There is something uniquely life affirming about dogs. I've always been an animal lover but used to err on the side of cats because mine would curl up on my bed. However....cats, even my beloved Minnie who lived to be 21, can be mean. I am forever scarred by her claws which she clamped into my chest then dragged a bloody and painful six inches down my skin as she was leaping from my arms when I was 16 years old, and I still don't like to stand next to beds for too long for fear of my feet being bitten and scratched at by her ghost.
The year I opened the first Donna Ida boutique I decided to get a dog. It was an impractical decision for someone who was embarking on such a huge project but I lived alone and having a dog to look after felt grown up. I researched every small dog and a chihuahua fit into my lifestyle perfectly. I found a breeder and a couple of months later my first born arrived home (yes, I actually consider Romeo to be my first born.....I'm one of those). Snuggling up with that little ball of fluff and feeling his soft warm body curled up in my lap makes me so happy - I love looking after him. When Romeo was two I was keen to get a playmate for him so along came Julio, his slightly smaller adorable little brother. Romeo used to come to the shop with me every day but when Julio came to live with us I decided to leave them both at home during the day. Romeo was great for Donna Ida when we first opened - everyone got to know the shop by Romeo spending the day patrolling the front window. I even have these pictures taken of him by a paparazzi who was waiting for Victoria Beckham to come out of Joseph across the road. He said he was keen to snap Posh Spice, but got so distracted by Romeo he ended up photographing only one style icon that day.
