liz norris and tinie the Dachsador
This food marketing consultant gives great career advice, and tells us what she loves about her sidekick
Words and pictures: Simon Glazin
Business cards might be becoming a thing of the past - they’re so old school now, aren’t they? - but they come in useful when you are running around, doing three things at once but spot an oh-so-cute dog strutting down the pavement. No, business cards are not going anywhere for me. If not for my business cards, I wouldn’t have these two delights on the site!
As Tinie walked towards me I knew I had to stop his owner, if nothing but to coo over him. The first thing you notice is his bulk, but you quickly notice that he is most definitely a mix of strong breeds. Owning two Dachshunds myself, I knew he had sausage in him, and it’s so clear that the other half was Labrador. His stockiness and face are unmistakably Labrador.
It wasn’t even Liz walking him at the time. An intern from her office was taking him round the block, so you can imagine what she thought when I ran up to her, basically screaming how amazing the dog was, and thrusting a business card into her hand. Luckily Liz emailed soon after, and I couldn’t wait to meet her, and Tinie again. It was so clear to see that these two are best buds. It’s like they finish each others sentences. Oh, and when you spend time with Tinie, you really get to see the very clear sides of his mongrel breeds.
Scroll to see more of Liz and Tinie, and to hear all about Liz’s job and what people say to her when they first catch a glimpse of him…
On life with Tinie: He really makes people smile, stop and ask one of these three question - what is he? Who was the mum? And how in the world did IT happen? He has got swagger and knows it, cracks me up daily as he’s full of personality… a Dachshund’s attitude and the bountiful energy of a Labrador.
I was looking for a Dachshund six years ago and came across a photo online of this cross and I thought a mini Lab has to be the best apartment-sized pup on the planet and could keep up in the park with the big dogs. He comes from Wales and thanks to Instagram, I’ve found a few of his siblings. I’d love to have a meet-up and see them together!
Having a dog means… you find joy in all things outdoors. Sunshine, mud, puddles, short walks, long walks, Tinie takes me everywhere. He’s part Lab so finds water to jump in everywhere we go, but he’s not the greatest swimmer with this little legs! The world is definitely a more beautiful and brighter place with him in it.
On what people say about Tinie: ‘Wow that’s a huge sausage!’ ‘Is that a giant Dachshund?’ ‘How in the world did that happen?’ ‘Is he a dwarf?’ There is now more than ever a mixed breed naming conversation - is he a Dachsador / Labrweenie / Doxielad? It goes on and on.
On work: I’m a Marketing and Branding consultant mainly for food and drinks brands. Who doesn’t love food and going out? So the fact I get to do this professionally makes me feel very lucky. I help brands create more memorable experiences and connections, it’s so much fun. I’ve worked with big restaurant groups, independents and now a gorgeous drinks brand called Botanic Lab.
On career plan B: Vet was the dream job. Plan B would be owning a restaurant. I have too many ideas so I need to land on one and get a business plan together..
On career advice: Contact brands that you are a fan of and just ask if they have any openings, you’d be surprised how hard it is to find passionate people when recruiting. Get on LinkedIn and network. Tell everyone what you’re looking for. I got a lead in a dog park once just by chatting away while we were playing with our dogs.
I started my own consultancy two years ago and I love it, no looking back! You find your own motivation and get to work with different clients so you keep your ideas fresh, your contacts new and you don’t get dragged into the day to day time suckers of permanent roles.
It’s important to make connections everywhere. If I go to an industry event or conference I try to leave with at least two new contacts. LinkedIn has been really valuable for me, my last two roles came from contacts here, so keep your profile up to date. Follow the brands you admire on social as they will almost always post opportunities on their own channels.
On the best piece of advice she’s been given: Be A Pineapple - Stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside (and sometimes spikey) - it’s why I used it as the name of my company.
On her daily routine: I’m a night owl and prefer to work late which isn’t great for the early starts. I work from home most days so I have to create a routine or else I’d be in my PJ’s all day. So I get up around 8am, check my email/social and then I go straight for my espresso machine. I make coffee, Tinie eats his breakfast and then we’ll go for a walk or a run. We frequent all the little parks around Kings Cross and if we have the time we’ll go to Regent’s Park armed with two tennis balls and a chucker.
Most of the offices I visit and cafes are dog friendly so he’ll often join me for the day and find a place to pass out under a table. I will have lots of meetings, phone calls and then come back home and try and concentrate for a couple of hours and do some actual work! I work in marketing so Tinie has featured in quite a few photographs for different brands and no surprise has more followers in Instagram than me!
Favourite Tinie tale: He saved my mum from choking once. She was eating a pear and it got stuck in her windpipe. He started barking and screeching which I never heard before so I ran down and helped her. Thank goodness he was there!
He can sniff out socks (clean/dirty) any where. He doesn’t ruin them just likes to separate them and brings them to guests that come over our house. He will go through a whole suitcase and touch nothing else and finds the socks, gently removes them and bring them to his bed.
He loves vegetables. He comes running if I’m peeling carrots or cutting lettuce. We joke that he’s a vegetarian. My friends were looking after him once and actually thought he was so they were afraid to give him any meat… we still laugh about it!
Favourite things to do in London: Eat. Drink. Repeat. So many amazing places in London, I’ve lived here almost 20 years and I'm so impressed with the scene. I’m always booking dinner-related activities all over London. Also I love Hampstead Heath, with a dog it’s a must-do and I pack a little picnic, meet friends and Tinie gets into the ponds for a swim and a long walk.
