Best in show WE'RE DOGGED FASHIONISTAS

The stylish mother and daughter are yappy to swap gumboots for glamour

- Leena Tailor

When clients show up to Hamilton doggie daycare and kennel Petite Paws, they’ll often find owner Anna Campbell and her 26-year-old daughter Eleanor knee-deep in dirt, chasing canines or cleaning up their mess. But when they finish work for the day, they can transform into glamorous racewear catwalk queens – and they are almost unrecognisable!

The mother-daughter duo, who are regulars at the races, love to dress up and their skills have seen them both deepen their bond and win global fashion titles.

“It’s such a neat creative outlet, going from the farm clothes we’re dressed in 90 per cent of the time to full glamour,” says Anna, 53. “People are getting hair and make-up done before these events, while we’re out there picking up dog poo, carrying around wet dogs, then doing our own express hair and make-up!”

“Life would be pretty boring if we never left the farm or got out of our dog clothes,” adds Eleanor.

The glitz of the races is a world away from Anna’s farm upbringing, where the former “tomboy” recalls wearing bread bags over socks and gloves to keep them dry – “obviously this isn’t where the fashion interest started!” she laughs.