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Summary

Availability: Mornings

Rates: £10 per walk

References: Yes

Insurance: Yes

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Services Offered

Dog Walking

Dog Sitting

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About Me/ Company

I began to fall in love with dogs when working as a kennel maid at the age of eighteen, with a goal to becoming a Mobility Instructor with The Guide Dogs for the Blind. Then fate took a hand and I met the father of my two amazing children - now grown up.

Now that my children have moved on, I am able to foster and adopt rescue dogs and offer walking and sitting services to others.

I volunteer for The Cinnamon Trust - a unique national organisation helping the elderly, disabled and terminally ill, look after the pets, and foster them when required.

Having owned various rescue cats and dogs over the past twenty years, I know how important it is that they get enough mental and emotional stimulation, as well as regular physical exercise. I get as much from them as they get from me, and there are fewer jobs more rewarding than caring for the most loyal and loving of creatures, the dog.

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Previous Experience

Full-time live-in kennel-maid for 2 years, caring for dogs and cats.

I currently walk a Basset Hound, walk and train a puppy Sprocker Spaniel and two wiry Jack Russells. See 'Other Info' below.

I fostered an amazing one year old Boxer-Staffie cross I named Aida, seen in my photos. She had been left in a home vacated by her owners, with an old broken belt around her neck, and nothing even to sleep on or drink. A local rescue group called me to ask if I would take her that night. She was a ball of energy, and for three months I walked her three times a day, trained her in the basics and finally found a great home for her with other dogs to play with.

I had my own miniature English Bull Terrier who was rescued due to the owners not wanting to take on his ailments. He had arythmia and developing heart disease, fitting regularly and was losing his sight, so quite a complex animal to care for. Unfortunately, he lost his battle with life two weeks ago. He is so so missed.

I fostered a rescued Jack Russel Cross for 8 months and now have a rescued 8 year old Staffie called Fred.

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Qualifications & Training

Experience is the best qualification. For instance my English Bull Terrier Harpo, came to me six years old, having absolutely no training of any kind, anxious and aggressive towards other dogs. He also ate all the poo he could find and cocked his leg up everything in the house. He pulled on the lead and had no idea what recall was.

A year on he could;

-walk to heel on the lead
-react well to recall
-when approached by another dog he looked at me and sat quietly
-sat, lay down, gave a paw, closed and opened doors and stayed when asked to. He also left treats alone until told to munch them.
-ate zero poo
-completely house clean
-as for anxiety he no longer cowered, hid under tables or was afraid of men.
-would take a treat like a bone or a carrot and take it immediately to a designated mat in the kitchen to reduce mess.

Our current pup, Zeppo has come to us with anxiety issues, mainly due to having had three owners in 14 weeks and also having been handled all of the time. Separation anxiety is the worst issue, but he is already progressing well. Other than that he is a super dog, who is child/baby and dog friendly.

Training and rehabilitation is about patience, persistence and measured love. Smothering, spoiling and not laying down rules and boundaries makes an unhappy anxious dog.

I continue to study reinforcement training techniques used by specialists such as John Fisher, Ben Fogle, Cesar Millan and Victoria Stilwell.

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Relevant Info

Current Fees; these are given per dog though each booking is looked at on a unique basis;

Walk only - £10 per walk

What sorts of things does the fee cover?

Experience, reliability and quality of care

My personal insurance as a dog walker/sitter with Cliverton

An all-weather dog walk of 40 - 60 minutes. If weather or dog health does not permit this then the walk is replaced by in-door activity, mind games and fun training.

Any petrol costs incurred by taking dog/s out to vets, or to woodland/open ground for walks.

Training of your dog/s. This is basic and based upon the teaching of of many specialists who provide literature and videos using positive and negative reinforcement training. Any further training is something I can offer separately.

Enrichment equipment, treats such as pig ears or slim rawhide chews, training treats such as sweetcorn or sausage, travelling crate, towels, laundry relating to outdoor activities.

Materials relating to research and better understanding of dog psychology and breed characteristics.

Training courses on dog first aid (tba)

Transport wear and tear related to my work

Advertising – on line and via leaflet drop

Administration & phone calls


I will only care for an animal that is fully vaccinated and has no history of biting. I will ask to see booster paperwork and prefer animal to be micro-chipped. Vet details will also be asked for.

I do not take the dogs off their leads/harnesses unless the owner has given me written permission and I am happy that the dog responds to my recall and obedience commands.

Full clean driver's licence.
CRB checked.
Non-smoker.