It's the family firm inspired by a poorly pet, beautiful XL Bully Barney. 

Barney's Bites, based in Bitterne, sells natural dog treats to keep your four-legged friends happy and healthy.

Christopher and Emily Lomax launched the business a year ago after discovering a link between Barney's diet and health problems he continually suffered.

(Image: New Forest Pet Photography)

READ MORE: The truck full of treats, serving up sugary delights wherever it goes

Emily said: "Barney was prone to yeast infections and hair loss and we couldn't understand why we couldn't get rid of these terrible infections.

"With constant trips to the vets and hundreds of pound later with no answers apart from buying expensive medication to try and treat the problems, which never seemed to work, we decided to change his diet.

"We started doing our research and wondered how we could possibly change anything to help the irritations and infections.

"We soon came to realise it was the additives and preservatives added into his food and quickly changed his diet.

"We still wanted to be able to treat him, but struggled to find natural dog treats that were reasonably priced.

"We decided to create Barney's Bites for this reason so people are able to afford to feed their dogs natural treats.

"We also wanted to give people the chance to shop a variety of different products that you might not be able to buy in your local pet shops."

(Image: Philips Photography)

Customers, who snap up treats for their dogs, cats and even the occasional ferret, keep coming back to see Chris, the face of the business, who can regularly be spotted setting up at Carlton Place Market, Shirley Market, Lymington Market, Petersfield Farmers Market, and Winchester Farmers Market.

Each treat has great health benefits for your dog or other animal and the team at Barney's Bites are always looking to source new and unusual items to keep customers and, most importantly, their furry best friends happy and healthy. 

"We are very proud owners of Barney's Bites and we take pride in making a difference to your pets health," added Emily, who works behind the scenes on packaging and marketing. 

(Image: Barney's Bites)