Cap the shop collie lives with Si and Liz in Marsden. He has worked in the shop for many years and is a bit of a celebrity hound! In his youth he could run faster than a mountainbike and further than a marathon runner but now he's well over fourteen and is taking things easy.

In the shop, his main job is to meet and greet customers but don't be upset if he doesn't come and see you straight away – he'll probably be chilling out on his sofa. Please come and see him – he's very friendly with people although he's a bit grumpy with other dogs.

Cap's main activities aside from schmoozing customers and sleeping is chasing and savaging the sweeping brush – people come from miles around to watch him in action! Unfortunately, after a particularly athletic lunge, it broke in half – luckily Si has mended it and doubled its strength so it's business as usual...

Of course if you don't get on with dogs, let us know when you come in the shop and we'll put him in the office – he won't take it personally!

Cap's "Dog Blog"

18th February 2010
"Have to say that I'm glad the snow's mostly gone – I was struggling to get though it and missing out on a load of exercise. While Si and Liz went gallivanting off to Courchevel I went to the well known dog holiday destination of... ...Doncaster! It's great there – I go there thin and come back fat again as Mrs Howard feeds me up when Liz's parents aren't looking with shedloads of biscuits!

Si and Liz came back raving about their holiday and the ace crowd they stayed with out there. Two brilliant sets of farmers who have dogs, cows and sheep, a great couple from the Midlands who are crazy about skiing and the amazing Roger and Julia who were from so far down south they're almost French! Apparently they've been invited up North to see how we live without water and electricity!

Now I'm back into working life – won't they ever let me retire? Two Bonios a day is not much of a pension considering the number of people who come in to see me...

Si's was running around like an idiot the other day with a bunch of other guys who've left it to the last minute to get Valentines presents. We're not exactly the kind of shop to sell romantic gifts so he went to see the ace girlies at Beaverbrooks at the Spindles in Oldham – he says they are the friendliest most helpful people around. But surely he means, after us...! "

Cap XXX

10th January 2010
"What about this weather!!! First of all I was so excited by it – white fluffy stuff I don't see very often and Si and Liz took me out loads in it. But then it got deeper... And deeper... And even DEEPER!!!

I'm only small for a border collie and in loads of places I couldn't even see over the snow and had to walk in fat Si's footprints... But boy, have I been having a good time in it and getting back home ABSOLUTELY knackered!

Here's me forging my way through the snow on the Pennine Way – I feel very sorry for my friends the sheep as they can't get the grass. Luckily, the farmers are putting out hay where they can but it can't be easy...

I went down to Wales again just after Christmas to see my collie mates Nipper and Tucker. Lot's of growling, snapping and chasing around till we got the pecking order sorted – yep, I'm top boss dog again even though the young'uns always think otherwise...

Gotta go now, sheep to herd, vacuum cleaners to savage etc etc – back soon..."

Cap XXX