Sal, Luka & Affy

Meet the Owner

Every month we talk to one of our favourite dog owners about their four-legged friend/s and their top dog friendly recommendations – places to stay, places to eat and places to go. Today, we’re joined by Sal Philpott who we discovered on Instagram earlier this year. We fell head over heels for Sal’s stunning photos and beautiful adventures with Luka and Affy and couldn’t wait to find out more about them.

Where and when did you first meet your fur babies?

Luka is from a breeder in Leicester; her kennel club name is Luka Luminara of Clarelyview. We met her when she was 3 weeks old, visited her another 2 or 3 times, and then brought her home at 8 weeks. Luka was a whirling dervish of a youngster; she was never out of mischief unless she was sleeping. She challenged us every step of her adolescent life, and there were many many times when we questioned whether we were cut out for owning a GSP. But over time we found our way together. I realised that she needed to be kept mentally active as much as physically, and so we discovered clicker training together. She was an avid and quick learner, and positive reinforcement training enriched both our lives and our bond strengthened daily. The one thing we couldn’t crack though was her separation anxiety. I work from home and had omitted to train her how to be on her own.

Which is where Affy came in. Luka was ok being left with other dogs so we decided that a second dog would help us solve the problem. A rescue seemed to be the right way to go for us and after a few months of looking, we found Affy through a couple who had moved to Spain, and after rescuing from a kill pound, they set up rehoming kennels in Malaga. She came to us in June 2015, a tiny scared thing who had never lived in a house or  known much comfort in life. She was originally named Africa, but we shortened it to Affy as Africa seemed so formal.

Her and Luka hit it off immediately. Luka has always been Affy’s security blanket, and Luka was happy to be left if Affy was with her. What we hadn’t bargained for was Affy’s obsession with birds of all kinds. Not just game birds, which  we expected, but blackbirds, pigeons, sparrows…you name it. It’s taken years of dedicated training to be able to let her off and  trust her to recall when asked.

What are Luka & Affy’s favourite things to do?

Luka – everything is her favourite activity as long as she’s moving. She loves to go on adventures and a daily challenge is to kiss the postie, who she adores.  She also enjoys training of any kind and learning new tricks.
Affy – sleeping, dozing, napping, cuddling when at home, and running around like a crazy thing when on walks. It’s all or nothing with her; there is no middle ground

What is their favourite dog/puppy product to play with?

Luka loves retrieving dummies outdoors and always has a cuddly toy with her indoors. She doesn’t destroy them, just carries them around, she has to have one with her at all times. She also LOVES squeaky toys, mainly when I’m on the phone! Affy doesn’t play with toys. We’ve tried and tried to get her engaged with them, but she is just not interested.  The only time she will play with one is when she wants the bed Luka is in, and then she will fling a toy around, and as soon as Luka gets out of her bed to play with her, Affy will drop the toy and get into the bed. It works every single time! She will sometimes fetch a ball, but only if there is a food reward at the end. She would, however, sell her soul for a filled frozen Kong.

What difference does having dogs make to your life?

A huge difference. I work from home so they are constant company. They provide me with a reason to leave the house and walk twice a day. Through them I have met so many people locally, through clubs and activities, and through Instagram. They are the reason I have taken up photography, and am learning new skills such as editing and using photoshop. They have made me learn about dog behaviour and training, and have taught me patience, and just to live in the moment. It’s impossible to be sad when you have these two jokers in your life. I can’t ever imagine not having a dog in my life.

Do you like to travel with your dogs?

We love to visit new places in the UK. We don’t go abroad anymore, we just spend our free time exploring the UK with the dogs. If it’s not dog friendly, we don’t go. We prefer to stay in cottages so we have the security of a fenced and safe garden.

City, coast or countryside. Any preference?

A mix of coast and countryside – we live in the East Midlands and have easy access to the Peak District which is a fantastic place to walk. But I grew up by the sea, and I miss it, so we have to have a beach trip every few weeks just to fuel the soul.

Favourite dog friendly place to stay:

There is a cottage called The Old Cowshed not far from Marloes Sands in Pembrokeshire. The cottage itself is absolutely perfect for families and dogs, it even has a doggy shower, and the beaches along that stretch of coastline are so dog friendly – miles and miles of cliff backed sandy beaches that are off the beaten track and are usually empty out of season.

Favourite dog friendly place to eat:

We have two. One is local to us and is The Dirty Duck Pub by the canal in Woolsthorpe. It’s a 4 mile walk from our house along the canal, and their beer garden is a fab place to sit and enjoy the sunshine, a few drinks and a lovely pub meal before walking home again.

The second is a bit further afield, and is The Orange Tree in Thornham on the North Norfolk coast. The pub itself is gorgeous. They have a great menu and an extensive list of gins! It’s super dog friendly, with their own menu to choose from. On top of that they have dog friendly rooms off a small courtyard, which mean we can go for a walk on one of our favourite beaches (Brancaster Beach or Holkham, a bit further down the coast), and then get settled in for a lovely relaxed evening with the dogs, gorgeous food and not have to think about the two hour trip home til the next morning.

Favourite dog friendly place to go:

The Peak District as there are so many options for walks. We love exploring a new walk whenever we can. Favourite walks within the Peaks are Kinder Scout and Win Hill above Ladybower reservoir. If you’re walking with children, I’d recommend Lud’s Church and Magpie Mines. Mam Tor is perfect for sunrise excursions. We also really enjoy the quiet beaches of Pembrokeshire. There are some simply stunning cliff backed beaches that require a bit of a scramble to get to but you can enjoy the whole beach to yourselves once you get there.

What makes the perfect dog friendly destination for you?

For us, anywhere quiet. We don’t enjoy crowds, so we holiday out of season when places are quiet, beaches are deserted and the dogs can let out some craziness with lots of space to run. Must haves in a cottage are an enclosed garden and a wood burner, and be truly dog friendly.

Thank you so much for answering our questions. Where else can we find you online?

I’m on Instagram as @potsons_gsp.