When I speak to owners of pet-centric businesses, the amount of people who say their dog gave them the idea for their own dog business is unreal. But what’s even more beautiful is that these dogs have literally no idea how inspiring they are.
One such dog is Tedd, a Spanish Podenco who was rescued from overseas before starting a new life in Cornwall with owner Mel Forsyth.
As a dog that feels the cold, having been born in sunny Spain, Mel searched high and low for a coat to fit the unusually proportioned pooch. It proved a pretty much impossible task and so, she enrolled on a beginners sewing course and began making Tedd’s coats herself.
And now the leggy hound has a whole business named after him and is living the dream in canine-loving Cornwall. Forsyth and Tedd stock gorgeous handmade fleeces and clothes for dogs, as well as collars, leads, harnesses and accessories, as well as their popular dog deli treat boxes.
Read more: How to get over £11 worth of treats for £7.65 with the Hounds Chew Box
Speaking about when she first set eyes upon Tedd, Mel said: “I really, really wanted a dog and I really wanted to rescue so I spent my time trawling the internet and social media following all the rescue societies I could. The moment I saw a photo of Tedd my heart melted and I knew it was going to be inevitable.
“I had never heard of a Podenco and once I did some research I knew I had to help him. His mum was undoubtedly a hunters dog who was either kicked out or got lost on the streets as, heartbreakingly, hundreds do.
“She found a safe place to give birth to her litter of puppies – in a storm drain on the side of a busy road which is when Ibizan Hound Rescue stepped in.
“I remember the excitement of waiting for the date to arrive for Tedd to leave Spain and travel to Cornwall. The minute Tedd arrived I was completely besotted and determined to ensure he never wants for anything.”
Phoebe and Frank recently tried one of Forsyth and Tedd’s large dog deli treat boxes which range from £11.50 to £24.99, depending on the size of your dog or the box. We opted for large so that Phoebe and Frank can share the contents.
Inside our box was a selection of natural chews that were handpicked by Mel and Tedd to offer a variety of tasty goodies to reward Phoebe and Frank with, as well as promote good oral hygiene and mental well being. As a seasoned pet parent, I was able to identify the majority of them alone, but new owners might benefit from a chart like what comes in the Quality Street tin to work out what’s what.
Our box contained a beef trachea and pigs ear, two rabbit ears and two rabbit ears with fur, as well as a pig snout and cow snout – all of which are 100% meat and high in protein. We also identified some fish sticks and two chicken feet, but that’s when our expertise ran out and we were uncertain of the rest of the items. We think there was some lamb spaghetti, which also could have been small pieces of buffalo skin, as well as a potential beef tail end and moon bone.
Remaining in the box were three or four other bits we simply couldn’t name, and thankfully, our dogs don’t ask questions and aren’t particularly fussy, so gobbled them up anyway.
There were roughly 22-25 items in the box, averaging at around £1 to £1.10 per item, which is pretty good value as some of these usually retail between £1-2 alone. Phoebe and Frank don’t get a big chew every day, so having one every few days each would see a Forsyth and Tedd dog deli treat box last between four to six weeks. They’re really handy to have in because you don’t need to forward plan an order or rush out to the shops.
You can pick up your own Forsyth and Tedd dog deli treat box here.
