Kindred Tales | Hannah and Grenson | En Brogue
Fashion writer Hannah Rochel’s blog En Brogue focuses on slow comfortable style. What started as a blog dedicated to flat shoes has now branched out into sustainable fashion, always with comfort and practicality it its heart. We spoke to Hannah about her sea loving schnauzer Grenson and how he loves to “help” out with landscaping their new garden.
Tell us about Grenson and how he came into your life.
Grenson came to us as a puppy four-and-a-half years ago. We’d actually been trying for about six years to have a baby, and when that didn’t work out for us, we decided to get a dog. A dog had always been part of our plan – actually, my husband Mark and I have wanted a dog for as long as we can remember – we first bonded at university over 20 years ago because we both missed our family dogs so much! - So it was a no-brainer as a way to expand our family at that point. We did a lot of research into the right breed for our lifestyle in London, as well as finding reputable breeders, and Grenson just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He was such a comfort to us at a difficult time, but I hadn’t anticipated that he would also make us laugh so much!
How does Grenson fit into your general working day?
The reason we hadn’t got a dog earlier in our lives was because we really wanted to give a dog a loving home and a full life, not just leave it in the house all day while we went out to work. Mark’s working situation changed so he would be at home full-time, so we felt it was the ideal timing to raise a puppy. I’ve since also gone freelance, so we’re in the fortunate position of always having at least one of us at home with him. One of us will do the morning walk and the other the afternoon walk, plus I try to schedule in tea breaks to give him a cuddle. He has a good life!
When you’re not working, where do you and Grenson like to hang out?
We recently moved back to the Isle of Wight where I grew up. Grenson absolutely loves the beach and we struggle to keep him out of the sea, which is unusual for a miniature schnauzer since they usually hate water. He gets to see his favourite people - my parents - a lot, and actually I think he prefers being at their house than at home! In normal times we take him out with us to pubs and restaurants, so we spend a lot of time in dog-friendly establishments. We also love holidaying in the UK – Grenson has been to the Scottish Highlands with us twice, on a road trip through Devon and to the Peak District.
What essentials do you always have on you when heading out for a dog walk, and what do you carry them in?
We always have a collapsible water bowl, a Chilly’s bottle with cold water in for all of us, a bag of treats to keep him quiet in a cafe or pub, and a little sheepskin blanket for him to lie on if we’re somewhere with a cold floor. I carry everything in a Herschel children’s rucksack (I’m only 5'3', so this size works for me!).
What adventures do you and Grenson have planned for the rest of the year?
Well obviously everything is on hold for now, but we’re very lucky that we live somewhere that people love to come on holiday, so we will be making the most of that as much as the restrictions allow us. We now have a large garden too, which we are landscaping ourselves and Grenson loves to “help” out there (we’ve discovered that he’s an amazing canine rotavator - he loves to dig clumps of soil while growling at it!). We feel very fortunate to live where we do!
