Doggie Style Icons

Time for walkies to Mungo & Maud for the smartest mutt-have accessories, says Ticky Hedley-Dent

The pooches of Belgravia barked with joy on 5th May this year, not because of their political leanings but because Mungo & Maud, the city's chicest pet accessory store, opened its doors on Elizabeth Street. This doggie haven is a labour of love for husband and wife team Micky and Nicky Sacher, who both gave up high flying careers to set up shop together. Michael's family are no strangers to retailing: his great grandfather Michael Marks started up Marks & Spencer in a Leeds market in the 1880s. 'Everything was a penny because he didn't speak English,' says Michael. This is certainly not the case at Mungo & Maud, where a Lotusflower bed retails for about £400 - and a luxury leather and fabric Henry Beguelin dog bed will set you back a full £1,250. Organic dog biscuits, however, are 27p each, and smell so good that dogs drag their owners in to get one.

A rather frightening antique spiked collar is modelled by one of the white face less dog dummies in the window. 'Last week someone came in to ask if we did bondage gear for dogs: says Nicky. 'People either think it's cool or they're rather shocked by it. It was originally worn to ward off thieves.' Luckily the collars on sale look more comfortable and come in such gorgeous colours and leathers that even Paris Hilton's pooch would be proud to model them. Milliner Philip Treacy is a regular customer and their number one fan. The shop is packed with treasures: chic travelling rolls that you can keep all your pet 's grooming items in; travelling beds; shampoos; Luisa Cevesa pet carriers made from industrial waste; vintage cat bowls; catnip-filled dogs; and a multitude of tasteful squeaky dog toys that look good in your living room. The large dog beds are so comfortable that some owners are sleeping in them too. 'One man came in to buy one for himself', Michael confides.

Every little detail at Mungo & Maud has been carefully thought out, from the rings on the floor for tethering the leads of visiting dogs to the water bowl in the comer.

So how did two professionals come to run a specialist pet store? 'We wanted to work together: says Nicky, who was previously in advertising, 'and when we got our English setter George we found it difficult to find nice well -designed good-quality products for him and that's when we discovered the whole area of pet design, which had sprung out of nowhere in North America. We did some research and decided there was an opportunity to do something over here'.

They spent the next couple of years developing the brand, sourcing products and designing the store. Architects Seth Stein and Cordula Freidlander helped turn their dream into Mungo & Maud, the crisp modern shop over the road from yummy-mummy hangout Baker & Spice. 'We've been described as the Daylesford of pet shops and we like that,' says Michael.

It is unexpected that Michael has ended up selling pet accessories, as, unlike Nicky, he was never a big animal-Iover. 'Nicky had to nag me for three years to persuade me to get George - in the end I reluctantly agreed. I was rather apprehensive at the beginning, particularly when he decided to chew one of my late mother's pieces of 18th -century furniture. But I have grown to love him, dearly since then.' Nicky interjects: 'He's dotty about him now.' So much so that George is accompanying Nicky and Micky on their walking holiday in the Swiss mountains. 'He is very well travelled and has more luggage than we do.' says Nicky.

When they return they will launch their online store. 'We're not going to rest now we have one shop,' she says. 'We're ambitious business people. We would like Mungo & Maud to become a brand name.'

And with Michael's family knack for brand-building, it's likely to become household name. At last, pets across the land can be as glamorous as their owners.