Woman Spends £800 A Month On Outfits And Activities For Her Sausage Dog Squad

When was the last time you saw a sausage dog squad? You probably can't even remember, so long has it been.

Perhaps the reason we don't see them more often is because of the cost of their upkeep.

Harriet Birch, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, is the proud leader of a squad of five sausage dogs that have more than 32,000 followers on their Instagram page, @_sausage.squad_. She says she spends about £800 ($1,035) every month looking after her posse - though she could do it for a lot less if she didn't like spoiling Missy, Button, Duke, Ivy, and Apple quite so much.

The 25-year-old said: "They are definitely pampered pooches - they have so many clothes, accessories, toys and we do so many activities, they go swimming every week and they do agility every week too.

"They have birthday parties where all their friends come and join them for celebrations, cake and party bags.

"Their wardrobe is bigger than mine - they have everything from matching denim jackets, snoods, bandanas to party hats and tutus."

Caters

So yeah, strip away all the swimming lessons and tutus and you could probably assemble yourself a sausage dog squad for a lot less. But as a pro dog-walker, Harriet takes great pride in her pack and likes to make sure they're all immaculately dressed when they head out.

She said: "We often get comments when we go out saying how smart they look.

"They have a bath every week or so at the moment which is quite a timely process but they come out smelling of roses so it's worth it.

"They rarely leave the house naked, they've got some pretty spectacular fancy dress outfits."

Caters

But while the squad often look very uniform in terms of their dress, Harriet said they're very easy to tell apart because of their distinct personalities.

She said: "Missy is super stubborn, independent and obsessed with food, Button is ridiculously cute and loves everyone.

"Duke is a serious mummy's boy and sucks up to me, but he's mischievous on walkies and likes to go down rabbit holes.

"Ivy is very sassy, tries to be the boss and can't get enough of toys and Apple is simply adorable, she's been the easiest puppy I've ever had.

"In general, they're super loving and so comical."

Caters

If you enjoy looking at pictures of the squad, which you obviously do, then you may want to give them a follow on Insta, as they are currently preparing for a trip to Paris - and Harriet says their berets are packed.

Topics: Dog, Community, Animals, Dogs

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey