Have you ever seen a pile of pups in the basket of an electric bike? Chances are, if you live near Southwark Park, you’ve seen Lydia Maxwell, the founder of DogBoxx, doing just that.
DogBoxx is a dog walking service in SE1, Maxwell tells us how it “started as a lockdown project in 2021” when her teaching work had reduced dramatically. She was “bored and stuck” until a dog walker friend put her in touch with a few pups and suggested she got a bike – “she was very much my inspiration”.
She says: “I started that summer with three dogs and a second-hand pedal-powered cargo bike. I now have a client list in the thirties, two electric cargo bikes and a new colleague that started recently.
“I’ve quit my other jobs as there just isn’t time. I was lucky to get some funding from Team London Bridge to help buy the second bike.”
But, how is it cycling the cargo bike with the pups in tow? Maxwell tells us it is mostly fun: “They love the smells and being out in the fresh air.
“It can get a bit stressful when we pass other dogs as they sometimes like to shout and tell them who’s boss. The looks on people’s faces as we pass are fantastic, especially now there are two of us. When we travel in convoy it looks like some mad circus train.”
The best thing about dog walking is being out in the fresh air – rain or shine, she says. Adding that it’s hard to ever be in a bad mood when the dogs are playing and getting into mischief.
They walk twice a day, morning and afternoon, and they always do a full hour of walking and playing in Southwark Park.
Maxwell says their morning crew is generally the high-energy, bigger dogs. It’s lots of “ball chasing and zoomies” with a gang of Spaniels, Whippets, Terriers and more. Then, the afternoon is usually more chill, with Dachshunds and small toy breeds, “a gentler crowd”.
‘The looks on people’s faces as we pass are fantastic. We look like some mad circus train’
DogBoxx chose Southwark Park because “it’s the only big area of green space where the dogs can really let rip and race around,” says Maxwell. “That’s the great thing about the bike: we can get there really fast, instead of being constrained to the smaller parks like Tanner Street Park or Leathermarket Garden, then the dogs have a whole hour to go nuts.”
Plus, it’s “such a beautiful spot”, she adds, “I love the mature trees and the great social history of the place. There’s a sense of being a tiny part of something much bigger.”
As we approach summer, the park is looking extra green and people begin to picnic, it’s truly a time when parks come to life. We ask Maxwell, what is your favourite thing to do in SE1 when the sun is shining – apart from walking the lovely pups? “A stroll along the Thames Path with a few cold drinks at some of the lovely pubs is the perfect afternoon.
“I’m especially fond of the Rotherhithe Village area. We got married at Brunel Museum last year, so it holds a very special place in my heart.”
Dog walks are £17 with pick-ups from your door in London Bridge, Tower Bridge and Shad Thames areas.
Follow DogBoxx on Instagram @dogboxx.walks
Photos by Honor Elliot
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