Leading the Pack started as a hobby, born in 2007 when I was working as a full time kennel assistant for my local animal shelter.  I loved my job, but it was heartbreaking to see the same dogs overlooked time and time again. I tried many ways to make the long-stay dogs stand out from the others, and apart from giving them unique and unusual names (something that didn't always go down too well with management!), one way I found that did work was to put vibrant and eye-catching collars on them, something that would stick in someone's mind, when they were seeing so many dogs. Choices out there were limited, especially when we were dependant on donations for all of our collars, so I decided to make them.

Unfortunately, I had to stop working full time due to health issues, but could turn my attention to moulding my hobby into a business, and here we are.

When I first opened Leading the Pack, I was owned by Mog the tabby cat, Vernon the bull greyhound, and Pandy the terrier mix. A few years later, those guys were joined by Echo and Colin huskies. Sadly we recently lost the last of the crew, Colin, in early 2024, and it's the first time in 20 years, and in my daughters' whole lives, that we haven't had any pets in the house, which is totally bizarre!