It's a dog's life

The special relationship between British dogs and their owners is celebrated in a new book. Here, fashion designer Jasper Conran reveals the deep bond he shares with his Terrier Cross, Minnow

Words by Gill Morgan

“The marvellous thing about Minnow is that you don’t need to take her to the hairdresser,” says designer Jasper Conran, one of the tribe of passionate British dog-lovers featured in the stylish new book Top Dogs. “She’s quite a clean, tidy dog, so it’s a bath just once in a blue moon, and only if she’s got very, very muddy. It takes so long to get an appointment at the best groomers these days, worse than the top hair salons.”

With a foreword by the Duchess of Cornwall (the proud owner of Beth and Bluebell) and a portfolio of touching dogand-owner portraits by photographer Dylan Thomas, the book is the creation of writer Georgina Montagu, who says she came up with the idea in order to combine three of her favourite things: dogs, people and interiors. But dogs are surely at the top of that list.

Conran, who is photographed in the beautiful 17th-century Dorset country house that he shares with his husband, Oisin, and Terrier Cross, Minnow, talks revealingly about Minnow’s personality and the central role she plays in his life: “I’ve only got one dog now and that’s the way I like it. Minnow’s her name because she’s small and wriggly and a mixture of all sorts. History doesn’t actually relate. The thing about a dog is that if you want it to be your dog you have to be with it all the time. I did have a pack of Tibetan Terriers – Buster, Frankie and Quincy – who soon became the scourge of the village. Any deer to be chased or trouble to be wrought, they’d work as a team. I decided that next time I wanted a smaller dog to put in a bag and take up and down to London with me.”

Conran describes Minnow as a “homebody”: “She has a kind of radius, runs out to see her friend in the neighbouring cottage, but always comes back. She’s very territorial about her house. I think it’s important for dogs to have their own space and to know where that is. Minnow has her basket under the stairs, so if you ever have to go out, she knows that’s the safe space. Generally she can go wherever she wants: she jumps on several chairs, sofas, armchairs and what have you. I worked out a long time ago that if you’re going to have dogs you must have loose covers on your furniture and then you’ll be happy. She sleeps in her basket unless I’m alone. If Oisin’s away, then I sneak her in for the night. She’s an extremely affectionate dog, so she’s very keen on that.”

As we know, all dog love stories come to an end and Conran is open about the heartbreak we face when we lose a beloved canine friend. “If you’ve had a dog it feels like a blank space when you don’t,” he says. “They bring the house to life, though they are also a full-time job. When my first dog died, the sounds that came out of me were primeval. The crying was absolute. I think the bond between dog and man/woman is very special. The relationship goes deep into your soul.” Top Dogs: A British Love Affair is published by Triglyph Books. triglyphbooks.com.

Right: Jasper Conran poses with his much-loved canine companion, Minnow. Above: Conran maintains that loose covers on furniture are the key to a dog-owner’s happiness