In today's post we speak to fabulous loungerie
designer, Betty Blue.
P&P - Hi Betty! Please introduce yourself...
Betty Blue - Hello!
My name is Betty. I run my own
loungewear brand, Betty Blue's
Loungerie, aiming to provide a glamorous alternative to
ugly sweat pants and
hoodies! I
actually trained technically in Lingerie, Corsetry and Swimwear
Design, but I saw that there was a gap in the market for
vintage styled
loungewear so decided I must fill it.
P&P - Tell me a bit about your fluffy babies.
Betty Blue - Now, you may think me a little mad
(god knows what our neighbours think!) but
I actually have 5 dogs.
I live with my parents in Hampshire so 3 are family
dogs and 2 are mine.
We never intended to have so many dogs in one house!!!
I was supposed to move to the city and get a sensible
job, but instead
started my own business so I decided to stay with my
parents to save money
on rent........so I came with all my possessions
including my two little
sausage dogs.
Personally have 2 Dachshunds. They are brother and sister and called Frank
(short for Frankfurter of course!) and Tess.
Frank is a silver dapple and
Tessie is black and tan, and they are both 2 1/2 years
old. Oh and they are
both like children to me ;-)
P&P - Any particular reason that you chose Miniature Dachshunds?
Betty Blue - I specifically wanted a Miniature Dachshund
because I am quite small (and
weak) so I wanted a dog that I would be strong enough to
control when
walking.
I also specifically wanted a Dachshund ever since I saw a
rescue
item on Paul O'Gradys TV show that used to be on. They had a little
Dachshund called Lucy that needed a new home. She was a beautiful red long
haired little doggie and was also completely blind. As soon as I saw her
sitting gracefully and daintily in the handlers arms I
fell in love with the
breed.
On doing some research about the breed I learnt that they
were very
good 'therapy' dogs.
Specially trained Dachshunds and especially miniatures
are taken into old people's homes and hospitals as a sort
of therapy. The
breed particularly likes sitting on peoples laps and they
sit there quite
contently being stroked and cuddled and loved. It has a particularly
calming effect on dementia sufferers and people with
chronic illnesses. So
what could be better than having a little doggie that
would sit on my lap
and love me from the time I wake up, till the time I go
to bed!
P&P - What is the most enjoyable thing about having
your dogs?
Betty Blue - The most enjoyable aspect of having a dog,
for me is the unconditional love.
No matter how much I tell them off they still just want
to cuddle me. They
also bring me a lot of laughter, as anyone who has a
sausage dog will know,
they have heaps of character!
Frank is a typical boy. He plods along,
eager to please, a little bit thick but ever so
loving. Tess is very much
the female of the species, she rules the house. My parents Springer
Spaniels are scared of her and she can stop them dead in
their tracks with
just one look. She
is very beautiful and knows it, and her nickname is
Princess as she expects a certain level of service! And if she's done
something naughty or wants something, she just rolls over
onto her back and
acts all coy and flirty.
It's also really nice to see the interaction
between the two.
As they are brother and sister, they are absolutely
devoted to each other which is really sweet to see. They sleep in the same
bed at night and I often find them cuddling together and
grooming eachother.
Ahhhhh sweet!!!
P&P - How do you fit in having a dog around running
your own business?
Betty Blue - Luckily I work from home so having a dog
isn't really an issue for me. If I
need to go anywhere they are small enough to take in the
car quite easily.
They also have each other (and my parents dogs) for
company so if we do have
to leave them at home alone for any reason, they aren't
lonely. But both my
parents are retired so there is normally someone in the
house with them.
P&P - What do you find most challenging about having
dogs?
Betty Blue - The unexpected costs can mount up quite
easily. It is quite expensive
owning a dog with all the vets bills, so I have to be
quite careful with
money. It's also
difficult to find the motivation to walk them in the
winter when it is rainy and horrid outside teehee.
P&P - What is your most favourite thing to do with
your doggies when you aren't working?
Betty Blue - My favourite thing to do with my doggie is have a
nap. If they're really
lucky I let them nap in my bed with me and they snuggle
down under my duvet
and give me lovely cuddles. Apparently it's a Dachshund trait to sleep
burrowed under a pile of blankets, harking back to the
days when they used
to burrow down Badger holes. They certainly look very cute all bundled up
in a blanket! I
even caught Frank stuck down the sleeve of my dressing gown
once. He'd obviously
tried to burrow down it but was too fat and got stuck.
All I could see was his little face poking out.
Another favourite thing to do is take pictures of my
doggies in funny poses.
When they are sleepy you can squish their faces into
funny shapes and
sometimes they just do it all by themselves. As they have quite long
sausage noses I like taking pictures to emphasise their
nose. An endless
source of entertainment
P&P - Do you have any special tips, tricks or
products that you would like to share with other dog owners?
Betty Blue - My sausages FAVOURITE toy is their
critter. It is a long soft toy in the shape of a fox with a squeek in the nose and end of the
tail. The great thing about it is that it has no stuffing, so they don't
destroy it. They LOVE squeeking the squeekers. Another product I can recommend is breath
freshening tablets haha.
My poor Tess is very petite and beautiful but man she has stinky breath!
If I can get her to eat one, the tablets make her smell sweet again.
Oh and I would recommend training classes. I didn't
take mine as I had two and it would have been really
expensive, but they are
really badly trained (they have selective hearing)
because of it haha.
P&P - Any finally, If there was one piece of advice
that you could give to anyone thinking about getting a dog, what would it be
and why?
Betty Blue - Really think about the breed you get. If you live in the city in a flat it
would be stupid to get a Collie for example as they need
heaps of exercise.
Miniature Dachshunds were perfect for me because I wanted
a little companion
and lap dog.
To see Betty Blue's GORGEOUS vintage loungerie you can visit her website at
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