Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
TUTU CUTE!A
Bulldogs, alpacas, even a unicorn – meet the lady with the most magical menagerie in a barking new series
Despite being a nation of animal lovers, who knew we loved so many different types? Karen Chamberlain, who runs a model agency for dogs, cats and more, is talking me through the Kate Mosses on her books.
She has dogs of every breed, size and temperament. Obviously there are the pretty ones – the Labs with their doleful eyes – but less gorgeous dogs are in demand too. ‘Some advertisers want ugly dogs, so there’s quite a market there,’ she reveals.
As there is for cats, canaries, alpacas, ducks, spiders, peacocks, owls, frogs, hamsters and unicorns. Unicorns? ‘Oh yes, we have one on our books – Honey. He’s really a miniature horse the size of a big dog. During the week he works as a therapy horse, going into old people’s homes. But with chalk dye on his mane and a horn, he’s a unicorn!’
Karen’s magical menagerie (her agency, Barking Mad, provides animals for the TV, promotional and advertising worlds) features in a new Channel 4 documentary called The Pet Talent Agency: Barking Mad. The show follows her as she tries to gain a toehold in a fastexpanding industry. And a lucrative one too – cuteness sells (ask Andrex).
It’s not just about looks. Need a skateboarding dog for your advert? Karen can get one. We see her charged with finding a cat that can run faster than a car. ‘I was running down
Wapping High Street with a Bengal cat and its owner to see what speed it could do. That was a waste of time.’
Karen herself is a breed apart. She’s 58, larger-than-life, asthmatic and menopausal. She lives in Devon with her husband Pete, who is more sceptical about this venture, especially when an open day at the agency (aka their home) for new clients results in two sheep (on leads, if you please) arriving in the front garden with their owner, looking for work.
Karen’s background is in recruitment (human recruitment that is), but she gave up a six-figure salary to strike out on her own a year ago when she grew convinced there was a future in what she calls ‘fur babies’. Her own
dogs led the way. At one point she had five bulldogs which she showed at Crufts. When she put them on social media in tutus, the exposure led to her being asked to provide animals for a remake of the Churchill insurance advert.
‘I started off taking photos for my own benefit, but they got a following on social media. When the Churchill people got in touch, it was a dream come true. I knew the owner of the original Churchill dog – she ran the London Bulldog Club – but for this ad they used CGI. We provided puppies to get the movements right.’
What did she learn from this experience? Hilariously, she discovered that bulldogs – at least her bulldogs – cannot skateboard. ‘I tried to teach them but it wasn’t happening,’ she laughs. ‘In this business you learn there are some things dogs can do and some you will never get them to do. Mine are great at tutus and tiaras, but not skateboarding.’
The Churchill experience convinced Karen that there was a business to be had in finding other famehungry owners. ‘The industry has gone boom in the last five or so years,’ she says. ‘It’s still not something you’ll get rich from – even the Dulux dogs only get maybe £800 a day – but there are so many opportunities out there now.’
Bankability goes up with every skill a dog can display. ‘Since the success of Ashleigh and Pudsey on Britain’s Got Talent, there’s more of
spotlight on it,’ says Karen. ‘My dogs don’t do tricks, but we do recruit some with amazing skills.’
One of Karen’s star clients is Kratu, a rescue dog who has performed for three years running at Crufts, stealing the show because of some dubious agility skills. This year he also stole the pole from one of the jumps. ‘Everyone wants a piece of Kratu. He’s gone viral. I call him Crazy Kratu,’ she says.
While you can never predict when this sort of fame will come calling, there are aspects of the business that can be planned for. Big film releases, for example, increase demand for certain breeds. All in the doggie modelling world are gearing up for the forthcoming 101 Dalmatians prequel, Cruella, starring Emma Stone. As we all know, the true stars are the little spotty pups so if you have one, you know who to call.
‘Our unicorn’s a mini horse with chalk dye and a horn’