SouthPaw Dog Store opened in Falmouth in 2021. It’s situated in a quirky building full of character right in the heart of the high street. Looks can certainly be deceiving, as the shop is much bigger than you initially expect! SouthPaw Dog Store’s owner Desney has an incredible eye for design. The pet shop is incredibly well curated with practical products that suit dogs of all shapes and sizes. They stock everything from collars and leads to beds, coats and even portable showers. I also love the bold blue and orange brand colours; a contemporary hint to Falmouth’s nautical heritage.
As someone who has lived in Falmouth with dogs, I always felt the high street was missing a dedicated independent pet shop. Falmouth is such a vibrant and creative town, with so many dogs living locally and visiting for their holidays. There’s nothing I love more than seeing Gylly beach packed with dogs in the winter, it brings me so much joy! It’s great to see a dedicated store for Falmouth dogs, especially one that supports local and independent pet businesses as much as possible.
Desney is so passionate about helping her canine customers find the right products and treats for them. She’s incredibly knowledgable not only about the brands she stocks but also the specific problems Falmouth dog owners face. The portable dog showers and drying robes she stocks are perfect examples and are proving to be some of her bestsellers. Being able to wash off all the sand from the beach before your dog gets in the car home is such a game changer. Even more so after a muddy woodland walk at Trewardreva Mill, Carwinion Woods or College Reservoir in winter!
The treat selection at the back of the shop was Woody and Hen’s favourite by far. Hen kept sneakily helping himself to the veggie tooth chews and bones when he thought you weren’t looking. Woody was more interested in the cold pressed food, most likely thanks to all the samples he was encouraged to try. I love that the dogs were allowed to be their crazy selves at SouthPaw Dog Store. You could see how much Woody and Hen adored sniffing around. The store has certainly been curated with dogs in mind, there is plenty of open space, which means you can walk around with your dog on lead without accidentally knocking things over!
The shop itself focuses on stocking independent, UK based pet business as much as possible, including a local dog bowl stand maker Ruffter, as well as Green and Wilds, Innocent Hound, Natural Cornish Pet, Harbour Hounds drying robes and Country and Twee coats. SouthPaw Dog Store stock their own range of apparel for humans too!
They’re also one of the largest stockist of Ruffwear products that I know of in Cornwall. While a US based brand, Ruffwear is a popular choice among dog owners in Cornwall. Their range of harnesses are well suited to outdoorsy dogs that enjoy hiking on the South West Coast Path and they also create a range of dog buoyancy aids that are great for SUP pups. Woody and Hen have been using Ruffwear harnesses for years and certainly put them through their paces!
SouthPaw Dog Store also stock Ivy and Duke, who create luxury memory foam dog beds. I’ve wanted to try their products out for a while but never knew anywhere in Cornwall that stocked them. Being a luxury brand, they’re quite pricey. I didn’t want to risk buying a bed online without having Woody and Hen test it out first. It’s safe to say they adored the bed so much that we bought it there and then. The only challenge was wrestling this huge memory foam basket bed home on the train!
Have you visited SouthPaw Dog Store? What did you think?
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