It is often said a dog is a man's best friend and people's love for the four-legged creatures has certainly helped a Walsall family establish one of the borough's most successful companies.
Colin Lane set up Ancol Pet Products in 1971 after the leather company he used to work at refused to back his idea to diversify into the pet industry.
It is a decision bosses have lived to regret as the business developed from humble beginnings in Lower Forster Street, specialising in dog collars and leads, into an international company with a multi-million pound turnover.
Just a year after opening the firm received its first export order and soon collars, leads, muzzles and harnesses were selling by the thousands.
By 1974 annual turnover was running at more than double the rate of the first year's trading with the order book continuing to grow.
In order to keep up with the growing demand for their products the firm moved to a new site in Leamore Lane, Bloxwich, where it is still based today.
This gave it the scope it needed to continue expanding at a rapid pace and by 1975 it had also started to produce items for cats.
By the end of 1976 space was again proving a problem and in early 1977 the firm acquired an additional factory in Leamore Lane enabling it to double the production area.
In 1984 the production team moved again and now occupies a 50,000 sq ft premises, a far cry from the 2,000 sq ft which was available in Lower Forster Street.
Ten years later in 1994 the company boasted an annual turnover of £4 million and in the same year acquired the world exclusive rights to use Teflon on pet products.
Teflon is applied to the leather during the tanning and finishing processes to form an invisible protection making the leather more resistant to oil and water based stains.
Today, the company continues to go from strength to strength selling a range of well over 1,000 pet accessories and food products.
Many of its internationally renowned products are available via high street shops and pet superstores.
