Date posted: 1st April 2016

A Carshalton dog owner has admitted she is barking mad for spending more than £10,000 a year on her pooch.

Josephine Carter, 50, told the Sutton Guardian she splashes more money on pampering her chihuahua and kitting her out with luxury items, than she spends on herself.

The pocket-sized two-year-old hound, Queenie Woof Woof, has more than 30,000 followers on Twitter and even her own clothing line.

Ms Carter said she often wheels her spoilt dog around Beddington Park in a spangled buggy fitted with a chandelier.

She said: “Me and my daughter spoil her rotten, but she is well worth the money – or well ‘woof’ it, I should say.

“She’s three years-old in June and I have spent about £30,000 on her in her lifetime – way more than I have spent on myself.”

Ms Carter and her daughter Kelly Pearce, 27, run Licks of London – a clothing and dog accessory website which features the peculiar pushchair for pets.

The lucky pup’s luxury gear includes “luxury” poo bags and a diamond-encrusted pushchair.

She said: “What people need to understand is that these buggies, whether they are fitted with a chandelier or they are just a plain one, are not just for vanity – they are for protection.

“In the park, big dogs can attack your smaller dog, and if they get hold of the neck the little one could be dead in seconds.

“Simply picking up your dog doesn’t deter the bigger one from trying to get hold of it, but if you pop your pup in a buggy it defuses the situation.

“I tend to use the flashier buggy when I take Queenie to dog shows where she could easily get trampled on.”

One of Queenie’s most famous outfits was bespoke-designed by Cheam fabric shop Stiches Haberdashery and cost about £100.

Owner of the shop, Sarah Orru, said: “We loved working with Queenie, she is probably the most well-behaved customer we have had.

“Josephine laid down a special towel for her when she was in for a fitting, and she sat perfectly still on it. She is very much use to getting pampered.”