CULTURE
Isle of Dogs
We stopped some furry friends – and their owners – on their daily walkies to find out their favourite treats, best tricks and how they enjoy life at London City Island
It’s official: we are a nation of dog lovers. According to research conducted by the PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) report, around 26% of UK adults have a canine companion, with some 9.6 million pet dogs in the UK. The Covid-19 pandemic and back-to-back lockdowns also saw a surge in adoptions, given the sudden flexibility of working from home. In fact, around 3.2 million pets were acquired in the UK during 2020-21.
At London City Island, dogs and their owners going for their daily walk are a common sight. The 12-acre island is largely pedestrianised, making it safe for dogs and young families to roam. It is also surrounded by a verdant river walkway around the entire perimeter, and leads to several large open spaces, parks and walkways in the local area, making it ideal for dog owners. On a sunny Friday afternoon, The Islander took to the streets to discover more about our canine residents and photograph them – and their owners – enjoying their island home.
Missy with 'god mum' Jen
Name: Missy and Coco
Breed: Siberian Huskies
Age: 9 (Missy) and 6 (Coco)
Favourite food: Chicken
Favourite toy: Anything that squeaks
Favourite local walking route: Eco Park and the Basin
Naughtiest habit: None
Best habit: Just being themselves
Best friend: Each other
Most impressive trick: Saying ‘I love you’
Best thing about living on London City Island: All our wonderful neighbours
Coco the Siberian Husky relaxes on the iconic red bridge
‘London City Island is surrounded by a verdant river walkway, and leads to several large open spaces, making it ideal for dog owners’
Name: Saint
Breed: French Bulldog
Age: 10 Months
Favourite food: Rodeo chicken treats
Favourite toy: Squeaky ball
Favourite local walking route: A walk around the Eco Park
Naughtiest habit: Throwing toys off the balcony
Best habit: His ability to make anyone smile
Best friend: He has lots of best friends that he plays with most days on the island
Most impressive trick: His ability to solve his dog puzzle, which requires him to search for and sniff out treats
Best thing about living on London City Island: The ability for him to play with and bond with other dogs every day
Saint the French Bulldog with owner Marco
Name: Fiji
Breed: Japanese Shiba Inu
Age: 2 years
Favourite food: Flatiron steak
Favourite toy: Tennis ball or anything fluffy
Favourite local walking route: The Basin
Naughtiest habit: I love to steal toilet paper and my mum’s hairbands
Best habit: I’m a very independent boy
Best friend: My wife Lola (Shiba Inu), my girlfriend Tora (Shiba Inu) and my boyfriend Sasha (Labrador mix) – what can I say? I’m a dawg
Most impressive trick: Walking on my back feet
Best thing about living on London City Island: Seeing my friends every day and saying hi to all the staff
Fiji with owner Simon
Name: Macy
Breed: Mix of Poodle and Shih Tzu
Age: 18 months
Favourite food: Human food – any. Dog food – Sainsbury’s Milky Bones
Favourite toy: I love chasing very bouncy balls
Favourite local walking route: Through the Ecology Park and the Dock Basin where, if I am really lucky, I find some discarded chicken bones
Naughtiest habit: Playing Russian Roulette with my ball on the 7th floor balcony
Best habit: I love to give a massive loving greeting when someone comes home, even if they’ve only been away for two minutes
Best friend: I don’t have favourites – I love everyone
Most impressive trick: Doing a flying leap to catch a bouncy ball in mid-air
Best thing about living on London City Island: Meeting all my doggy friends and helping all the humans make friends
Macy with her owner Diane
Fiji the Shiba Inu with owner Simon
‘The best thing about London City Island is the community of dog owners and dog lovers’
Doby the Cavapoo
Name: Doby
Breed: Cavapoo
Age: Nearly 3
Favourite food: Chicken
Favourite toy: Ball mad
Favourite local walking route: London City Island grounds
Naughtiest habit: None, I’m an angel
Best habit: Loves to play fetch and get attention from the hoo-mans
Best friend: Fave hoo-mans outside of the pawrents are Mark and Lillia from the Ballymore staff as they always have treats for me and are so lovely. My dog furr-end is Lilo, but we play it cool
Most impressive trick: Catches the ball mid air and does a strong high ten
Best thing about living on London City Island: I’ve been raised here and this is home. The best thing is the community of dog owners and dog lovers, the number of people who stop to give me some love or throw me a ball or give me treats is so amazing. They make my day every day
Doby the Cavapoo playing with their favourite toy
Name: Priya
Breed: Pomeranian
Age: 10 years old
Favourite food: Foie gras, cheese, quail eggs, blueberries and raw meat diet
Favourite toy: A Priya-sized duck
Favourite local walking route: East India Dock Basin and the Ecology Park
Naughtiest habits: Barking when the doorbell rings or someone knocks on the door, likes to over-eat the foods she loves, likes to go to strangers to ask for attention, food, or to be pet
Best habit: Generally very quiet and gentle, very obeying, loves cuddling and being pet
Most impressive trick: Playing dead, spinning
Best thing about living on London City Island: It’s dog friendly and the facilities
Follow Priya on @priyapompom
Priya the Pomeranian with owner Fan
Doby the Cavapoo
Names: Folly and Broadway
Breed: Rescue Pomeranians
Age: 6 and 4
Favourite food: Chicken
Favourite toy: Mini tennis ball
Favourite local walking route: Along the river and Trinity Buoy Wharf
Naughtiest habit: Always want to play
Best habit: Affectionate
Best friend: Loves humans
Most impressive trick: Begs, spins, goes to a marker
Best thing about living in the local area: The variety of walks, the views and friendly atmosphere
Broadway and Folly the Pomeranians
‘Most impressive trick? Sniffing out and stealing secret treats from strangers!’
Loki the Cavalier King Charles
Broadway (left) and Folly (right) the Pomeranians frolic at London City Island
Name: Loki
Breed: King Charles Cavalier
Age: 18 months
Favourite food: I love all food but I’m particularly partial to blueberries
Favourite toy: My donut, it’s great for fetch and tug
Favourite local walking route: Every time my paw-rents take me to Greenwich Park I have the best day
Worst habit: I have to say hi to everybody on walkies, even if they don’t want to say hi to me!
Best habit: Evening time cuddles
Best friend: I have so many friends but if I have to pick one it would be my uncle Pete who lives next door
Most impressive trick: Sniffing out and stealing secret treats, especially from strangers
Best thing about living on London City Island: All the doggie friends
Loki the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with owner Jack
Words: Gemma Billington
Photography: Lucy Mohr
With thanks to all the dogs and owners for taking part
