Paws 4 Trails Dog Walking

30/08/2024

Today was a big day for us as we start Roxy’s stem cell therapy.

It was an early start followed by a consultation and agreeing the treatment plan then waiting for the pre med to kick in so she could be prepped for surgery to have the first part of the treatment. It’s now an anxious wait for me whilst this happens.

So there’s no walks with my pals today. Thank you to my lovely clients who either swapped days or skipped a walk this week and for all of your lovely messages of support. I really do have the best clients ❤️🐾 #❤️girl

30/08/2024

A little pit stop on route to our vet appointment for stem cell therapy. She has been so good in the car and stretched her legs at the services, had a little sniff and then sat with me watching the world go by. Last bit of the journey now……. Watch this space for updates@later 🐾❤️

26/08/2024

Happy International Dog Day.
Let’s celebrate our dogs today ❤️🐾

They are only here for a short time but they touch our lives and hearts like nothing else and love us unconditionally, even with their quirks and funny ways. Our greatest teachers and the best companions.

What’s the three things you love about your dogs? ❤️

My top to three for Roxy
❤️ Her quirkiness
❤️ Her cuddles
❤️ Her playfulness

Share your photos and top three things you love in the comments below ⬇️ 🐾❤️

01/08/2024

💯 ❤️🐾
.secret.dog.walker

24/07/2024

I’m out of the office taking some rest and relaxation time.

All messages and emails will be responded to on my return.

Happy walking 🐾

22/07/2024

🌟 Proud to Renew my Yappily Membership! 🌟

I’m happy to share that I’ve renewed my membership with Yappily, The Ethical Dog Care Directory and have attained another year of accreditation.

This badge is a symbol of my dedication and support for the dogs and their guardians in my care ❤️

17/07/2024

💯 this ❤️

I originally wrote this 18 months ago, and while we rarely get as far as the graveyard on our walks these days, every word is still true ❤️ (well apart from the bit about it happening yesterday 🤣)



***

Yesterday, I was coming out of the graveyard with Alice and a lady was coming towards us with her dog. I asked if she would give us some space as my dog doesn't always like other dogs getting too close to her.

She smiled and said of course, she called her dog back and they both moved away from the gate.

I thanked her and we happily walked on past them with no drama. And she probably didn't think anything more of it, but I remembered it with gratitude for the rest of the day.

Because when you share your life with a dog who can be reactive, honestly, the littlest of helpful actions from someone else can make the biggest of differences to your day.

Today, we were up in a field and an off-lead dog the other side of the field was clearly going to make a beeline for us. So I called out to the owner to ask her to call her dog back. Which she didn't.

The dog charged straight towards us, and just as Alice was becoming a hot barky lungey mess, the owner shouted the oh so familiar line: "It's okay, he's friendly!"

Now I hate to be the bearer of bad news Field Lady, but it isn't okay, and your dog isn't friendly.

Your dog is over-friendly. Your dog is the fella in the pub who's had a few too many pints and is going round hugging everyone whether they like it or not.

Some people actually find the annoying drunk guy quite entertaining and start chatting to him. Some people just ignore him. And some people find him intimidating and wish he'd go away.

And if Field Lady had just called her dog back (or had him on a lead if she knew he was likely to not come back when called), then Alice wouldn't have had to let him know that she found him intimidating and that she wished he'd go away. In the only way she felt able to at that moment in time.

So don't be like Field Lady, be like Graveyard Lady.

And owners of reactive dogs, and older dogs with arthritis, and dogs recovering from surgery, and dogs who are in training, and dogs that just want a quiet life, and dogs who for any other perfectly good reason don't want another dog in their face - they will all be grateful to you 🙏

15/07/2024

Absolutely this ❤️🐾

.secret.dog.walker

21/06/2024

It looks like summer is finally here ☀️

Temperatures next week are set to rise so my plans are:

☀️ Start walks earlier - I will be in touch to confirm
☀️ Shorter walks (and the rest of time at home)
☀️ Home visits in place of afternoon walks (and when it is simply too hot to walk)
☀️ Walks may also be cut short if it becomes too hot or dogs are struggling

As always, my priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of our four legged friends and plans may change throughout the day.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

17/06/2024

https://www.lux-review.com/winners/paws-4-trails/

08/06/2024

Happy National Best Friend Day. Our furry best friends are simply the best 🐾🥰 They give us unconditional love, endless fun and adventures, the best cuddles and they are some of our greatest teachers. I bloody love the bones of this girl. She is my greatest teacher and we have a bond like nothing else ❤️🐾 Share your furry best friends in the comments below ⬇️ and let’s celebrate them today #❤️girl

07/06/2024

Sonny had a home visit today as he hasn’t been feeling very well. We spent some time snuffling for chicken in the garden and had plenty of fuss and cuddles. Roxy is recovering from the general anaesthetic and X-rays this morning and has been sleeping since we got home ❤️🐾

07/06/2024

As a walker of dogs that need space and the guardian of a dog that needs space this really resonates with me.

Over the past couple of weeks it’s been busier with people out with their dogs and I’ve had one too many encounters where people blatantly ignore / are oblivious to / don’t understand our need for space and continue to head straight for us or allow their off lead dogs to run over or stalk us from behind (some dogs also struggle with people approaching).

If I see you heading in our direction I quickly do a u-turn with my dog whilst trying to keep them engaged and I am trying to create more distance so they don’t get frustrated and/or react. It’s obvious I am moving away from you and your understanding and acknowledgement of this really is appreciated.

Likewise if I am in the middle of a field or hanging around the edges of a park, we need space and there’s enough room for everyone and no need to come towards us.

It sometimes feels like people like to test us (or their own dogs). This isn’t an opportunity for that either.

Some dogs simply need space to feel safe and to be able to watch and process from a safe distance.

Giving someone a bit more space and keeping their own dogs from running over really is appreciated and unless you’ve got a dog that struggles, you’ll never fully understand the difference this can make to the other person and their dog.

Please always give space. You never know how the other dog/person is feeling.

Thank you for reading 😊

I was on my normal walk today with Twig and Lucky, it’s a nice walk through a meadow by the river to a park in the middle of town. It’s busy with people and dogs (which mine love) and a mix of onlead and offlead dogs.

As I got to a narrow bit this morning, a saw a couple approaching with two dogs on extendable leads and as they saw me they shortened the leads right up and I could see that the people looked really worried about walking past me and my dogs.

I put my dogs onlead, took my dogs off the path into the undergrowth, and distracted them with food (made sure they didn’t look at the dogs) as the people walked past. If I had seen them coming sooner I would have asked them if they wanted me to move off the path. Not everyone feels comfortable to ask you to give them space but it’s normally pretty obvious when people are worried about walking past you and it’s easy to help them out.

The people and dogs walked past and thanked me for giving them space- no drama and we both went on our way.

I have no idea why they were worried about walking past me- the people may have been worried about strange dogs, their dogs may have been worried about strange dogs, the dogs may have been unwell or in pain or elderly or in season. Honestly it’s NONE of my business why they wanted space but it’s my job as a decent human being to be empathetic and respect that these people wanted some space.

I didn’t offer them advice, as it’s not my place. I’m sure we’ve all had unwanted advice over the years and most of it is awful. I bet every day they get told they ‘should let their dogs off lead’, or that ‘they were making their dogs anxious by making the lead so tight’ or that ‘they shouldn’t be walking in that place as it’s an ‘offlead’ dog place’.

I know people who’ve had reactive dogs carry on helping out other owners long after their own reactive dogs have passed away as they remember what it felt like. It costs nothing to try and make someone else’s day a bit less stressful. Even if your dog is totally fine with other dogs you can help other owners out who look stressed (and it’s none of our business why they might be stressed) by giving them space.

Laura McAuliffe, 2024 Dog Communication

07/06/2024

At the specialist vets for a CT Scan this morning. She fought the pre-med all the way! Now it’s a waiting game for me. Trying to do some work in the not so warm sunshine……. #❤️girl

03/06/2024

With temperatures getting warmer we need to take steps to keep our dogs safe, comfortable and cool. The health, safety and wellbeing of your dogs is extremely important to me.

I consider temperature, humidity, age and breed of dogs, whether there is a breeze/shade, how much time is spent on tarmac/pavements, etc. Each dog is an individual and some will start to feel the heat when temperatures are at the lower end of the scale.

When temperatures are going to be too hot to walk the following will be implemented (unless cancelled):

☀️ Walks will be moved to earlier in the day - ideally to be completed by 11am to avoid the hottest part of the day.

☀️ Where early walks aren’t possible, home visits will be completed instead.

☀️ If it becomes too hot or dogs are struggling on walks, these will be cut short and the rest of the time will be spent at home with them.

☀️ Walks will be adjusted and may be moved to on lead only to avoid them running around too much. Gentle walks and sniffing will be encouraged.

☀️ Where possible, walks will be done where there are areas of shade or near to water as long as it is safe to get there.

☀️ I also encourage you to advocate for your dog(s). You know them best and will know at what temperature they start to struggle.

If you have any concerns or queries, please speak to me directly.

02/06/2024

I am off on the following dates for time off or to attend training/workshops:

24/07/24 - 06/08/24 (back to work 7th August)

16/08/24 - 19/08/24 (back to work 20th August)

07/10/24 - 11/10/24 (back to work 14th October)

23/12/24 - 03/01/25 (back to work 5th January)

30/05/2024

It was a quieter day for walks today as Roxy was at the vets first thing to have an assessment for her hips/back legs. She spent the rest of the day sleeping ❤️

Sonny ended up with a rainy walk again but enjoyed all of the sniffs and playing catch.

Fred had some off lead freedom and enjoyed a bit of running and mooching. He also chose to ignore another off lead dog so we had a big party to celebrate.

Gracie had a leisurely stroll along the river through the quieter paths and long grass.

It was a bit busier out and about for Aslan’s walk so we spent some time just watching everything from a distance and practicing our emergency u-turns and let’s go cues which came in very handy when people ignored our obvious attempts to get more distance! ❤️🐾

28/05/2024

What a day it’s been! The rain was back and we all resembled drowned rats! (Some of us more than others). There were plenty of sniffs about today with the wet ground and everyone enjoyed having a mooch.

Mr B probably had the wettest walk he has had for a while this morning.

Fred got the zoomies in the long grass and decided he wasn’t wet enough so went for an actual swim in a stinky pond. It was the best day ever in Fred’s world 🤣

Sonny didn’t seem too impressed with the rain but had a little run about nonetheless.

Aslan did super well with disengaging from other dogs today. He struggles a bit when they are too close but has made some brilliant progress and he made some good decisions today.

Unfortunately Gracie’s first walk didn’t get off to a great start as she was charged at and attacked by an off lead dog when she was on lead 😢 Thankfully she has no injuries and being the lovely girl she is she didn’t fight back. We did go on to have a nice quiet walk and her afternoon walk was kept nice and calm. She doesn’t seem to be affected by it but we’ll be keeping a close eye on her to try and make sure she isn’t negatively impacted by it

27/05/2024

Bank holiday Monday walks with these beauts ❤️🐾 First out my girl and we did some mooching, sniffing and find it games in the long grass followed by a little potter about with her muzzle. Next up were Nala and Otis who enjoyed their walks through the fields - mooching, sniffing, jumping and running! ❤️🐾

22/05/2024

It was a wet dog (and dog walker) Wednesday 🤣 The sun came out briefly (for like 5 minutes) but it literally rained cats 🐈‍⬛ and dogs 🐕 all day! There was lots of splashing in puddles, lots of super sniffs, mooching, running and playing, raincoats and towel dry’s today ❤️🐾

18/05/2024

I always try and take notice of what has happened just prior to a shake off - it helps me to understand how a dog may be feeling ❤️🐾

JUST SHAKE IT OFF
Dogs constantly communicate through their body language.

A “shake off” is one of the many types of body language and is one of the easier ones to notice.

The shake off can provide us with important insights as to how our dogs are feeling.

Besides being a very effective way to get rid of dirt, pesky bugs and water - dogs can remove up to 70% of water in one single shake off - the shake off is often seen just after something that a dog needs a mental reset from.

It’s a way to flush out adrenaline and could be compared to us taking a deep breath to reset our nervous system and calm ourselves down.

Dogs instinctively know they feel better when they just shake it all off!

It’s their way of saying “Phew, I’m glad that’s over, now I can put it behind me and move on”.

Shaking off is a positive way to calm down, reset and cope with stress – be that negative or positive stress.

Sometimes a shake off could be due to an underlying medical reason like an ear infection, allergy, itching or pain.

If you notice a shake off, look at what has just happened beforehand. This will provide a good clue as to what it is that your dog needs to reset from.

17/05/2024

One on one walks for Nala and Otis today. We mooched through the fields, took in all the sniffs, played find it and some hide and seek and mooched back home. Roxy has had a quiet day on the sofa with some time in the garden playing games ❤️🐾 Join us next week for some more adventures. Have a great weekend everyone

15/05/2024

A little highlight of what I’ve been up to this week in my other job as a Mantrailing instructor ❤️🤣

Thank you so much to my customers for supporting me to have some time off x

10/05/2024

Friday fun with these pawsome pals today. We had walks through parks, fields and by the river with plenty of shady spots. Sonny enjoyed a little dip and splash around. Nala and Otis enjoyed some one on time with plenty of sniffs and Aela had a lovely walk around the park estate. That’s it from us this week. We hope you all have a lovely weekend and that it’s not too hot for the pooches. Don’t forget that I’m now away with Roxy on a 3 day Mantrailing mastery adventure and I’ll be back for walks next Thursday ❤️🐾

08/05/2024

Wednesday wags and wiggles 🥰 The day started off foggy and damp but turned into a beautiful day. My pawsome pals loved their walks today, exploring and mooching, sniffing and watching, playing find it and treat trees with lots of cuddles and wiggles thrown in ❤️🐾

05/05/2024

❤️🐾

💥Calling all DOG WALKERS! 💥

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It means you're dedicated to providing the best care and professionalism...

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👍DBS Checked: Trust. That's why our walkers are thoroughly vetted.

👍Compassionate and Kind: It's not just about walking; it's about caring. The walkers on Yappily treat every dog with the love and respect they deserve.

👍Safely Transporting Dogs: From pick-up to drop-off, ensuring your dog's journey is safe and comfortable is a standard we uphold.

Being listed as a Yappily dog walker means more than just taking dogs for a stroll. Dog walkers who list on Yappily are commited to providing a service that's safe, caring, and of the highest quality.

If you've got what it takes to be a top dog walker—come and join us at Yappily, we'd love to have you on board👇

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03/05/2024

Morning walk with my girl after our vet appointment. We are practicing wearing our muzzle in different places so that it isn’t just associated with the vets. I popped the muzzle on for two short sessions during our walk and Roxy did really well. We had fun and she got rewarded with play when it came off 😊
**This isn’t going to be her actual muzzle. I have one ordered that allows for more pant room. This one is only temporary and is only used for short sessions** #❤️girl

03/05/2024

Thursday tales - today we explored, we mooched, we sniffed, we took time to watch the world go by, we met friends and practiced some calm around other dogs in close proximity, we played games, we enjoyed each others company and as always there were happy greetings and cuddles. That’s it from us for this week. Thank you for following our adventures and updates. Have a great weekend everyone ❤️🐾

30/04/2024

It was a blue skies and sunshine kind of day. We had on lead, long line and off lead freedom, practicing our loose lead walking, check-ins and recall. Sonny decided it was the day to take a dip and then roll in something smelly! Luckily the sun and wind acted as a hairdryer on the way back home 🤣 Freddie practiced his recall and ignoring the pesky birds in the fields. Gracie and Aslan played treat trees on their afternoon stroll. Lots of fun, adventures and smiley faces from my pawsome pals today. Check in tomorrow for Wednesday’s tales 😊❤️🐾

25/04/2024

Thursday was mostly sunshine and smiles☀️☺️ We had adventures in fields, by the river and in parks. Some of my pawsome pals got to play hide and seek, some got to play treat trees, we had sniffs, mooching and walking through mud! My own girl had a great time rolling around in the grass! It’s been a fantastic week with my pawsome pals. We’ll be back on Monday for some more fun and adventures. Happy weekend everyone 🐾❤️