Binky Felstead on the highs and lows of dog ownership

Alexandra "Binky" Felstead is an entrepreneur and former Made in Chelsea castmate, appearing in 159 episodes of the E4 show. She and her family welcomed their dog, a beautiful Hungarian Vizsla called Pedro, into their home in 2020.

Binky is now teaming up with pet-food brand Royal Canin for their "One in a Billion" campaign, which aims to reduce puppy owners’ feeling overwhelmed or anxious by offering a single source of credible puppy advice. She talks to us about the highs, lows, rewards and challenges of owning a puppy, and shares some tips for other puppy owners.

Max [Darnton, Binky's husband] always wanted a Vizsla, so when we got the house and the garden and everything sorted, we did some research and found a lovely breeder based in Scotland. Max was in charge of everything, so a few months go by and the next thing I know, we've got a puppy!

I've grown up with animals all my life, and I'm so glad I have. I love the fact that I was never afraid of any animals. Although you do obviously have to be careful when introducing children to a dog they don't know, because you don't know how it’s going to behave, it always saddens me when I see children scared when they walk past Pedro. I think it's great for kids to learn how to look after an animal.

And obviously for us, as a family, it's brilliant because we take Pedro for so many walks. It's a bit of a family bonding experience getting out in the fresh air; taking Pedro for a walk multiple times a day is just really lovely.

I think the most challenging aspects with Pedro were when he was a puppy. He was pretty hard work. He was never aggressive, but he was quite bitey as puppies are, constantly pulling out your clothes and putting holes in them, which is very irritating. He chewed the furniture—my sofas are barely standing up; their wooden legs are shredded.

Obviously, the dog training in the house, peeing and pooing, was quite stressful. And also, he’s very playful, so his jumping at strangers in the park and running off was always quite scary. So, that's definitely the most stressful.

The most rewarding, I think, is just seeing how amazing he is with the kids. He is so calm, so protective, so loving, and we are his world. And, you know, they say “dogs are man's best friend”, and Max really is his idol. Max is the one that slept with him downstairs in the first few weeks of being at the house; he looks after him and takes him to the office, so Max is his life. But he's just a super, really gorgeous, happy little dog.

Pedro was with a friend on a walk, and she let him off the lead in a very safe park. However, Pedro found another dog who was running wild, and he chased this other dog through to another field. This field in particular has a 20mph road going through it, so Pedro ran across the road chasing this other dog, and as he was crossing the road this very fast van clipped the front of his head on the bumper.

Max got a call from the owner of the dog Pedro was chasing, and he managed to find a taxi luckily right outside his office to take him straight to the local vet, which was luckily less than a three-minute drive away. Pedro was basically saved on the table. Max and I went to go say goodbye to him, but as soon as Max walked in and gave him a kiss, you could hear Pedro’s heart rate on the monitor going up again —he was responding to Max being in the same room hugging him and came back to life almost, which was just insane and amazing. And he's got this really cool scar now that he likes showing off!

Now, we don't let anyone who's walking Pedro go anywhere near the road off the lead. It's made us super cautious about how you should never let a dog off the lead. Even if you know the area really well, if there's a cat or another dog, you just don't know if they're going to run after them—regardless of how well-trained they are.

As a new puppy owner, you're overloaded with advice from social media, magazines, other dog owners and friends, so finding a source of information you trust is so important and can be a real turning point.

I know what it’s like to be bombarded with conflicting information, so I would have really welcomed Royal Canin's "One in a Billion" platform as a new puppy owner. It’s a one-stop shop for new dog owners: a single source of credible information that is so helpful in navigating the early stages of your puppy’s life.

Take the time to create that special bond and trust with your puppy. Make sure your dog is getting the best nutrition in their early life and learn your puppy’s nutritional and energy needs so you can make the best decisions to support your puppy's continued health.