When a business is run by someone who wants to share their genuine passion and love for something with the world, its glow can be felt by all who interact with it. The light of this glow can be easily seen from a small shop in the middle of Grasmere, Rose & Ralph, The Little Dog Shop – both little by name and nature but huge by heart. This is a shop with its customers at its core, but these customers have four legs and very waggy tails.
Run by daughter and mother duo, Dani and Christine, Rose & Ralph is a shop curated to the need of all dogs, from Chihuahua to Wolf Hound with toys, treats and accessories all sustainably sourced and picked out by a knowledgeable, caring hand. Now into its second year of trading having opened over the easter weekend of 2024, I chatted with co-founder Dani Hine about their journey so far.
‘I have grown up with Dachshunds and I’ve always loved them’ Dani tells me ‘But they had always been family dogs. My grandparents, cousins, uncles – our whole family have grown up around dogs. My mum can remember her grandmother, my Great-Grandmother, having Dina, a shaded-red standard Dachshund and always remembered her for having the loveliest temperament.’
‘Then when I was 11, we got a miniature dachshund called Chesney and then we felt he was a bit lonely’ Dani laughs ‘so we got a second one for him, then my mum just loved them and we ended up with four, Poppy, Chesney, Dylan and Rosie. And my grandma had one called Rusty.’
‘But when I was moving out of the family home and started living on my own, my mum bought me my first dog, who is Ralph, a wired-haired Dachshund. So, I’m the fourth generation to have a Dachshund!’
‘It’s just me and him, he is my family and then from there my interest grew even more, what accessories he needed and then the food and nutrition side of things. It’s very difficult to find single source protein for dogs, not just the brands we all see in the supermarket that are actually all full of fillers, more grain, and less meat percentagewise.’
‘I started to look where I could source them, but there was nowhere specifically in the Lake District, so I would shop online for it and that started me thinking; there is a market, could we have it here? Grasmere has so many dogs in the area, the hotels are dog friendly and it was sort of missing’ Dani explains, highlighting she wanted not only the best for her dog, Ralph, but other dogs, too.
Rose & Ralph is housed within a scandi-chic style lodge painted in chalky colours nestled next door to the Heaton Cooper Studio and Matildes Café, which is run by Becky Heaton Cooper whose family own the building. Dani has had a previous working relationship with the studio before and found herself saying to Becky. ‘I would love that building if it ever comes up.’ More often than not, that is when the fates are listening because within a couple of months, Becky had got in touch with Dani to say the building had come up and would she be interested.
This was the door opening that Dani had hoped for, but knew she needed help to get going. ‘My Mum was thinking of retiring. She was going to maybe semi-retire, so it was a discussion of; do we take this risk of starting a business, because we aren’t huge risk takers in that sense. My mum had worked in the same place for 20 years and I had worked there on and off for 15 years. We have always worked together and knew we would get on. So, that wasn’t a difficult decision. But taking the leap of putting money into something and thinking could this work? But in my eyes, I could see the dog businesses booming, I was constantly looking for different dog products. There are even dog influencers now and it is literally that dog owners’ sole responsibility to promote other brands. So, I felt the market was there.’ Dani explains, showing her belief that fuels their brand.
‘I’ve always been quite creative; I like to draw and things, I had always drawn animal portraits for people. In the 2020 lockdown, I worked on some illustrations of our dogs that we then turned into cards and we also did a range of dog-friendly candles with Dachshund branding on that we sold online and we still sell some of the cards in the shop today. I would love to design some more, but for me, when we were starting the shop, my main focus was the natural treats.’ Dani tells me, referring to the ‘doggy pick and mix’ style aspect to their shop. ‘I wanted to supply dog owners and their dogs with the best. We use British meat wherever possible, that is gently air dried, so there aren’t the additives in there. We sell things like 100% pure chicken sticks, duck feet and game products that reflect the countryside.’
‘What is becoming increasingly popular is novel proteins such as ostrich or kangaroo, now they are obviously not available in the UK, but they are Fairtrade and sustainably sourced and they are great for dogs with allergies to sand proteins in things like chicken and beef, which is very common. They can tolerate ostrich better, it’s much lower in fat and leaner, venison is very popular for the same reason.’ Dani tells me, highlighting her research and passion.
‘Enrichment is so important for dogs these days, its not just about taking your dog for a walk, although that is still very important. It is also about engaging their brain in a different way. Lick mats are great where you can freeze and paste food into the mat or even something simple like rolling up an old towel or blanket sprinkling treats in it and then tying it in a knot is great engagement and enrichment for a dog, it’s like taking them for a 10-minute walk but it’s an hour’s engagement.’
It is not just doggy snacks in the shop though; they stock an extensive range of products for our four-legged best friends. Whilst I was visiting the shop, Dani was fitting a trio of Italian Greyhounds with matching waterproof coats and showing a new range of fruit shaped stuffed toys to a Cockerpoo, as well as gifts for people who love animals; greetings cards, mugs and glossy coffee table books all about dogs and their owners.
Dani grew up and went to school in the village of Grasmere and has its heart close to hers. ‘Its lovely to be able to walk to and from work and around the village people say, “hi how are doing?” and it’s nice to know everyone in the village. People know you and support you. I have a lot of locals that come into the shop and I try to do my bit back for the village.’ Dani tells me, which can be seen by them sponsoring village events like Grasmere Sports and supplying raffle prizes to the Rush-bearing.
But it isn’t just human locals and regulars that visit Rose & Ralph, it’s the dogs too! ‘Weekly we have a whippet called Belle, they (her owners) like to go to Matildes next door and they always pop into the shop and she’s so vocal when she comes in, she’s so excited for her treats. Then there’s Sparky who comes in nearly every day for just one treat, he likes to come in for a little snack from behind the till, then he’s satisfied when he goes home, he’s a Border cross Norfolk Terrier. Also, Skye the Collie who goes running with her owner, she’s the most fantastic dog, she’s so well-behaved and then she passes the shop and she’s just straight in sat next to me wanting a treat!’ Dani says smiling as she tells me about the different dogs that visit her.
The village of Grasmere has so much to offer visitors, especially those who bring their dogs along, with many of the famous fells accessible from the village centre but also low-level strolls. ‘The walk around the lake is lovely. It’s so nice to stop off in the village, have a wander round and visit somewhere dog friendly like Matildes Café, that allows dogs outside or maybe Freda and Rays who allow dogs inside too and then pop into the shop for a snack for your dog. The majority of the village is very dog friendly.’ Dani suggests.
Nearing the end of our chat together, Dani says ‘Someone once said to me ‘That dog is your life!’ so here I am making my dream a reality!’ and as I leave the little dog shop, a steady flow of customers, both canine and human are all enjoying the business that Dani and Christine have created between them. I find myself lifted by the passion and genuine care Dani gives to the shop and its customers. A care that stems from love of her own dogs and that is what makes the heart of this particular little shop, so big.
FIND OUT MORE
Rose & Ralph Grasmere, The Little Dog Shop, Broadgate, Grasmere, LA22 9SX
roseandralph.co.uk
Instagram @roseandralphgrasmere
