UP CLOSE IN CLAPHAM: with Laika Loves founder, Taya Caroline

Up Close in Clapham with Laika Loves founder, Taya Caroline

Clapham is a town of Roald Dahl and restaurants, Northern Line stations and coffee shops.

But in Clapham's DNA – more even than the broken clock tower, underground bunkers and Inferno's – we are a town of dogs.

From Corgis to Cockers, to Dachshunds and Dobermans, if you don't have your own pooch, we'd wager you hold your neighbour's flat-coated Golden Retriever in somewhat high esteem.

Launching our new feature 'Up Close in Clapham' in honour of Clapham's beloved, furry residents, our Editor caught up with local entrepreneur Taya Caroline and her Yorkiepoo, Laika, to hear about her dog apparel brand Laika Loves and the little-known story of the first dog in space.

How did you begin making dog apparel – talk us through how Laika Loves started?

It was actually my Mum's friend who knitted a jumper for Laika and it was really nice, but around the neck it was too short. This was during lockdown and I was bored, so thought I'd try making her a jumper.

The first one was pretty rubbish! But I kept knitting more, getting – I think! – better. Owners in the park were really complimentary and started asking for bespoke jumpers for their dogs.

From there, everything has come around very organically, in terms of I was knitting because it was cold and I wanted to keep Laika warm; then it was getting warmer and I wondered, "What can she wear? She can wear a bandana."

I bought quite a bit of fabric and I didn't know how to use a sewing machine so I actually asked my Mum to make it for me. For a long time it was my mum making the bandanas until she had to leave the country and I had an order come through a day after she left and I was like oh my god I don't know how to do this. So I had to think quick and get the sewing machine and she had to teach me over Facetime.

Everyone asks have you done this before? I'm like no, I tried using a sewing machine maybe three years ago now, and I was like no, it's not going to work.

You're definitely making it work now!

It's working now, I got the hang of it!

Have you always been entrepreneurial? Tell us a bit about your background before starting Laika Loves.

Well, I guess I like the challenge. I used to work in Affiliate Marketing and I didn't really like it. Then my company started refurbishing the office so I was working from home all summer and with more spare time I signed up to this app, called Dog Buddy, taking care of dogs in the area.

Actually my first customer was a dachshund, a black and tan dachshund called Caspar. From there I built up a clientele of dogs, doing dog walking and day care.

Did you have Laika at this point? When did she come along?

This was before Laika, but I think it was at that point I knew I needed to do something else and had got to a stage with clients where I could quit my job and go part-time.

Then two dogs I took care of – I fell in love with them, they were such good dogs, lovely temperaments, and I thought, I just really want to have these dogs, Welly and Terry. We just couldn't decide between a Terry, a Yorkshire terrier, and Welly, a toy poodle.

So we thought okay, we're going to combine the two breeds – and we got Laika, a toy poodle and a Yorkie.

I remember passing Peter Jones with my dog just before, yes, just before Christmas, it was in December, and recognised one of your bandanas on a dachshund. Bear's a dachshund so of course the dogs stopped, the humans stopped and chatting to the owner, she said you were friends and cared for her dog. It does feel like be it I'm in Clapham, Battersea, Wandsworth, this happens everywhere! Do you know every dog in South West London? And what has it been like for you being in the local dog community, particularly during lockdown?

I know a lot of the dogs! It's funny when you see a dog walking down the street and don't recognise the person's name – I don't always know the people but know "Oh, this is Luna's Mum," or "Oh this is Luna's Dad."

The dog community has always been very social and very friendly. Once you have the dog you make so many friends, and obviously during lockdown people have been even friendlier. I think being stuck in their homes everyone wanted to stop and chat and meet a dog.

It's safe to say most of my friends in London have got dogs, and I probably know them through a dog related activity.

Tell us about Laika. Where does her name come from? What are her three all-time favourite things?

My mum's Russian, and I kind of wanted a cool, quirky name that tied in with my heritage. Laika was the first dog sent to space, Soviet Russia sent her to orbit Earth. She was a stray from the streets of Moscow, and she went – I think it was April – in 1957, they sent her to outer space.

It's a sad story, in that she never came back. But we loved the name and when we met (our puppy, who became Laika) it just fit her.

What does she love? She loves, loves, loves Waitrose sausages. The dog ones, not the human ones!

Fetch and play with balls is probably her happiest. And she loves to sleep in; she's such a lazy dog! Other people talk about how early their dog wakes them up and there I am, telling my adolescent dog it's daytime outside!

You live in Battersea but often walk Laika on Clapham Common. What is your favourite thing about Clapham?

I love that obviously it's a super dog friendly area. Especially in lockdown, people were coming from all over London with their dogs. We've met so many dogs from east London that have come to the Common.

There's a really cool little dog shop on Taybridge Road called Woofs to Kittys, they have a good range of dog treats and toys and yakkers, ostrich bones, and they also have a little grooming salon. It's super close and really quirky, on the corner of two roads, just off the Common. We quite often go there to pick up our favourite treats.

Living slightly nearer to Battersea Park than Clapham Common we've always gone to The Pear Tree quite often, so it was great when they opened here by the bandstand.

And Dog House Fitness is incredible. It's a workout studio, a bit beyond Clapham, in Balham. You can bring your dog and they chill out while you do a class. I'll sometimes take Laika on a run around the Common on the way to a class at Dog House. It's a really great place.

Where can people find Laika Loves in London? And what's next for the brand?

We're mostly online but we were invited to a have a stall at a dog festival last September, that was in Fulham, and we've also gone to south east London. We had a stall at Petsmass which is a Christmas market in part of the Bussey Building, which is quite fun. I used to go on nights out to Bussey Building and there I am with my stall, how adult is that!

I'm lining up a few more markets around the UK actually – so expanding, going national! We're going to Bath to a dachshund pop up café, or rather a pup up café. They had a similar event in Clapham last year for pugs and bulldogs, I'm sure they welcome other dogs! So we're doing that.

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Browse the Laika Loves website and enjoy 15% off at checkout with the code CLAPHAMNUB!

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