Hi! We’re Claire and James, a South African couple who’ve spent our entire lives surrounded by animals: big, small, fluffy, scaly, and everything in between. Back home, we’ve cared for dogs, cats, horses, cheetahs, tortoises, rabbits, and even hosted swimming lessons for penguins.

Now living in the UK, the animals may be a little less wild, but our love for them is just as strong. We treat every pet as if they were our own, with patience, affection, and plenty of playtime.

Our approach is simple: treat every pet with the same love, respect, and care we give our own dogs. Our two friendly dogs (Lupa and Truffle) are wonderful companions for visiting pups, and our large, secure garden gives everyone space to run, sniff, and explore. With beautiful parks nearby, daily walks are a must in our home.

We both work from home, so your pup will have at least one human buddy to interact with who will be watching them at all times. We can accommodate feeding and medication as necessary and if time and weather allows would be happy to include your pup on our daily walk with our dogs.

To assist your dog settling in we are happy to host a meet and greet or meet you in a local park if preferred. We also have a variety of toys to play with (Truffle loves to share and play tug of war). On top of toys, we provide treats (unless you'd rather we didn't) and make sure there is lots of positive reinforcement and patience with our more shy guests. We are a "dogs are people" kind of family so we allow dogs on the furniture (subject to your preferences) if they are lower energy and prefer a snooze on a bed or couch.

We’re new to Pawshake but not new to pet care; your pups will be safe, loved, and happy with us.