Steve

We are a couple with two grownup children who have been dog sitting for the last year. We have both had family dogs since we were children and lost our beloved labrador, Duke, in 2022. Since then, we have really enjoyed looking after other people's dogs while they are away. We pride ourselves on treating them as part of the family, as if they were our own. We particularly love having large breeds come to stay but will consider anyone! We are very active and enjoy long and short walks with our dog visitors, whatever they need. For safety and security, we keep the dogs on the lead at all times. We have a decent-size, very secure back garden which the dogs seem to love sniffing around in. 

There is generally always someone in the house so we rarely leave dogs alone for more than a couple of hours. Steve can work from home as necessary and Kaye works part-time. Our eldest daughter also works from home most days. We make sure our dog visitors have plenty of company, attention, love and amusement.

We do not have a dog of our own.

We will take a maximum of two dogs from the same household. We usually take dogs age 2 and upwards but are happy to discuss.

Generally we ask for a minimum two-night stay.

We can walk up to twice a day  morning and afternoon/ evening. Walks can be up to two hours in the surrounding countryside depending on the needs of the dog. We have a large estate car and are happy to transport dogs in it to walking locations. Equally, there are plenty of good walks locally that do not require a car.

Dogs are allowed on our sofas if that is what they do at home. We find it helps them to settle if we can replicate home routines.

We do not allow dogs upstairs in the house and have a stair gate for this. See gallery.

Owners should bring their own dog beds. We usually put these in the kitchen or living room. Often a dog will prefer the sofa, which is fine.

The garden is about 100ft long and fully enclosed and secure. There is a small wildlife pond which we sometimes fence off for dogs who like to swim! We love to play games, throw balls etc in the garden.

We ask that owners bring sufficient food and treats for the duration of the stay, any medication, and toys, blankets, towels, poo bags etc.

We love to take photos of our dog visitors and will happily share daily updates with the owners.