The Furry Godmother Rainford

03/01/2023

😂🤣true

22/11/2022

Aww little baby saphire♥️

05/11/2022

So true😭

16/10/2022

Hello everyone, Thought I should come online and give you a quick update on how things are going. Whilst we still remain closed for the doggy daycare and home boarding side of the business the cat visits are still carrying on, if anyone needs or knows anyone who needs their cat looking after in the comfort of their own homes, please be assured we can still provide this service to our usual 100%. I can't yet say when the doggy side will be able to re-open but rest assured that we are doing our best to make that happen, sadly it will not be posible this side of Christmas. Adele and myself are really missing you all and hope we can see you again soon. Much love and hugs to our furry friends.
Sheila and Adele ###xx

13/08/2022

Kashka coming for her cuddles, she pats me gently on my arm to get my attention 🥰😍

03/08/2022

03/08/2022

Last week I was looking after Jaffa and Bear, Jaffa was either eating sleeping or demanding cuddles, Bear on the other hand never introduced himself to me, I knew he was there, he just preferred to stay private, but that's OK 👌

29/07/2022

Tabby, well what else would you call a Tabby cat 🥰

29/07/2022

Love these 2, they were shy a first and Tabby soon came to like me and enjoy cuddles, but, the white and black just liked to be given food and lft alone, and that's perfectly OK xx

29/07/2022

Jaffa (gotta love that name for a ginger) 😅 it's all about food and cuddles when I visit him 😆

27/06/2022

27/06/2022

IMPORTANT UPDATE DUE TO A FAMILY EMERGENCY WE HAVE HAD TO CLOSE THE HOME BOARDING AND DAY CARE TEMPORARY. ANYONE WHO HAS DAYCARE OR HOLIDAYS BOOKED PLEASE GET IN TOUCH VIA THE PAGE MESSAGE OR PHONE SHEILA

To help you get to the person you need after our little restructure of business here are the phone numbers to get you to who want to speak to

For all any dog daycare/boarding enquires
Adele

For any cat sitting enquiries
Sheila 07731831941

23/06/2022

Hi All, It seems like ages since I updated the page, huge apologies for that. Moving house has kept me busier than I had imagined it would, but, still lots been going on behind the scenes. Adele has taken over the Day Care and Home Boarding side of the business, and I have to say she is doing great at it and I know thoroughly enjoying looking after all your fur babies. They absolutely adore her, and are not missing me one bit (humph). Meanwhile, I have stepped back a bit and am enjoying a bit of a semi-retirement, Robbie is still keeping me busy but has gotten used to having me all to himself and enjoying that bit of the arrangement. I am going to leave it to Adele to fill you in on her side of the business and post some photo’s of her crew and what they get up to.
I have been concentrating on looking after our feline friends, so, spread the word, anyone looking for a cat sitter in the Rainford and Billinge areas, its working out great for me and I absolutely love to go and care for the cats, most are lovely and friendly, but there can be one or two who are a bit more of a challenge with a stranger looking after them, but they are the ones that just get loved all the more, and I love it when I can see that they have become friends with me and start to allow me to stroke and cuddle them. I will post a few photos of the cats I have had the pleasure of caring for over the last few months.

23/03/2022

Well done Poopy on a fantastic first day at Furry’s. Poppy is Ralphies new little sister and has enjoyed a sunny day with us all. ☀️🥰🐾

20/03/2022

It was an absolute pleasure having Kobie and Noah boarding with us last night. Such good boys. 🥰🐾

20/03/2022

A Cockapoo consideration post.

This breed has taken the dog world by storm over the last few years. Many people fall in love with Cockapoos because of their teddy like appearance and they have become one of the most popular ‘designer crossbreeds’. Is this the right breed for you? Note: the below is written from my own knowledge and experience with the breed.

COCKER – POO. The Cockapoo is a crossbreed between the Cocker Spaniel and Poodle. What does this mean genetically?

Cocker Spaniel: The Cocker Spaniel was originally bred as a hunting dog, helping us humans to hunt birds. Many are still used for this purpose today. Although we see some physical variation in working cockers, show cockers, etc, there is a big similarity in behaviour. Cocker Spaniels need a job to do to engage that working dog brain of theirs, lots of mental stimulation. They belong to the Gun Dog group.

Poodle: Little known fact…a working dog! Part of the Utility dog group, Poodles were originally bred to help hunt birds, specifically water hunting. That’s right – lots of mental stimulation needed. They are a very intelligent breed.

So your Cockapoo is a mixture of TWO WORKING DOG BREEDS used for hunting. Be prepared for lots of mental stimulation, lots of training games, lots of helping your Cockapoo to slow down because they will be ready to go go go. With that intelligence and drive comes the possibility of behaviour problems if their needs are not met. Kim Brophey also describes some gun dogs as having a bit of a “Peter Pan never grow up” complex which I think is quite apt.

Some Cockapoos seem to be more cocker-y than poodle-y, and visa versa. I have once had a group of four cockapoos stood in front of me, and they all looked completely different. Some much more like Cockers than Cockapoos. We can also see this in their behaviour, with the ‘cocker’ part of their breeding very prominent on walks (I sometimes see Cockapoos running with their nose down like they are looking for birds to flush out). This is down to their individual genetic make-up.

I often see Cockapoos being recommended as hypoallergenic pets. This hypoallergenic element came from the poodle. However, with larger scale breeding of Cockapoos, that hypoallergenic element may be heavily watered down in some cases. Choosing to bring a Cockapoo in to your home purely because the breed was once described as hypoallergenic could be a mistake, because they might not be at all, so researching the genetic lines in your dog is really important. Don't forget you can also be allergic to dog saliva or dander, not just fur.

Cockapoos have been a really popular breed in recent times and sadly, this does attract puppy farmers. Puppy farmers do not breed ethically, which means breeding from stressed parents who often do not have basic welfare needs met. They also tend to breed from dogs that have behavioural or health problems which can be genetically passed on. All of this will affect puppies as well as parents, which is why no puppy is a blank slate.

Cockapoos have high grooming requirements and helping your dog to feel comfortable with daily grooming at home is important for their welfare. They will also need regular grooming with a professional dog groomer.

Cockapoos are lovely, intelligent dogs, often bundles of fun. In the right home, they can do amazingly well and be wonderful, funny companions. I have mentioned puppy farms in this post but there are plenty of ethical breeders who really care for the health and wellbeing of their dogs and puppies. If you’re prepared to put lots of time and effort in offering your cockapoo an enriched life, with plenty of stimulation, appropriate outlets for the working dog drive, then a Cockapoo can make a great companion and you’ll love their big personality. But please consider all of this if you fall in love with that teddy-like appearance and don’t assume that they will be happy with a sofa dog life.

Please note: this post was written to consider the needs of a popular crossbreed and not to debate if the 'Cockapoo' should or should not be considered a breed. Although the Cockapoo is not a registered breed and is a crossbreed dog, the label 'Cockapoo' is functional as we all know exactly the crossbreed that it applies to.

16/03/2022

Full of the joys of spring 🌼🐾

16/03/2022

Love sunny mornings 🐾☀️

16/03/2022

🐾🥰

16/03/2022

Photo drop of the last couple of months. Daycare and happy walks at Furry’s 😁

06/12/2021

Yesterday our little pocket rocket Molly turned one. A very happy 1st birthday to our lovely Molly 🥳🐾🥰

15/11/2021

Happy birthday Tilly, hope you have had a lovely day. From all your Furry friends 🐾 ###

16/10/2021

Wishing Rafa a very happy birthday today from all his Furry friends ###

09/10/2021

We all enjoyed our walk down the linea yesterday 🐾🐾

05/10/2021

Thank you so much to Duncan’s mum for sending these lovely pictures of Duncan on his 1st birthday yesterday. 🥰🐾

04/10/2021

Wishing Duncan a very happy 1st birthday 🥳 from all your furry friends ###

01/10/2021

Play time 🤪🐾🐾🐾