Merle Mania is only able to happen because of a few very dedicated people and businesses. Along with Mikki Wills the founder and director, there are the sponsors who take part in each event, priding themselves in being part of an amazing event. During Merle Mania: A Christmas Spectacle I was able to catch up with some of those fantastic people making this happen.
The first of the event sponsors was WeTrace: Pet Microchips. They’ve been around for three years and started the business to eradicate cowboys in the industry, bringing in a company people could trust. WeTrace supply quality tracking microchips to pet owners and veterinary professionals across the UK, supported with a 24/7 pet recovery service and a nationwide pet database. Their state of the art microchip technology gives owners the best chance of being reunited with their beloved animals should they ever be lost or stolen.
This was their second Merle Mania visit and said they were excited to come back because of the buzz that had built up. The best advice they could offer someone who’s thinking of visiting is to open your mind to what you could learn and to come and get involved. They noted that the event last time had shown a true community spirit and there’s no need to worry about coming to an event like this, that there’s no egos and everyone is welcome.
When asked what their goals were for the event, they were there to network with potential customers and to focus on their goal for the future of being the biggest microchipping service out there, ridding the community of unprofessionals and backstreet companies.
Our second sponsor was Rogues Collars, established in 2020 they specialise in providing bespoke dog collars, leads and harnesses. Rogues ensure that the accessories used for your pet are of the best quality possible whilst also ensuring they stand out from the crowd.
This was also their second visit and had come back because of how well the last event had gone.
They were anticipating a busy day of networking and meeting new people that were passionate about their dogs. Rogues Collars know that Merle Mania is the best event to be at if you want to network with potential customers and grow as a business as everyone is happy to stop, answer questions and have a chat with you - giving you ample time to get what your business is about to the customer.
Their advice for someone coming to Merle Mania for the day was to dive right in, bring everyone with you and see all the different breeds that come to the event. But most importantly, just have a good family day out.
Finally, we have LCA Pet Supplies. It was their first time coming to an event like this and when asked why they’d decided on Merle Mania, they said they’d have been too daft to pass up the opportunity. On the market stall that they regularly run - it was the most commonly asked question about whether or not they were going, as everyone and anyone was going to be there! At one point it was the only talk about the stall and if customers weren’t mentioning Merle Mania, then they were mentioning it to customers and they’d decided to jump headfirst into the opportunity presented. This was the event to be at.
LCA Pet Supplies are a recently founded company priding themselves in bringing natural dog treats to the market. They founded when they realised just how many chemicals and nasties are in some store bought treats. After a lot of research, they decided to launch an all natural treat box ready to share with all your furry friends. With LCA Pet Supplies you know you are giving your dog something they’ll love that is full of goodness at the same time.
They were here today to help educate people on the knowledge of what’s best for your dog and to help advocate making a change to buying food, treats and accessories that would be of the best quality and benefit your furry companion the most. They say the best way to see the world is to see it as your pet does and see that the community here are happy to invest in their dogs and treat them like royalty. Already planning their second visit, you’ll definitely be able to catch them at the next Merle Mania events planned.
Someone else worth mentioning at the event is Melanie Gelder from Notorious UK Bully Kennels. She is a renowned dog handler with over 5 years experience and has travelled all over the world to demonstrate her dog handling skills, going as far as Thailand and the USA - she’s even planned to take off in 2022 to Spain and mentioned the pure love she has for what she does.
It started when she’d got her own classic bully and started going to shows but she saw there was room for improvement and change in how people handled their pets in and out of competitions. With time, effort and a lot of research, Melanie was able to build up her skill set
enough for other people to want her to showcase their dogs and when she’d show them at competitions and events and handed the winning ribbon back to the dogs owner, it was one of the best feelings imaginable that she had been able to do that for someone.
Melanie was hoping to be able to educate people on how to improve their own handling skills and
wanted to be able to teach younger children especially the correct techniques to safely showcase a dog so that both owner and dog would be comfortable, confident and proud. She said for anyone interested in learning how to do this it was a case of asking questions, researching and going to shows to start building up a general knowledge to start you on the right path.
When asked about her goals, she said today she’d settle for Best in Show but overall she was aiming to get Grand Champ. Wishing you all the luck with that one, Melanie, you’ll smash it.
With an event backed by so many supportive and dedicated people, you can tell straight off that it’s definitely the event to be at if you’re in any kind of dog focused business.
They have people with years of experience there to share free knowledge, vendors who have nothing but pure dedication in their products and services brought in just for you and a supportive team that will welcome you with open arms as soon as you show your interest.
For Merle Mania 2022 - you’d be barking mad to miss out.