July 19, 2014 4.42 pm This story is over 115 months old

New Lincoln dog boutique keeps pets stylish

Dashing dogs: A new independent boutique has opened in Lincoln, specialising in items for your furry companions.

A new pet boutique selling stylish toys and accessories for dogs and even cats has opened in Lincoln.

Woof Diamonds in St Martin’s Lane opened on July 19 at 10am, with a special launch evening on July 18.

The boutique, set up by Lincoln local Suzie Barkworth, offers a variety of cute and quirky accessories for your canine companion, from diamanté collars and lead sets to coats and outfits for all size dogs and fun dog toys.

There is even a range for cats, offering collars, toys and ID tags.

The idea for the boutique came from a shopping experience with Suzie’s own dog, Luna, a Chihuahua cross Jack Russell terrier.

Suzie said: “The idea for Woof Diamonds came when we got our dog, Luna, in the winter. Because of her breed she feels the cold badly, so we were looking for jumpers and things for her. Though unless you are getting them online and guessing the size, everything is huge!

“I also wanted something a little bit nicer, a bit cuter for her. My husband went online and tried to find a doggy boutique nearby, and the closest was in Staffordshire.

“So I thought why not use the space we have here and make a little boutique of our own!”

“I think we have an edge in that everything here is a bit nicer and better quality. All the suppliers have been picked. Stuff looks nice and feels nice, and I can offer it at a really good price even though it’s high end stuff.”

However, the boutique also offers a special “barkery” – a bakery catering just to dog baked treats.

Treats include flapjacks to biscuits to help soothe a pooch, which contains ingredients such as lavender.

“All the barkery items are handmade with proper human food by a lady with dogs herself. Every ingredient is fit for human consumption — whether you’d want to eat it or not is up to the owner though!

“All of them are lab tested and approved, she has all her hygiene certificates, and they all come in lovely boxes too.

“At the moment the whitefish and the salmon have been the most popular, In the salmon flapjack one, you have salmon, dill, oats, and rice. The other contains fish, carrots, peas and sweet potato – essentially what you’d feed a baby!”

Suzie has lots of ideas on how to expand the business already, and will also be teaming up with local businesses for a variety of fun dog-themed events.

“We don’t offer grooming yet, but I’m hoping to team up with some groomers in the area — I can send them customers. We’ve had a lot of people asking about grooming.

“We’re hopefully going to have a doggy fashion show in the next couple of weeks if the weather stays alright. We’ll hopefully work with Ruby Red boutique so she can showcase her human fashion, then we can showcase the doggy fashion and just have a bit of fun out on the green!”

Collars and leads start at £10, with bowls between £1.25 to £6. Cat toys begin at 99p, while plush feline collars start at £3.99.

Woof Diamonds is open from 9.30am to 4.40pm, except Wednesdays when it’s appointment only.