Peter and Chris Maxted, directors at Dog-G8 (©AAH/Alan Wright)
A family-run business in Horsham has been recognised with a King’s Award for Enterprise. Dog-G8, run by father-and-son Peter and Chris Maxted, received an award in the Innovation category for its range of unique retractable gates. AAH visited the company’s Roffey base to find out more…
What inspired you to establish Dog-G8?
Peter: The idea stems from our involvement in other businesses. My wife, Julie, ran Horsham Publications Ltd, producing community magazines such as the Horsham and Holbrook Pages, while I spent 30 years as a firefighter. With three children, we needed additional incomes, so established The Pets, Homes & Gardens Company, which provided pet-sitting services. Most of the dogs we cared for were no problem, but we used to look after two Pomeranians that tried to bolt every time the front door opened! We looked for a product that could attach to the front door to resolve the issue. Although one or two were available, they didn’t offer what we needed. So, I started to research and develop a new product…
How did you design something unique?
Peter: Many people use a baby or stair gate to contain pets in a particular part of the house. These fit standard size doorways and work fine, but in a house like ours – children coming and going and deliveries arriving regularly – it’s not always possible to keep pets away from the front door. So, our idea was to design a gate that could attach to the front door at one end and be fixed to a wall at the other, expanding as the door opened and retracting as it closed. We couldn’t patent the concertina mechanism, but could patent the modular links that we designed for this purpose.
Lewis Hawkes organises modular components (©AAH/Alan Wright)
Did it take time to perfect the product?
Peter: Initially, there were things that didn’t work as we had hoped. One early idea was to use hooks, so that a Dog-G8 could be increased in height or width simply by adding singular modules. However, dogs would eventually learn how to unclip these hooks, so we developed a more secure alternative. Another early concept was to use aluminium clips to connect each panel, but these didn’t give the gate a free-flowing concertina movement and were not strong enough to withstand the force of a larger dog. So, we made rigid steel fixings, concealed behind clips manufactured by Pentagon Plastics in Horsham. These are not only robust, but allow for a smoother action. There has been a lot of trial and error!
When did you launch your product?
Chris: We exhibited a Dog-G8 for the front door at the 2019 National Pet Show at the NEC. One pet-owner said she liked the idea, but wondered if it would fit her caravan. We realised that many people travel with their pets and there were other markets to explore. Today, about 30% of our sales come from motorhome and caravan Dog-G8s. We’ve also developed a Dog-G8 for doorways and stairs, and an extra wide Dog-G8 for patio doors, although the front door Dog-G8 remains our best seller.
Readers may remember your appearance on Dragon’s Den…
Chris: We shot some videos for social media, which were seen by a producer of the show, who invited us to apply. We finally filmed the programme in May 2022. We were grilled for over two hours, during which time the Dragon’s asked us how we were surviving financially. At the time, I was drawing a small salary while dad wasn’t taking anything from the business. The moment dad told them about his 30 years’ experience as a firefighter, the atmosphere changed, as they realised we were not chancers out to make a quick buck. We received two offers and accepted Deborah Meaden’s. However, four months later, we were informed that she wouldn’t be proceeding with the deal. We had inadvertently given figures based on the product margin, rather than the sales margin, and the differential proved enough for a change of heart.
George Palmer constructs a Dog-G8 (©AAH/Alan Wright)
How do you reflect on the experience?
Peter: At the time, we were gutted. However, giving up 20% of the business would have meant that any Dragon had a say in major decisions, and that could have impacted our desire to introduce new products and expand into new markets, particularly America, where we have seen promising growth. In some respects, Silvio Perna, Managing Director of Automated Wire Bending Ltd in Peterborough, has been our “Dragon”. His company has invested in robotics and played a pivotal role in helping us reduce costs, develop materials, and increase production.
You have now launched a new product…
Chris: We launched Cat-G8 last year, and that has gone phenomenally well, matching sales of Dog-G8. It uses a similar modular design and concertina movement and – as well as the front door Cat-G8 – we were the first company to bring a floor-to-ceiling retractable gate to market. We are adapting the design to make it narrower, as the modules are wide enough for kittens to squeeze through. My partner Harriet and I owned a pet chinchilla that could slip through the gaps, so we knew this was a potential problem! There are 11 million cats in the UK and we can’t accommodate them all, but we can certainly help most cat owners.
Harriet Roberts drives the social media campaign (©AAH/Alan Wright)
Why are your products not available in major stores?
Chris: Some have made enquiries, but we feel our products don’t suit larger retailers. It takes time to educate people about our products and if they just saw retractable gates in a camping chair-style bag on a shelf, they wouldn’t understand what it was. So, we sell directly to consumers online, in partnership with Shopify. Sales are driven through excellent reviews, a presence at trade shows and events such as Crufts, and innovative social media marketing, led by Harriet. On our website, customers can choose the height and width of their Dog-G8 or Cat-G8, and select from white, black and chrome materials, while we can respond very quickly to any queries. Also, we like the quality that British manufacturing provides and partnering with major retailers could create pressure to find cheaper alternatives. There is a market for cheaper products, but there are also those who love their pets and are willing to spend £100, £200 or more in some cases for a UK-manufactured product that will last for years.
And finally, to the King’s Award for Enterprise…
Peter: I tend to avoid awards, but I met another local businessman who had received the King’s Award for Enterprise in Overseas Trade. He had a photo taken with the King and I was really impressed. To apply, you need to have been trading for five years and to have demonstrated excellence in a particular field, in our case innovation. We also fulfilled a requirement to demonstrate a strong corporate social responsibility, by partnering with organisations such as the Merseyside Dog Safety Partnership, who help to address the problem of dog bites. We are all chuffed to have received the award, as it feels like a Royal stamp of approval. I’m now very excited about attending the Royal reception at St James’s Palace on 8 July. I also believe we’re the smallest company to win the award this year, although that will shortly change. We’ve grown from three members of staff to six in a matter of months and are now expanding into an adjacent unit too. So, it has been a long journey, but we are heading in the right direction, as pet owners all over the world discover our unique products.
Further information: Visit the websites at www.dog-g8.com or www.cat-g8.com
First published on 1st July 2026. Photos: Alan Wright Photography; Words: Ben Morris