Most of us shop without giving much thought to what happens after we press the checkout button. We see something we like, we buy it, a parcel arrives and that is generally where the story ends. At Dog Desk Shop, the story is a little different.
Dog Desk Shop is the trading arm of Dog Desk Animal Action CIC. We are a social enterprise, which means we can sell products and earn income but there is a purpose sitting behind that trading activity. The shop exists to help support the wider work we do for dogs.
That distinction is important to us because we have never believed that animal welfare organisations should have to depend entirely upon asking people for donations. Donations are incredibly important and we could not do what we do without them, but trading gives us another way of generating income. We can sell something somebody genuinely wants to buy and use the income we generate to help us continue our work.
There is something wonderfully straightforward about that.
If you need to buy somebody a birthday present, you are probably going to spend that money somewhere. If you want something new for your home, need something for your dog or simply spot something you love, you are going to make a choice about where to buy it. Buying from a social enterprise means that an ordinary purchase can have another purpose attached to it.
You don't have to donate. You don't have to spend more. You don't have to buy something simply because dogs will benefit from it.
In fact, we would rather you didn't.
We don't want people filling their homes with things they don't need because they feel they are supporting a good cause. We want Dog Desk Shop to be somewhere you come because you actually like what we sell. We want you to find the perfect birthday present, something lovely for your home, something for your dog or perhaps just a little treat for yourself.
The difference is what happens afterwards.
Running animal welfare projects costs money. Veterinary care costs money. Food costs money. Transport costs money. Helping animals in practical ways costs money, and so does the less visible work that sits behind it research, education, advocacy and the work required to challenge poor practice and push for better protection for animals.
There are many ways of funding that work. Trading is just one of ours.
That is why every order matters, whether somebody spends £5 or £50. We aren't measuring the importance of a customer by the size of their basket. We are building something in which thousands of completely ordinary purchases can collectively help us do something rather extraordinary.
It also gives people another way to be part of what we do.
Not everyone is in a position to make regular donations. Some people prefer to support organisations in other ways. Some may never have thought about supporting an animal welfare organisation at all, but they might need a present for their mum and discover us while looking for one.
When your Dog Desk Shop parcel arrives, there is nothing particularly remarkable about the transaction itself. You ordered something. We sent it. You received it.
But somewhere behind that parcel is a much bigger story.
There are dogs receiving veterinary treatment. There are dogs being fed and cared for. There are people working on the ground to help vulnerable animals. There is research being carried out, evidence being gathered and questions being asked about the way animals are treated. There is work taking place every day that has to be funded somehow.
Dog Desk Shop is one of the ways we help fund it. It is also why we use the words Beautiful Gifts That Give Back.
We don't mean that buying a mug is going to change the world. We mean something much simpler than that. If you were going to buy the mug anyway, why not buy it somewhere where your purchase can do a little more?
That is what social enterprise means to us. It is retail with a purpose attached to it. It is generating some of the money we need rather than simply asking people to give it to us. And it is giving our customers the opportunity to support the dogs without necessarily spending a penny more than they intended to spend in the first place.
You buy something you love. We get to do a little more of what we love.
And the dogs benefit from both.