I’m unsure where the last 3 months have gone, but it seems like an age since March 2020 when we made the decision to substantially reduce our dog walking clients in order to reduce the potential spread of Covid-19. It is now approaching the end of June and we have decided to resume our normal business operations across Kendal and the South Lakes. We’ve missed both our clients and their pooches, some of whom we’ve known for a good number of years now. 

Whilst the Government has relaxed its policy around Covid-19 and social distancing, we are still embracing precautions in order to keep ourselves and our clients safe. As standard, we are using hand steriliser, disposable gloves, and also masks where necessary. We are also keeping a safe distance from others out walking their dogs. So far, this is all working brilliantly. 

I tend to prioritise a dog’s happiness over their cleanliness when out walking as I know they’ll be clean after a good rub down. Langdale, however, always takes this freedom to the furthest possible point and searches out the muddiest pools, including water to jump, and on occasion, roll in.

I tend to reassure my dog walking clients that whatever the mess, I’ll do my best to return their canine companion dry and clean. With running a dog walking business in Kendal and the South Lakes area, I spend a lot of time with a towel in my hand drying muddy paws. 

Posh Pooches Walk would like to wish all our lovely clients and their canine companions a fabulous 2020. To celebrate the New Year, we took our family, including Langdale, fell walking. Silver Howe and Rydal were beautiful despite the persistent  mist. Langdale had a good run and thoroughly enjoyed the water. Our dog care and dog walking service in Kendal and the South Lakes area resumes from 03rd January and we look forward to seeing our clients and their dogs. Happy New Year! 

Snow is a bit like Marmite, you either love or you hate it. I fall into the first category and am always the scout through the front door, without fail, should it ever snow. I inevitably have the children with me as well as the dog! Langdale, like so many pooches, adores the snow and for her, it somehow transforms the green golf course into a white playground where she can run, roll and dig, until exhaustion calls for a slow walk home. 

As the owner of a dog walking business in Kendal and the South Lakes, I walk dogs with varied personalities, but the one thing they all have in common, is a love of snow :) Enjoy the snow whilst it lasts. 

As a Kendal and South Lakes dog walker and sitter, I am a big fan of positive rewards. The rewards, which accompany my kind words, are only ever healthy treats, so no matter how young or old, fit or unfit your pooch may be, you can be absolutely sure that I will only ever feed nutritious vegetable based snacks to reinforce good behaviour.

The snacks, which I always have in my pocket whilst out dog walking in Kendal and the South Lakes area, comprise crunchy carrot sticks, roasted sweet potato chunks, and Whimzees veggie sticks, I've yet to meet a canine who does not love their veggies and with these snacks I know they are healthier and free of nasties, which often lurk in commercial dog food. I am always happy to share my canine healthy eating tips with dog owners, and not least, since I have fed my own beloved pooch a home-based diet for the past 10 years.

Many of us appreciate the all-encompassing role social media has in our lives in 2018 and this can easily be seen from a quick look at many dog walking and dog sittings services in the UK, which use Facebook (in particular) to post and share photographs, with live updates of dogs in their care.

As a former criminologist, this simply astounds me. We know that dog theft is a major area of crime so why would anyone with such acute responsibilities for safeguarding the dogs in their care turn to social media to publicise not only their images, but also updates (often live) of their whereabouts...this then inevitably links to the family whom have guardianship of the dog. One does not have to be a detective to then determine 1) where the dog lives, 2) where the dog is regularly walked. This is all the information dog thieves need via social media to target their canine victim(s).

Let's be honest. The main reason dog walkers and sitters turn to Facebook is to a) advertise their businesses and b) for the sheer convenience of providing families with updates of their canine companions. I doubt very much that many dog walkers think of the safeguarding risk with Facebook. But they ought to...they have a duty to keep dogs in their care safe. As a professional dog walker in Kendal and South Lakeland, it is my duty and responsibility to put the welfare of my dogs and their families above my profits. And that is why, I will not use Facebook to share images or updates of the pooches in my care. 

DogLost offer some fantastic advice to keep your pooch safe from theft, simply getting lost, or escaping from your premises or care. Over the years, we have followed much of this advice with our own pooches and with the exception of one occasion when one of our girls was stolen from the care of a lax relative (we did get her back!!), the advice has never let us down.

IDENTIFICATION

• Ensure your dog’s tag contains – owner’s name, postcode, and at least one contact number.
• Ensure your dog is micro chipped – and that details are up to date.
• Dog tattoo – a permanent and visible means of identifying your dog. The National Dog Tattoo Register can provide more details.

NEVER

• Tie your dog up outside a shop
• Leave your dog unaccompanied in a car
• Leave your dog on its own in the garden
• Give out information about your dog to strangers

DO

• Use an extending lead if your dog’s recall is poor
• Vary the time and location of your walks
• Walk with a friend if you are worried
• Increase your house security – a crime prevention officer will advise you
• Consider a GPS tracker collar

Kendal is an amazing place to be a dog walker! It offers a rich variety of walks for pooches through woodland, across fells, along rivers, and even through an urban maze of streets should your 4 legged companion prefer the latter. My personal favorites include Serpentine Woods and the Helm...two areas which are vastly different, yet both appeal because dogs simply find the terrain exciting and stimulating.

There are times when most of us need help with walking our beloved pooch. I know firsthand just how important it is to find the right person to whom we can entrust our dog to their care and responsibility. Safety is the first priority, closely followed by the utmost level of care, dignity, and respect, all elements, which ensure our canine companion has a fun adventure in our absence and then returns to us contented and happy.

As a dog walker, carer, and sitter in Kendal and South Lakeland, I strive to provide exactly the same level of dedication and care to those dogs whom are entrusted to me, as I would my own beloved pooch of 14 years. There is only one dog sitter I would ever leave my own dog with and that's simply because she knows the exacting standards I set for my dog to be cared for. Similarly, I take those standards and provide them on a professional level to my business, Posh Pooches Walk. I want both canines and humans to be 110% happy with the service I provide.

 

It's true, I am barking mad not to have started my own dog walking business in Kendal and South Lakeland sooner. I adore dogs, I am passionate about animal welfare, and I love the great outdoors, so I suppose it was really just a matter of time before I established Posh Pooches Walk. 

I admit one needs to have a love, or at the very least, a tolerance of lousy weather because as we know, it's not all sun, flowery dresses, Prosecco and factor 50, in Kendal and the Lake District. Dogs, whatever the weather, need a walk, galloping or mild exercise, or a simple pee run. Fortunately, I have the kit...not just for balmy summery days, but also that for inclement and quite frankly, hideous weather.

But that's the thing. No matter what weather, I revel in being a dog walker in Kendal and South Lakeland. Canines are among some of the most gracious, perceptive, and affectionate creatures on the planet, so dedicating quality time to their welfare to enhance their daily routine, is a privilege.