Raw pet food company Poppy’s Picnic and Bradford-on-Avon pets store DOGHOUSE kicked off the Dogs For Good Dogtober campaign by holding a fundraising event that raised over £1,000.

The money will be directly donated to Dogs for Good’s ‘Dogtober’ campaign, which raises money to support their life-changing training for dogs that provide assistance to people with health conditions such as autism, dementia and learning disabilities.

DOGHOUSE has been stocking Poppy’s Picnic raw dog food for over a year. As both are local businesses based in Wiltshire who are passionate about canine health and wellbeing, founder of Poppy’s Picnic, Dylan Watkins and DOGHOUSE’s Ruth Warren have formed a close professional bond. 

Dylan explains: “Since donating to mark Mental Health Awareness Week earlier this year, we’ve closely followed the work of Dogs for Good and have been keen to raise further funds. Involving the local community seemed like a great idea and we immediately thought of DOGHOUSE which is more than just a shop, it’s a lively destination what with its cafe and facilities. It was a pleasure to work once again with Ruth and the team to bring the event to life.”

Donations were made through purchases of specially made pupcakes, ‘puppaccinos’, and raffle ticket sales. In return, customers were in with a chance of winning a Poppy’s Picnic raw dog food Hamper, a box of DOGHOUSE’s doggie toys and treats, a full body dog grooming session, a bottle of Champagne and a consultation with Canine Nutritionist and broadcaster Anna Webb worth £150. 

DOGHOUSES’ Founder, Ruth Warren comments, “We love collaborating with Poppy’s Picnic. Our relationship is more than supplier and customer. Our values are closely aligned and we’re all keen to make a difference to dogs’ lives with good nutrition and products. We turned the fundraiser around in just a couple of weeks and are incredibly grateful to our customers who generously donated.” 

Poppy’s Picnic’s relationship with Dogs for Good began earlier this year when they were introduced by their celebrity ambassador, west-end star and Emmerdale actress, Gemma Oaten. 

On hearing the amount raised, Gemma said, “I'm glad to see Poppy's Picnic and Dogs for Good continuing to work together. As an ambassador for both organisations I've had the pleasure of seeing the difference Dogs for Good makes with their charitable work, and how Poppy's Picnic's food changes dogs' lives. To see two projects I'm passionate about working together brings me great joy and both parties should be proud of the amount raised." 

The donation from Poppy’s Picnic is the company’s sixth charitable donation this year, having previously supported the British Heart Foundation, eating disorder charity, SEED, Pawprints to Freedom Rescue, Bath Cats and Dogs Home and Dogs for Good. DOGHOUSE also regularly supports charitable causes having raised money for Bowel Cancer UK and unique events such as stand up paddle boarding with dogs.