Published on 23rd Dec 2025
We spoke to Gary from Wag & Bone
Tell us about your store and team?
We are Wag & Bone, a Dog Boutique in the beautiful seaside town of Aldeburgh in Suffolk. We opened in 2019, and we're essentially a husband-and-wife team with a couple of friends who help us out.
How did you get started in the pet industry?
Well that's an interesting story! We found Aldeburgh by accident on a charity bike ride and fell in love with the town, coming back year after year on holiday with our German Shepherd, Deefah, noticing how dog-friendly the town was, and how many dogs there were, and saying what a pity there wasn't something just for them!
I'm an accountant, and Jacqui had retail experience from her past and we both worked in a large global company. Long story short, we fancied a change, so we decided to leave our previous corporate life and set up shop -and here we are, best thing we ever did!
Do you have any pets?
We have Dillon the Shepadoodle (believe me, one is enough!)
What do you feed your pets?
We feed Dillon a mix of "Seven" kibble (duck is his favourite), and we mix it with 100% raw meat from Emmerdale, a local farm shop.
How do you stand out from the crowd?
I think our personal service. We're a very small shop, and so we inevitably end up chatting with anyone who comes in.
What do you recommend to your customers?
We've spent a long time curating affordable quality products and make recommendations based on what's right for the customer, whatever the product.
Try it on first! We meet so many people who've bought items online, only to find they're poor quality, uncomfortable, and badly fitted - particularly harnesses. Just imaging buying a badly fitted pair of shoes, and having to wear them every day. We really like people to feel and try the products to ensure they're right for them and their dogs.
What is the most frequently asked question from your customers?
Where can we take the dog on the beach (in summer), and which pubs and restaurants are dog-friendly (they almost all are!). As an independent shop in a tourist destination, we're here to help dog owners (and anyone else) with useful information to make their stay as wonderful as possible.
What are the biggest challenges for your business?
The footfall in our, and many tourist towns, has declined over the last year or so, making the market much more challenging. Luckily, Aldeburgh is still a very popular destination, and we have many loyal customers.
What's your best selling product?
I wouldn't say one thing in particular, but we have gained a reputation for fitting harnesses. We've around a dozen different designs that we've carefully chosen, can recommend and fit ... and we always let the customer take them on a road (well, pavement!) test before buying. We also got involved with the amazing "Southwold Sausage Walk" soon after we opened, so we have lots of great Dachshund fit products!
What do you think is the best new product of the year?
One of the newer products that works really well for us is the Mudbuster. They look fun and really do get the paws clean. We sell so many, and always have people coming in telling us how well they work!
What trends are you seeing come through?
People really now do appreciate natural, healthy and ethical products.
Shop Mudbusters
Dexas Lidded MudBuster Medium Light Grey
SKU: 265130
Packsize: Single
RRP
£21.99
