About The Range
Max & Milly founder, Sarah Turnbull set up Max & Milly when she struggled to find really good quality products for her own dogs. She didn’t mind paying a bit more for something special, but no-one seemed to be offering what she wanted – so she decided to do it herself!
Her first step was to work with a chemist to design a wonderful range of grooming products, which are free of chemically enhanced fragrances, bleach and the usual unpleasant cocktail of ingredients. Instead, she developed a range of hypo-allergenic shampoos, conditioners and treatments for coat and skin which are made from natural ingredients and look and smell wonderful. As Sarah says, they meet the ‘real’ needs of dog owners, and she should know!
Her search has led her to some amazing products. Max & Milly stocks a range of beautiful British made leads in a variety of fabrics, lengths and thicknesses, from velvet to gingham, tweed to floral. She also sells fantastic dog collars, tags, dog beds and feeding bowls.
Introduction to grooming products
Sarah sells a wonderful range of grooming products for dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds and colours, which meet the ‘real’ needs of dog owners. As a dog owner herself, she often has to deal with dogs which have rolled in unspeakable muck, paddled in smelly ponds and tracked through bramble bushes – that’s what dogs do, after all! She has developed a range of shampoos, coat conditioners, stain removers and skin moisturisers to deal with these types of problems. They are rich, luxurious shampoos, with specific qualities to deal with most eventualities, colours, coat types and conditions.
Introduction to Collars and Leads
For the Max & Milly accessory range, Sarah chose only those items which she herself would buy for her own dogs. This meant that they had to look really stylish be durable and robust, be different from the usual choices available in pet shops and, finally, because she lives in the countryside and understands what it’s like to be a dog owner, they had to be washable!
Handmade Fabric Collars & Leads
Max & Milly stocks a range of beautiful handmade collars and leads in a variety of fabrics, lengths and thicknesses, from velvet to gingham, tweed to floral. These are suitable for all dogs and are a real talking point! All are washable and hardwearing, as well as looking great. Sarah says “I love these leads. They’re handmade in the UK and are of extremely high quality. The fabrics range from plush and luxurious velvet, to gingham and prints to classic tweed. – they’re really different. I am not a fan of diamante and the latest craze of spangly clothing for dogs, you will find none of that here! I have chosen classic, stylish collars and leads which will stand the test of time”
Most of the collars are suede lined and while they look smart and stylish they’re also very durable.
Latex Leads
Sarah also found some fantastic latex leads in a range of colours, which not only look great but are ideal for those who don’t like the sharp tug of a normal lead. People with wrist, arm or shoulder problems will find these a huge relief as they simply stop the tugging effect as the lead stretches gently to twice its length, absorbing the momentum. There are a range of sizes available depending on your dog’s weight. Sarah says “these are a brand new concept – I love the design and colours. They are really effective and put much less strain on your arm and shoulder than conventional leads. I use the Walk’r leads for my Labradors and then have a double lead (‘A Coupl’r)” for the girls, which makes dog walking a whole lot easier”.
Introduction to Custom Made Feeding Bowls and Beds
Max & Milly also stock a range of custom-designed feeding bowls and dog beds, but as you will have guessed, they’re not the usual kind you’ll find in a pet shop. Sarah says “I had just spent a lot of money on a new kitchen and was frustrated at having scruffy, mismatched dog beds and bowls making it look messy!”
Feeding Bowls
She spoke to the master cabinet maker who built her kitchen and asked whether he could produce some wooden feeding bowls for her tribe of dogs, items which would complement her kitchen furniture.
He came up with some beautiful bowls to Sarah’s designs and she loved them so much that she got one of each made for her dogs, Izzie, Lucy, Basil and Billy. The bowls are solid, well made and extremely tactile, really superb quality. “I have seen lots of bowls on the market. Hand on heart I can say these are the nicest and the best quality I have seen available, they are simply lovely and come in a range of different wood finishes to match or contrast with your kitchen.”
Sarah then provided her requirements to a local design company who specialise in working with acrylic and asked them to create a similar range in this modern material, which would suit those who wanted an alternative to the wood. The end result was fabulous. “The acrylic feeding sets are brilliant as they are free-standing and are slightly raised, to aid with digestion. The acrylic is wipeable and comes in a range of different colours.”
The feeding bowls are available in either wood or acrylic. Each range comes in a variety of colours so you can be as daring as you like, either matching your kitchen or going bright and bold. As ever, these feeding bowls are hardwearing and are built to be different, eye-catching and practical.
Dog Beds
Following the success of the feeding bowls, Sarah commissioned both companies to produce a range of dog beds in wood and acrylic respectively. The result was a matching selection of beds in various sizes, with comfy lining, which are tough, easy to clean and look wonderful.
The Max & Milly dog bed range is also available in either hand carved wood or modern acrylic.