On Meeting Our Customers…

Because we set up Ethical Pets out of necessity, being pet owners with a conscience and no-place to shop – it’s exciting for us to meet our customers, ’cause they were once just like us! Last month, I travelled to London for a free software conference, and took the opportunity to meet two of our customers in the area.

First, I travelled to Canterbury to meet Anne Booth and her wonderful family – I had a really great day there, we went for a walk with Ben and Timmy, the family dogs – plus Canterbury is a fab city which I will certainly visit again! It felt like a home from home there, and Anne reminds me a lot of my own mum… also called Anne! Here is what Anne and her family has to say about Ethical Pets.

Next I went to Fulham to meet Dan and his lovely poodle Coco. Dan was really kind and funny – we went to the park and he bought me a coffee and we talked about all sorts of interesting things. It was nice to meet a customer so different from myself – Dan seems very organized and the Bradshaw family home was beautiful and very tidy… I am so used to chaos that I found it quite fascinating to see! When I came home I cleaned my house from top to bottom, but it still looked rather “weasly-ish” (for the Harry Potter readers out there!). I wonder what his secret is? Here is what Dan had to say about Ethical Pets.

I was very surprised by Coco – poodles are often portrayed as being a little snooty, but in reality, Coco was a bit like a Labrador… a Labrador with a high caffeine intake! I was also struck by how Loyal and well behaved she was, especially for such an excitable dog… my family have always looked after terriers… terriers with rather loose morals! Ralph and Hebe, the current pair, like nothing better than running off with whoever has chips or ice cream! Coco was really quite an angel in comparison.

I was particularly interested in Dan’s perspective on eco products – he stressed that an eco product must also do its job well first and foremost. All of our products are practical as well as ethical – but it did occur to me how naff many non-ethical pet products can be. I wonder if ethical companies are more likely to design good products than less discerning folk? What do you think?