The Three of Us: Rachel Grindle

Rachel Grindle co-owns Ray White in Tauranga with husband Ian. She is the proud mum to two maltichon dogs.

Penny is 3/4 maltese and 1/4 bichon. Cherry is 1/2 maltese and 1/2 bichon. We got Penny first but wanted her to have a friend when we were not around. We are really busy people owning a real estate company. It has been a great move to get the second dog, and seems to have brought the puppy back out in Penny. We love them both equally, even though they are so different.

I did lots of research before buying the dogs. The mix of these breeds is very popular - they are such loving little dogs. And of course very cute. I like to keep their grooming up so they look white and mint.

We seem to see more and more dogs like ours in the Bay. It is great for children and teenagers to learn to look after another life.

We get the two dogs groomed every four weeks at Kiwipetz. The girls there do an amazing job.

Our dogs have two winter jackets each and a couple of T-shirts each. They also have a wee red suitcase (with a dog on the front) which holds their belongings if they stay away for the night.

They have gorgeous little beds with a special blanket each. In the lounge they have a day bed and bean bag with loads of toys.

We love Penny and Cherry so much - they are very important members of our family. Every Saturday and Sunday morning we go to the Med Cafe in Devonport Road. We enjoy the great coffee. Penny and Cherry enjoy seeing the people.