Anja

Hello! I'm Anja; I'm currently located in Langley Park (a beautiful village about 4 miles west of Durham city), and it's great to meet you! I am the proud dog-mom of Pip (a mixed-breed male, 5 years old) and Darcy (a toy poodle girlie, 2 years old). I studied philosophy and psychology while at university (in 2022, I graduated with an MA in Continental Philosophy from Staffordshire University) and am currently working as an educator within primary schools around County Durham. However, one of my many passions in life is animals and animal rights.

Growing up in South Africa, I was always surrounded by pets: dogs of all kinds, cats galore, geese, chickens, fish, rabbits, etc. I have also been passionate about charity and volunteer work. Therefore, it was only natural that, while teaching at international schools in China for the better part of six years, my partner and I decided to do some good in our local community (especially in a country that was badly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020). We initially only volunteered to foster some canines from a local shelter and nurse them back to health, but after meeting Pip (a rescue puppy who had been badly abused and was too fearful and reactive to be taken in at the shelter), we fell in love and decided that he would never leave our side. Two years after adopting him and dedicating ourselves to tackling his behavioural challenges, we decided to get Darcy - a furry toy-poodle baby of only a few weeks old. She was very poorly when we first took her in, and she needed months of medical care, but it was so worth it! When we left China, they moved to England with us, and it is now quite clear that our dogs rule our household!

Even though I am working full-time, I have some spare time (especially during school holidays), and I'm very keen on meeting and taking care of new animal friends in my area. I have many years of experience with animal care (mostly with dogs and cats) and also worked as a pet sitter during my university years.

I offer dog-walking and drop-in visits/services for animals of all kinds (non-vaccinated pets are welcome), including but not limited to:

As a pet-owner, I know that saying goodbye to your four-legged children is never easy, no matter for how long or what reason. Let me put your mind at ease until you can see them again. 

When the owner's away, the pets will play!