If you like your self-made British millionaires safe, steady and predictable, stop reading now. With Richard Upshall you can never be sure where conversation will lead.
He’ll be talking about one of his multi-million pound businesses, then somehow finish his story with “I've owned three sheep farms in Australia” and a discussion of his business interests in the United Arab Emirates wouldn’t be complete without Richard pointing out that he became Dubai's only qualified male league netball umpire.
Richard will proudly tell you he’s a massive dog fan, both in the sense that he’s a big fan of dogs and that the dogs he’s a fan of are generally massive, then mention that one of his six canine companions is a former protection dog from a royal household.
Attempt to second-guess this unfiltered entrepreneurial powerhouse at your own peril: he’s never less than one step ahead.
If you’re already thinking Upshall’s story is one that might sidestep humble goals, you’d be right. “My first goal was to own a Porsche 911 and be a millionaire by 30,” he says today. “I got my convertible 911 in when I was 28 and I was a millionaire that year. But then I thought: ‘What now?’”
Tell us all about all the dogs you've loved in your life. (this is your chance to tell us everything about your dogs, past or present. Names, ages, breeds - we want to know everything!)
I have had dogs my whole life! Starting as a young boy with two labradors. I had a black one named Heidi and a golden one, imaginatively named Honey, though both have long since passed. Then, when I moved to Dubai in 1991, it was not long before dogs once again became part of my life.
One of the challenges with Dubai is the huge number of stray and abandoned dogs, on top of the legitimate adoption dogs. Charities abound these days and many have struggled massively in recent years due to people leaving Dubai and irresponsible dog ownership.
Something I also see extensively in the UK, but of course, the scale in the UAE is much larger and I am pleased to see in recent years the authorities have taken steps to block the importation of working and ‘dangerous’ breeds to stop some of the issues.
My first dogs were for the most part what we call ‘desert dogs’, so mixed-breed mongrels. I had at my peak 9 of these around 1995 through to the mid-2000s. Some passed due to ill health, some through age and I have only ever bought two dogs.
One was a Chihuahua that went to my ex-wife in my divorce some years back and the other was 'the one’.
He was Ice, a Siberian Husky I just saw and fell in love with as a pup. Now, they as a breed do not tend to get past the age of 12, but Ice lived to 18 and was pack leader right up to the end. Indeed each rescue that came in and joined his ‘pack’ seemed to breathe new life into him.
In the early days I used to walk my dogs myself, over time I became busier and travelled a lot more and found myself in the fortunate position to have full-time help. Suresh has been the centre of that for the last decade or so, assisted by Dulaj.
Both herald from Sri Lanka and work hard running my household, which does kinda run a bit around my current pack of 6 dogs
Ice passed away in 2018 and the leadership was taken over by Charlie. He was picked up from the Dubai charity K9 Friends about 10 years ago. Half Siberian Husky and half German Shepherd he seems to have picked up the best characteristics of the two breeds and makes for a great, firm, calm pack leader.
He was dropped with the charity by a lady who claimed she didn’t realise different breed dogs could, er…, breed, so was an accidental puppy batch.
The ‘matriarch’, if you can call her that, is Crystal. She is a piercing blue-eyed, full blood Siberian Husky and as much a terror today as she was when I first got her some 12 years ago. She is mischievous and a dancer, whilst being very sweet and social.
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She will literally run rings around people who let her, even now, stealing anything from knickers to shoes for a game of chase and is a firm favourite with many of my friends. She again came from a Dubai charity, a puppy abandoned as Huskies without exercise or discipline is a liability in every way. This started the trend for my adoption of ‘difficult or problem’ dogs.
I next acquired Snow, again an abandoned dog, who it turned out was a Wolf-Dog. Huge aggression issues, she was a challenge to calm and discipline and took a very firm hand to ensure she could be socialised and trusted.
She is now probably the most loving of all my dogs and likes nothing more than a cuddle next to the sofa in the evening.
Then there is Lord Baelish, another abandoned adult dog. A seriously overweight Labrador. He was a challenge for different reasons, mainly around food. He is a lump, but he is now the right weight at 32kg and still pants like a freight train for some time during the summer walks.
Picked up from a private vet was next Lucy. She was very timid and has taken time to trust and does still now like to take herself away. Even though she is the smallest in the pack, she is by no means the one getting pushed around, she has bullied her way into the midsection.
Finally and most recently we adopted ‘Didi’. She was retired at 3 years old from the Royal Protection squad and has been a revelation to the people who supervised her resettling with me, as well as to me. She has had some issues around trust and how to become simply a pet. She loves my adult son and is for sure his dog, subject to my being the boss of course.
They are all walked twice a day, 5 days a week. Once or twice a week, a walk of a minimum 5km, mostly during the mornings. My team take care of that and grooming, feeding, cleaning and maintaining. I am the Boss and they all know that.
It is interesting to watch the pack interact with my kids, staff and friends and treat them very differently. Having fun, loving and playing with them, there is no doubt who is the alpha though and this works very well with 6 large dogs all between 20-40kg and working breeds.
You're obviously a huge dog lover. How long have dogs been a major part of your life and how would you explain the importance of dogs to someone who hadn't ever experienced the joy of a canine/human relationship in their life?
A home is not a home without a dog. I really believe that and love having them even with the challenges. Discipline is very important with large working breeds as well as giving them the opportunity to be all they can be by caring for them responsibly, feeding them well, working with them (some of them beyond walking with stimulation and games) and of course, rewards!
What are your favourite things to do with your dog(s)?
Evenings sat quietly with them, all taking turns to spend time with me in their own ways. I do get this during the day too, as I mostly work from home these days, but evenings are my favourite time. That is also when they get their daily treats, which can be a deers ear through to a dentastick, it varies.
You have a really interesting career. What advice would you give to the many people who wanted to follow your path in career terms? What are the absolute best (and worst) things about your work?
Being focused is the key to success in being an entrepreneur and don't give up. I have lost more money than I have made and I continue to make mistakes, thankfully less with experience. Always have a partner who is completely bought in and has the same exposure as you, if you choose that route.
Surround yourself with people who offer relevant advice and observation and listen to all of the feedback as objectively as you can. Take a moment whenever possible to think about things from the viewpoint of others, your viewpoint is never objective.
I wished I had this skill some years ago to the extent I do now. Read others' stories, go on courses around thought processes and be kind, even if sometimes that may mean being hard.
Here are our quick-fire questions, are you ready? Which do you prefer and why?
Big dogs or little dogs?
Big dogs, I've always had them and they suit me.
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Calm, relaxed dogs or dogs who live at 100mph?
A mix of both, manage the pack and you can have both, I do.
Dogs who do as they're asked most of the time or dogs who do pretty much whatever they like whenever they like?
A mix again, dogs are individuals so ensure you are the boss. They must respect you, though it doesn't mean you cannot have fun and sometimes just letting them have some leeway pays dividends.
Dogs who love to walk by your side or dogs who like to race off and cover ten thousand yards in 3 seconds?
Dogs that do as they are told when out and about. They can always runoff, as long as they respond on (or close to) a command as much for their own safety as anything else.
Days off or days at work?
I mix the both constantly, I guess I am lucky to be able to do that, the world though is changing and I believe we all may well have the chance at this in the future in some way. If you don't like what you do, create the opportunity to try something else.
The fastest route or the scenic route?
Always scenic if time allows.
Nighttime or early morning?
Early morning to get things done, night time for friends, loved ones and indulgence.
Describe the last time you laughed out loud because of something you saw a dog do?
Honestly, with my lot, it is hard to have a day go by when something doesn't happen… The misbehaviour is probably the thing and the dog enforced guilt they have.
I have 2 who take themselves off to reflect when they have done something wrong, jumped up or barked inappropriately. The abject concentration at treat time though is something that always makes me smile, 6 large dogs whose total attention is on me until the treats are dolled out.
What do you like to do in your downtime?
Watch decent TV shows or movies has been something I enjoy during my downtime.
Let us in on a secret that very few people know about you?
I am a massive One Direction and Justin Bieber fan.
What is your current favourite…?
TV show?
1883 (USA) Vera (UK) - I do have a Penchant for UK police-type shows.
Album?
The Drama - Scorcher.
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Film?
Ray Donovan, The Movie.
Website?
Instagram.
Animal charity(s)?
It is important to look after animals of all types, being pragmatic though my support is more for the poor and needy humans around. Especially in times like now with spiralling costs and disgraceful state of modern rich countries populations.
If you had to choose just one, what product or service would you say has most changed your life do you think and why? (can be technology, beauty, food, pet-related, book, anything)
It's the internet for sure and the Apple Universe works well for me.
Tell us about some of your most memorable moments from your work?
Providing people with the opportunity to be successful, whatever that means to them. Obviously, there is money and a lot of people in my life have become wealthy. There are also people who didn’t know what they wanted to do or be, who have now found direction and success.
Those are the moments and they continue to come thick and fast through life and my involvement in corporate business, music and just interactions with people around me.
Finish the following sentence, "dogs are…."
Hard work and rewarding in so many ways, they are family.
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And finally, this is always a tough question and often requires some serious thought….If dogs had the ability to speak and you could ask your dog just one question and one question only, what would you ask them and what do you think that they'd say?
"Why do you love me?" I would guess the answers vary. I'd like to think though, that if you love them, they’ll love you right back.
This is an opportunity to talk about any causes, projects, business ventures etc that are important to you and you'd like us to tell our readers about.
I do think responsible Dog ownership is a major issue across the world and it is a tragedy that it still is not treated in such a way by Governments. Much more should be done to ensure dogs are homed and raised properly and control of that should be put in place.
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Some countries already take steps to manage this, a lot more could and should be done around that. Certainly, until numbers thin in shelters the sale of breeds and control of breeding should be monitored and people who ‘buy’ dogs should be made to pay a levy towards what happens if they do not honour the 10 year plus commitment.
Dogs cost a lot of money as well, mandatory insurance would be a great place to look and that insurance could expand to rehoming a shelter costs too. If you cannot make the commitment, don't have a dog.
