stocking filled presents for your close friends and their dogs on sale, free ‘minced pies’ (for doggy consumption only, no humans!) and lots, lots more, you’ll have to book a party with Licks Of London to find out all the other secret things we do!
Q. Aside from clothes and doggy parties, what else do you do for dogs?
Queenie the Chihuahua
A. We help support lots of doggy charities, we give free advice on our doggy blog page, and we’re always on the hunt for the next best thing. We have lots of leads (see what I did there?!) from various doggy lovers globally that keep us up to date with whats happening in everything doggy! We are currently in talks with a reality TV show, watch this space woof woof!
Q. Does Queenie get lots of Christmas presents?
A. Millions would be an understatement! Not only do Kelly and I buy her lots of toys, she has lots of family members, both human and doggy that send her presents. She even gets the odd toy sent in from some of her fans! She really is spoilt rotten but we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Queenie the Chihuahua
Q. What makes Licks of London unique?
A. Yes Queenie has full input on everything we sell, if Queeenie doesn’t like to wear it then we don’t sell it! We started our business seven years ago with our Yorkshire Terriers at the time in mind. Mini, Jaguar and Zephyr were always in beautiful clothing but we found some companies so expensive. We wanted to show that your pooch can look amazing at affordable prices. We were sick of seeing doggy companies cashing in on the trend of dressing your doggy up and we wanted to source great apparel at brilliant prices, and we have!
Q. Josie – can you tell us about your grooming qualification?
I trained at the best grooming college in Surrey; Merrist Wood in Gulidford. Currently, there are no rules or anybody vetting grooming parlours.I know of one place where the person learned from YouTube! I felt to work on dogs I needed a real certificate and proper qualification. I know if I were taking my dog to a parlour I would want the person working on my dog to know one end from the other!
Queenie the Chihuahua
Q. Is Surrey particularly ‘pet mad’ or not really?
A. Yesss and not only because Kelly and I live here! Britain has always been a country of dog lovers, we know this through all the great work and money raised for British dog charities. Surrey hosts lots of fun doggy days out for children and the whole family and its growing year on year.
Q. Where’s Queenie’s favourite local place to hang out?
A. Queenie can always be found in Pubs! She Twitters #dogsinpubs and reviews how dog friendly they are from Surrey to London. Her favourite Pub is The Blue Anchor Tadworth she always tweets when she's in there. Queenie loves having business meetings and free wifi there. They know her well. She always brings her own pink blanket to sit on; she's such a diva.
You can view the full range of Christmas outfits and gifts available from Licks of London here
