Beady eyes, dog lovers and Barbour enthusiasts will have read Barbour Dogs blog post on us last week, but we've had to keep it quiet for a whole month.

Our Managing Director, Patrick, lost his spotlight when Barbour came for their visit, and we managed to snap a few behind the scenes photos of the shoot, when The House of Bruar's resident dog, Delphi, took over the store for a day and made loads of new friends. 



Delphi is Patrick Birkbeck, our managing Director's, Cocker Spaniel. She is three years old and a trained gun dog, frequently accompanying Patrick out on the hills during the shooting season. She loves coming into the store and seeing all of the team, a true motivator with an ulterior motive of looking for snacks. Barbour Dogs have been running a feature focusing on independent stockists of the Barbour brand, and as we have the widest selection in the UK, they travelled to our Highland location to photograph Delphi in some of her favourite locations in and around our store.

Sometimes I get to work in the store hand
(or rather paw) testing all the dog toys and accessories, that way I can help customers choose a treat for their faithful companions.

For the shoot, we had to briefly break our 'no dogs allowed in retail buildings' rule, though Delphi behaved during her stroll through the store and helped out by greeting our customers. 




We loved having Barbour in-store with us, giving Delphi the spotlight that she deserves.

You can read Delphi's interview with Barbour here - 
 

Introduce yourself and tell us what breed you are?

My name is Delphi, I'm 3 years old (21 in dog years) and I am a Cocker Spaniel.
 

Tell us about your store?

My store is The House of Bruar in Scotland. It’s the perfect stop on the A9, especially for dogs. It is very dog-friendly, we love the special walking area just for us and we even have our own car park with a special cover for the sun. The courtyard is great too, I love sitting out in the sun and speaking to everyone that walks past!
 

What makes your store unique?

The House of Bruar has an authentic country feel to it, inside and out. From the Clothing Halls to Present Shop and even its location, the store is a gateway to the Highlands in every way. The team always give the warmest of welcomes to everyone, including me.
We also have a brand new Fresh Lobster Fish and Chip shop, which offers a variety of different takeaway dishes. If I put on the puppy dog eyes, sometimes I can get someone to share.
 

What is your role at the store and what does that involve?

My current role is Staff Motivator, which involves me running around the office gearing everyone up for the day. I also go around greeting everyone and seeing how they’re getting on, which usually earns me a biscuit (or two).  Our Managing Director, Patrick, calls me a distraction but I think he should give me my own office.

Sometimes I get to work in the store hand (or rather paw) testing all the dog toys and accessories, that way I can help customers choose a treat for their faithful companions. I’m not allowed to work the tills but I love talking to all the customers, especially the small ones.
 

Who is your human and what is their role at the store?

My human is Miss Bea, who is 5 years old. Even though her father Patrick –our MD – likes to think he’s the boss, I think he secretly knows Miss Bea is in charge of both of us.
Miss Bea and I help out during the annual catalogue shoot; we aren’t professionals, but I like to think we are natural models.
 

What is your favourite part of the store and why?

It has to be the pet section; there are so many great things for me to play with. We have a collection of Tweed accessories and toys, like beds and rugby balls, which have that perfect Scottish feel. I’ve tested them all out so I know they are the best.  There are so many great departments in the store but I’m not sure anyone would appreciate me getting fur over any knitwear.
 

In your downtime from helping at the store, what do you most like doing?

When I’m not helping out in store, I love playing with Miss Bea. She is my best friend and she always knows all the fun games to play. She’s so full of energy and even manages to tire me out. People always say a dog is man’s best friend, but she is mine.
 
When the Country Sports season opens, I enjoy going shooting and am in my element in the field. I love the atmosphere of a good shoot day and the best bit is getting to roll in all the mud, I’m sure Patrick loves me rolling in the mud too.






You can shop our Barbour dog accessories in-store and online here.