I am in

the very fortunate situation of being at home all day after taking early retirement and so

I am able to give your dog 24/7 attention.

In the past I have been a voluntary worker/driver for the ‘Dogs 4 Homes’

in Shrewsbury where one of my duties was to pick up and transport animals to various places and to help with the rehoming of them.

I have also fostered special needs dogs while their ‘forever’ home was found.

Since as far back as I can remember as a child, I have always loved animals and have kept animals all of my life and when my three children were small I always encouraged them to love and care for animals and as most parents do, I’ve ended up with for the less pleasurable side of caring for animals by cleaning their cages etc.

The animals that I’ve kept included reptiles (including snakes), rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchilla’s, aviary birds and of course, dogs, cats and more.

In fact, I think that the only domestic creature that my children didn’t have was a tarantula………and I wouldn’t have minded if they’d have had one of those either!

My love of animals certainly rubbed off on them as they all keep animals now, albeit, not quite as many as they were used to when they were small!

I first started taking dogs in when I owned and ran a very successful guest house in North Wales.

The guest house was set in a beautiful mountainous area and my guests were primarily walkers, climbers, mountain bikers and sometimes artists and photographers.

I was one of the very few guest houses in the area that would take in dogs which made me very popular.

I had an enclosed compound made for the dogs on site and

I also had a ground floor letting room which I set aside for well-behaved owners and dogs that wanted to sleep with their owner.

My little dog Max, used to love me having dogs to stay with us in my guest house, as did I.

In the winter months, when the guest house was quiet, I would take to painting portraits of dogs that have stayed with me which hang on my walls at home now.

After I sold my guest house and moved back to England to be close to my son and daughter.

Being far too young to retire, and after talking to local dog walkers, I

decided to start walking dogs and started taking in dogs regularly and I found that Max and I loved it.

It was after I’d been dog boarding for 18 months that my Max became poorly and of course, I

had to stop taking in dogs to care for Max. It was heart-breaking to see him become poorly and deteriorate over eight or nine months and while I nursed him I then decided to make this very sad time in my life and turn it into a positive.

I am now free to housesit for people whose pets cannot board away from home.

The house that I live in now has been especially adapted to suit dogs.

All of the ground floor has a durable vinyl which is capable of withstanding any accident that may occur.

My garden is securely fenced and not so manicured so that your pooch won’t be disgraced if he/she decides to dig towards Australia!

There is a carpeted summerhouse that is always

open for shade or shelter from the rain, whatever the weather!

Administering medication is never a problem to me as I have done it for my lovely Max and others frequently in the past.

I have looked after 2 diabetic dogs and a cat, dogs with heart problems etc.

So you can rest assured that while in my care your dog’s needs will be fulfilled and you will come back to a very happy and healthy dog.

I love walking and he/she will be walked for at least 2-3 hours per day.

I have numerous different walks that I go on with dogs in my care, I will always keep them on their lead, however, with your permission, there is a field local to me where it is securely fenced all around and I may go ball throwing in this field.

My car is dog safe so rest assured that travelling to the walks that he/she goes on with me that your dog will be contained in a safe environment.

My suitability to look after either your pet or home is mostly down to my varied experience of caring for animals for many years.

I have had an enhanced DBS check and as for my qualifications, I have recently completed a diploma course in the pet care business named ‘Centre of Excellence Online’ or CEO.

I also intend to extend my services to include dog grooming once I have completed the course.