At Home with Tommy & Holly

If you’ve been following us on socials, you’ve probably seen this cutie grace our feeds.

Recently, we sat down with Tommy’s Mum, Holly, to get the inside scoop on how she keeps Tommy happy, healthy and entertained.

Hi Holly! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your adorable Staffy companion? 

Hello! My husband Dean and I are originally from NZ, we moved to Australia about 7 years ago - first Melbourne, then Perth and now Sunshine Coast. I work in HR and Dean works in IT and we both currently work from home so we can hang out with Tommy all day :) We are both big dog lovers, and so in 2021 we finally decided to get our own little nugget.

We chose Tommy because he was the chillest of the litter and he fell asleep on my chest <3 Tommy as you know is the coolest dog ever, ever since he was little we took him with us everywhere - on paddle boards, skateboards, scooters, to Bunning's, bars etc. He’s super well behaved and just wants to be with us. His favourite words are “beach”, “dog park”, “aunty” and “treats”. His least favourite words are “stay” and “finished” haha.

What's your favorite thing about being a Staffy owner?

 I think being a staffy owner is the highest level of dog owner, they really are like your children. I love the loyalty we get from Tommy and how he just lives to please us (and in turn we live to please him). I love how he can go from crazy energetic to cuddly in 10 sec.

What inspired you to start sharing Tommy’s adventures on social media?

I started up Tommy’s Instagram when we first brought him home, purely as a way to keep memories that we could watch again - we never set out to have heaps of followers, its just crazy! 

Could you share some tips for fellow Staffy owners on how to keep their pups happy, healthy, and entertained?

In order to get the most out of any dog, they need a lot more than just a walk and a meal each day - they need tonnes and tonnes of stimulation and new experiences.

"My biggest tip would be to show your dog new things, take them on new adventures, let them sniff on their walks. And when at home, we use our Happy Staffy Co enrichment toys a lot to keep Tommy entertained."

We'd love to hear about some of your favourite activities to do with Tommy. Any memorable adventures you can share?

Tommy loves all activities! Our favourite is probably going on road trips with him in the van, he loves it smelling and seeing all the new places. Anything to do with water he loves also, paddle boarding, surfing, swimming, going on boats, pool swims on floaties. Our most memorable adventure is our big road trip we did in the van from Perth to Queensland, where we took Tommy to all the best beaches along the way.

What are some of the essential products you rely on and use every day? 

Well obviously our Happy Staffy Co Bed, he uses every single day, our food and water bowl, the car seat cover is a godsend because we go to the beach nearly every day. And of course all our Happy Staffy Co toys - specific mentions to the Ronald soccer ball, Tommy shark, Tommy tug handle and the enrichment space feeder.

Have you faced any challenges or misconceptions about Staffies during your journey as a dog owner? How do you address them?

I think we have been shielded from a lot of negative challenges about staffies due to Tommy’s size, but we do get the odd person who crosses the street or becomes visibly nervous if Tommy is off leash and saying hello to another dog. Most of the time I just accept that these misconceptions are made out of a lack of understanding or awareness of the breed. I think the way we address the issue is by training Tommy well so that he sets a good example of how to behave, and not getting too caught up on people’s silly opinions. 

Finally, what advice would you give to anyone who is thinking about welcoming a Staffy into their life? 

I would say prepare for your heart to be forever stolen! And also prepare for the work it takes to own a dog properly. Its a big commitment, and if you are getting a dog, its your responsibility to give them the best life possible, which means doing more than the bare minimum. It’s hard work and you have to sacrifice a lot but it is SO worth it.

Check out Tommy's adventures on IG here.