Horsham-based family business looks to slay a Dragon on Dragon's Den

Peter Maxted and Chris Maxted from the Dog-G8 Company

Father and son, Peter and Chris Maxted from Horsham will enter the Dragons’ Den (BBC One February 9 8pm) this week seeking out investment for their company which manufactures retractable, portable safety gates that are designed to fit almost any configuration, notably the front door, to prevent dog escapes and the risk of dogs potentially attacking postal and delivery workers.

The Dog-G8 gate was the inspiration of Peter Maxted, the founder of the company who has been a pet sitter for over 20 years and a dog owner for the same amount of time.

He was very aware of the risks associated with dogs at front doors e.g. escapes, attacks, thefts and although there were other gates on the market, he felt they were inadequate and ineffective enough to work for all breeds.

He therefore decided to design and sell his own version so he could keep his and client’s dogs safer at the front door. Peter’s son Chris is also a director in the business and has been working alongside Merseyside Dog Safety Partnership and the University of Liverpool to raise awareness of dog attacks and their impact on delivery workers.

The Dog-G8 product is British made and features a modular, retractable, and portable design. The product is incredibly versatile and can be used on multiple configurations ranging from the front door to stairways, hallways, motorhomes, caravans and more. The gates modular design enables it to be spanned to any width, allowing the gate to be fitted to the widest of configurations such as patio doors or extra-wide openings where standard, conventional gates cannot fit.

The gate is made from mild steel, coated in chrome or white powder coat, bolted together with bespoke, customised clips which give the gate strength and durability.

When the gate is not in use it sits flat and compact to one side it’s neat, unobtrusive, and out of the way. Finally, it is removable, enabling it to be easily stored away or docked to other configurations (if extra brackets are purchased).

Since launch the company has seen massive growth and now sells directly to customer in the UK, Canada, United States, and Europe. The product went viral on TikTok & Facebook attracting over 80 million organic views across all videos (search dogg8co to view) and they attended Crufts last year for the first time where the product was well received. The Dog-G8 Company were the Theo Paphitis' Small Business Sunday Winner in March 2021

The Dog-G8 Company is working on bringing out new variants of the current products. The business will launch a taller version of the gate within the next few months, ready for Crufts 2023, alongside offering customers a range of new colours. Now only two colours are available, Chrome and White in one height.

The business is looking to widen its distribution network by targeting the trade and wholesalers in the next year and is looking for investment to fulfil their ambitious plans for the future. Tune in to see if they can find a Dragon to invest in their business

The gates are available to buy directly from dog-g8.comPrices start from £62.95 for a standard gate and come with a range of accessories, extensions and brackets.