Bungle
Fred Olsen, Hythe
Five- year-old Bungle pops into the Hythe branch of Fred Olsen Travel a couple of times a month to see the staff and brighten their day. Owned by manager Sarah Tonks, who acquired Bungle during the Covid pandemic, the labradoodle used to come in more regularly when he was a pup, and liked to cause a bit of good-natured mischief.
Sarah says: “He would escape from the crate, wanting cuddles and attention, and climb onto my lap, which was fine back then because nobody could come in."
Nowadays he's a well-behaved, inquisitive pup, and likes to say hello to customers, who bring their own furry friends into this dog-friendly agency. There's always a bowl of water out, and often a doggie treat hidden away. Bungle is also a bit of a travel expert himself, and likes going on annual holidays to the Lake District, Cornwall or Wales.
Max
Ocky White Travel
Three-year-old Max is a working cocker spaniel and “an absolute star,” according to dog dad Mark White, owner of Ocky White Travel, a TTG Top 50 agency of 2025, located in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. Max comes into the shop two or three times a month, when there’s nobody at home to look after him. Loved by staff and clients alike, Max is a real character, and excels at lifting everybody’s spirits. “He’s probably more popular in the office than I am,” says Mark.
A local charity, SPPOT (Supporting people and pets through opportunity and training), collects Max on occasions for walks with their volunteers and Max has a way of greeting people like long-lost friends. In fact, he was so excited to meet everyone on his first day in the office that he peed on the carpet. Don’t hold it against him though, he was only a puppy at the time. “We like to joke that he’s the only member of staff that weed on the carpet and got to keep his job,” says Mark.
Eric
Travology Travel
Eric the whippet is only five months old, and quite the mischief maker. From wrecking an artificial plant while owner, Lucy Clarke, was on the phone, to weeing on the welcome mat, Eric is a loveable rogue. TTG Luxury Travel Awards top luxury homeworking agency (small), Travology Travel has an office/ store and most customers come in by appointment. This is an ideal arrangement for Lucy because this way she can check if they’re okay with dogs before they visit.
She explains: “He loves the sofa and whippets sleep a lot as long as he’s had a run.” All this extra activity works out in Lucy’s favour too, as she meets potential clients while dog walking “all the time”. She says: “I spend a lot of time in Anglesey and I often chat with people first about Eric and then get on to the travel business, hand over my card and end up with bookings.”
Mabel
TravelTime World
Eight-year-old Mabel is a much-loved cockapoo who’s been visiting the TravelTime World’s office in Berkhamsted every week since lockdown. “She’s part of the family,” says Jackie Steadman, who regularly pet-sits Mabel for a friend who works in London. The benefits of having Mabel in the office are plentiful, Jackie explains, dogs have a calming influence, and they stop you from getting too bogged down in your work, plus the clients love her.
“We call her our therapy dog,” says Jackie. “We work in what can be quite a stressful environment where lots of things go wrong. Mabel lets us leave the office and walk along the canal which we wouldn’t do without her. She just makes for a calmer office space.”
Ozzy
Travel Counsellor Suvira Riza
Ozzy, also known as ‘The Prince of Barkness’, makes for a great business partner. Named after Ozzy Osbourne, thanks to the miniature labradoodle’s Birmingham roots, he looks very dapper with his penchant for bow ties.
Owner Suvira Riza says: “Ozzy sleeps on the job most of the time, but sometimes likes to make an appearance on camera with his paws-up move which clients love. He’s a natural salesman!”
Ozzy often comes up in conversation with clients and is a social media star too, having featured in business posts as well as having his own Instagram page (@onlychildozzy), where he shares his travels. “He’s so far only visited Scotland and Wales on holiday, but he has his sights on overseas trips one day,” explains Suvira.
Shady
The Holiday Artist
Shady is around 10 years old, and was adopted by Lynne Cuthbertson, founder of The Holiday Artist, in 2017 while she lived in South Africa. Now firmly ensconced in the UK, Lynne thinks potential new clients seem to warm to her more quickly when they find out she has a dog and Shady is always interested in people who come to the house for consultations: “He has a tendency to bark if you stop fussing over him,” she says.
During the working day Shady follows Lynne around, sleeping at her feet and jumping up when she shifts her chair: “One look at him makes those frustrating client calls fade away – the ones where they want to go anywhere as long as it’s hot and costs less than £100pp. He reminds me that there’s life beyond my keyboard and I don’t know if I’d cope so well with the stressful days without him. His cute little face just makes everything better.”
Margo
Travel Counsellor Carolyn Joyner
It’s a good thing it's not possible to chew on holidays or Caroline Joyner’s business might suffer, thanks to her loveable pooch Margo. Born in Cyprus, and taken in by a charity over there, Margo was brought to the UK on a “freedom flight” and eventually adopted by Caroline and her family.
Part retriever, labrador, staffy, pointer and beagle, Margo is truly one of a kind. “If she is bored and I’m busy, she can be very destructive! She’s chewed up almost the entire Harry Potter series, three pairs of my designer sunglasses, several remote controls… she also once dug a huge hole in the garden down to the sewage pipes!”
Although she sounds like quite the cheeky pup, Margo is also an excellent business partner. Caroline has met several clients while dog walking, and she’s a great conversation starter and talking point while on the phone. Caroline says: “She often barks so this sparks a dog conversation which ultimately helps to sell.”
Luna
Lauryn Jameson Travel
Luna is a diva. A delightful diva… but a diva nonetheless. Also known as ‘Princess Pops’, owner Lauryn Jameson describes her bulldog as “full of character and zero urgency”.
Although four-year-old Luna has an unhelpful tendency to try and eat Lauryn’s laptop, she is also an excellent four-legged brand ambassador, and is a pro at promoting dog-friendly family breaks in the UK on socials, something that Lauryn specialises in.
Luna is like Lauryn’s shadow, both while the travel agent is working from home, and while she’s in her office at Hunters Chase Garden Centre in Brentwood. Luna has her favourite spots in both locations. “At the shop, she rotates between her throne outside on the grass (which has a great view for people-watching) and her EasyJet doormat, which she’s claimed as her official spot.
Lauryn adds: “I like to think of Luna as my little sidekick from a Disney princess film – she’s got that magical way of bringing joy wherever she goes. She’s not just part of the team… she’s the heart of it.”
Margot and Otis
Adventures By and Destination Rainbow
Margot, the Bernese Mountain dog, is thought to be around six years old and Otis, the miniature dachshund, is four.
They live with Elle Pinkard, her wife, and their three children in the countryside, where the majority of her clients also own dogs. This works out well for Margot and Otis, both of whom get to meet clients who visit the house on consultations for Elle’s two agencies; Adventures By and Destination Rainbow. They’ve aided Elle in securing clients, thanks to their attendance in dog groups, although Otis can be embarrassing at times. “Otis appears to have a foot fetish and loves to lick clients’ feet when they are wearing sandals, which is highly embarrassing,” explains Elle.
Rescue dog Margot is quite reserved, and has attached herself to Elle, sleeping beside her all day. “She has a spot between the filing cabinet and cupboard that she has made her own,” says Elle. “Even when I reorganised my working space – she tried to squeeze back into the same spot. Margot has taught me extreme patience,” she adds. “Even if I have a tricky client I look at her gorgeous fluffy face and think it's not worth getting upset about!”
Prince and Charlie Cooper
Ginette Steele, The Personal Travel Agents, part of Mid Counties Co-op
Prince, the older of these two golden retrievers, is TV gold. A proper mischief maker, Prince was on Dogs Behaving Badly season two, for developing the bad habit of stealing scrunchies from women’s hair (among many other naughty behaviours). He missed a lot of his puppy training due to his owner, Ginette Steele’s cancer diagnosis coming only a few weeks after she got him. Prince soon became a rather unruly pup who liked to misbehave for attention. He once even stole some cannabis out of customer’s coat pocket – and was rather reluctant to give it back, treating the heist as one big game. But thanks to his time on the show, Prince now behaves far better, and is a happy celebrity for Ginette’s clients to dote over.
It became clear Prince needed a doggie companion, which prompted the recent addition of puppy Charlie Cooper, in May, when he was only eight weeks old. Doting colleagues, Charlie and Prince always want to see Ginette while she’s working. They’re more than happy to interact with clients, and Charlie even has his own marketing strategy; Cheeky Charlie deals on Ginette’s Facebook and Instagram.
