The Kind Pet Company

01/01/2024

Some animals just get me right in the heart and Ed is absolutely one of them. He has this little way about him that's just so special and impossible to capture or put into words.

It also makes it impossible to leave at the end of a visit, just look at that little face! 🥹✨

31/12/2023

I love getting to sit for my regular walks, I get to see their post-walk snoozes 🥰 🐾

26/12/2023

One from the Summer - I'm finally catching up on social media stuff after a hectic couple of months 😅

Dennis is a big softie that really struggled during a several day overnight sit. He would bark and cry in the night and if you've ever known a Boxer you'd know that there's nothing sadder than a Boxer down in the dumps. He hadn't been separated from his people for more than a couple days before and it was all a bit confusing for him.

With his guardians' permission I arranged for his lovely regular walker to visit, opened the door to their bedroom so he could sleep on their bed in the night and introduced him to one of my regulars, Bo for some playdates in an enclosed field. Setting him up with a familiar face, a likeminded dog friend, and doing what I can to encourage a restful sleep totally helped him cope and we ended up having the best week together.

Dennis taught me SO much. After reflecting on how unsettled most dogs had been when left without their people for several days, I no longer offer overnight stays without building a solid bond with the doggy first. I want to be "that fun treat lady" to help them thrive so we can all avoid the sleepless nights and tears (from the dog, but I have to admit - I was very close 🤣)

He ended up being a big cuddly lapdog and slept through the night with the deepest snores I've ever heard 🥰. Several months later, whenever he spots Bo on a walk they're totally inseparable and they just HAVE to have a big crazy Boxer flail about.

We only take on one client a month for overnight stays and are not currently open to bookings for new clients in 2024.

26/12/2023

Boxing day is for sofa snuggles with the best dog ✨

23/12/2023

It's almost 8:30pm on Christmas Eve Eve and Tank's snoring up a big drool pool on my leg as I write this 🤢

While I'm waiting for him to wake up so I can go home to spend a few days off with Buddy boy and Adam, I thought I'd say a quick thank you to all of my amazing clients, people who engage with my posts, and all the people in the animal world who have been so generous with their time.

All the support for my little business has totally taken me by surprise. When I started up in February I never thought I'd even be able to go full-time with this, let alone be fully booked by the end of the year.

It's been a steep learning curve and definitely had a heap of challenges, but I've had the best time. I'm so grateful to be part of all my dogs, cats (and that one tortoise's) lives, and to be able to do something that I care so much about is just the best feeling.

Thank you all for the lovely gifts and cards. I appreciate you all so much. Merry Christmas! x

21/12/2023

All my doggies got a little windswept today🍃😅

19/12/2023

18/12/2023

Moments before an explosion of cats 💥 🐾

Cat enrichment is SO important and often overlooked in pet care. Our cat visits are bookable for a minimum of 30 minutes, unless they're particularly fearful and us being there is doing more harm than good.

Sometimes cats just need the first couple of visits, a few dreamies and lots of slow blinks to get used to the stranger in their space. Sometimes we don't ever get to the purring and playing stage but it's the best feeling in the world when that trust is earned!

Icarus and Achilles were unsure at first, now it's near impossible to play with Achilles without Icarus making himself comfy in my lap. 🤣

17/12/2023

We are hiring! ✨

Due to demand we're looking for a dog walker/pet sitter either on a part-time employed or self-employed subcontractor basis.

Part-time, 8-16 hours a week with some flexibility on days/times (must be available for at least 2 x 4 hour shifts between 10am-3pm, Mon-Fri)

The right person must:
🐾 Love animals and be passionate about their wellbeing & happiness.
🐾 Be physically fit, some days will require up to 4 hours of walking with mud up to your ankles being yanked around by a big dog!
🐾 Have a full UK driving license, and willing to travel to Broughton Astley, Lutterworth, and surrounding villages.
🐾 Be reliable, trustworthy, and be able to pass a DBS check.
🐾 Be available part-time for a minimum of 8 hours a week.

What’s in it for you?:
🐾 Competitive rate of pay (£12 per hour).
🐾 Access to company vehicle.
🐾 We’ll help you progress your career with animals through ongoing help, support, and training tailored to your interests.
🐾 You’ll help set the standard for ethical, animal-centred pet care.
🐾 Time spent with best dogs and cats in town. We’re not biased, they’re actually the goodest boys and girls 🥰

Sub-contractor remunerations differ from the above, please contact us for more details.

Interested? Email your CV with a covering letter to Dannii at [email protected], or message us here to find out more.

13/12/2023

I was listening to a webinar on understanding emotional experience in dogs given by Andrew Hale last week. He made this point early in his talk, and it immediately stuck a chord with me. Much of what I do involves dogs who are coming from a place of fear and/or anxiety, and this can lead to the dog feeling they need to defend themselves, which often shows as an aggressive display. Sadly we will see some canine professionals recommending aversive measures to work with these dogs because they 'work' and apparently solve the problem quickly.

The problem is that all this is doing is suppressing the behaviours and not dealing with the emotions that are causing them. This gives the serious and dangerous potential for emotional and behavioural fallout as the dog will feel more scared and so may feel they have no choice but to be even more aggressive. They are now even more scared, and so are even less safe to be around than before.

It is not quick, working with these dogs in a way that is ethical, kind, and will actually get to the root of what the dog is struggling with. But concentrating on helping the dog to feel safer, to give them relief from that fear and stress, that WILL be effective, and leads to a much happier dog, who is much less scared and so is much more safe.

You can catch my new on demand webinar on how you can help to support your dog and make them feel safer here: https://www.goodguardianship.com/challenge-page/supporting-a-reactive-dog

12/12/2023

Night night little man ✨

11/12/2023

Mylo was more interested in having a slow, sniffy walk followed by munch on a branch he found in the woods instead of finishing his walk today. This is totally fine by me, all my animals get to take things at their own pace.

Sometimes they're just not feeling it. They could be in pain, stiff from the cold weather, or just a little sleepy from a busy weekend and they want to have a mooch about instead. I'm not about to march them around to make my GPS tracker mileage look impressive to their people. Let dogs be dogs 🐾✨

08/12/2023

Sometimes, you just have to laugh.

08/12/2023

I'm thrilled to share what I've been up to these past few weeks!

Firstly, the incredibly talented and my favourite (and only) sister has helped me come up with branding that reflects me and how I do things. I'm absolutely bursting with pride to share that I'll now be trading as The Kind Pet Company 🥳✨

Kindness towards the animals in my care has been at the forefront of everything I do. I've been obsessed with learning about animal behaviour and their wellbeing since I started this little business up in February. It became increasingly obvious that each animal deserved to be treated as an individual with their own needs and quirks, and when you pay attention to what they need their confidence and general happiness can absolutely skyrocket and I've seen that in spades.

It's the best job in the world being part of your animal's lives and brightening up their days where I can.

More fun stuff to be announced!

08/12/2023

Ted doesn't mind getting a bit soggy if there's a warm car boot shower and toasty heated seats to dry off on before heading home. Besides, it just means there's more puddles to drink from! 🐾

05/12/2023

Seeing double 🖤🖤

04/12/2023

This little man has all the confidence in the world. Meet Nacho the Chihuahua 🐾

On my first visit he marched me right to the back door for a toilet break. He then trotted over to his lead and harness and proceeded to have a proper little strut around the block. He totally chose the route and decided when it was time to come home. There was no winning him over needed, he knew exactly what he wanted and knew how to make the human get it for him.

Sometimes I'm just there to be the hired opposable thumbs 🤷🏼 🤣

02/12/2023

02/12/2023

I wish I was Stevie, but being with Stevie is a happy compromise.

30/11/2023

Tank the yogi dobey exhibiting a beautiful downward facing dog 🧘

24/11/2023

"For instance, one client watched a TikTok video claiming that a dog trying to cuddle on the sofa was displaying dominance. This misinformation panicked the client into using alpha rolls whenever the dog sought affection, a tactic recommended and demonstrated in the TikTok video"

Read more on Holly's latest blog:

https://www.canineprinciples.com/blog/is-social-media-endangering-canine-welfare

24/11/2023

Ever heard a groomer mention Teddy paws?

It’s the nickname we give the shape of a dogs pads once the hair has been removed as it looks a bit like a cute teddy bear.

But apart from being cute it’s actually really practical and important too. Removing excess hair from the paw pads gives your dog better grip, especially if you have tiled or laminate flooring at home. This is especially important for dogs suffering with joint pain or arthritis.

The other reason it’s good to remove excess fur is to prevent mud clumps, grass seeds and matting. If your dogs get matts between their pads it can be really uncomfortable (think walking around with a stone in your shoe!). They may try and chew them out which could cause an injury.

You don’t need to necessarily remove all of the fur, just enough that it’s not growing over the pads. After all, some fur is needed for protection!

As always, make sure you’re checking your dogs feet on a regular basis and if they’re not comfortable having them handled start practising your co-operative care techniques or reach out for help! 🐾

23/11/2023

I couldn't possibly love grandpa Yodi any more.

Him and his housemate, Tilly were one of my first cat clients and they're so comfortable around me when their people go away now.

He wasn't too keen on me being in his space to begin with, but a few months on and several licki treats later he's a big fan of a chin scratch and even greets me with a little "prrt!" when I visit him 🥰

He's either keeping watch like a wise old owl on the garden wall or snoozing on the sofa. I can't help but bring him his breakfast in bed now that it's a little chilly out 🤫 ✨

18/11/2023

My books are currently closed to new clients!

Thank you so much to all my amazing clients who have supported my little business 🥰 I'm so lucky to be doing something that I love and grateful beyond words to all the lovely dog and cat guardians for trusting me with their little ones.

Please do get in touch if you're looking for a sitter/walker & I can pass you on to some lovely local professionals that I trust 🐾✨

There's big exciting things happening here so watch this space, and in the meantime here's a picture of Buddy the happiest swamp monster.

- Dannii x

14/11/2023

Thank you SO much to everyone who donated pet items. I have the best clients in the world and am so lucky to live in such a giving community of animal lovers 🥰

All items have been catalogued, boxed up, and sniff-tested by Buddy - our very own quality control terrier. The food items have been handed over to the animal foodbank with more on the way and the rest will be delivered to local rescues shortly.

I'll be collecting items and running them up to the places that need them regularly, so please message me if you'd like anything collected 🐾✨

04/11/2023

Hi lovely clients! I'm gathering items to donate to local rescue centers.

If you have any of the following spare please pop me a message and I'll collect them during the week between my walks and visits:

🐾 Dog, cat and small animal food & treats
🐾 Cat litter
🐾 Animal bedding items
🐾 Blankets and towels
🐾 Unwanted harnesses, collars, and leads
🐾 Dog/cat/small pet toys
🐾 Anything else pet related that's gathering dust ☺️

Thank you! ✨

- Dannii x

01/11/2023

This is such a useful post from Charlotte Moore - CM Training and why even on the most stressful days when everything seems to be going wrong I reset before every single visit to make sure I don't pass on any negative energy to the dogs I'm looking after. My time with them should be enriching, fun, and all about making their day better! 🐾

- Dannii x

⚠️ NEVER underestimate the impact that YOUR stress levels have on your horses and dogs! ⚠️

This is Herx coming down after a week's worth of absorbing my study deadline stress. Today was the last day. You can see the effect my compounding study stress has had on my dog but you don't notice it until there is contrast and the stress is gone.

How does this happen?

Both horses and dogs have the ability to smell something you can't...
Glucocorticoids (cortisol) and adrenaline.

These are hormones and neurohormones that are produced when the mind experiences stress/trauma.

Cortisol in particular is a hormone that, when released in high levels, can be sustained at high levels, unlike adrenaline that is fast acting but also fast to deplete.

Cortisol is an essential hormone for consciousness and alertness, but when secreted in prolonged high amounts has some negative mental, emotional and physical effects.

When you experience compounding stress you won't necessarily notice it because it is slowly compounding (like building blocks of lego).

What you may eventually notice is:
🧨 you become a little less tolerant to things you would normally tolerate
🧨 you may become a little more over sensitive mentally and emotionally
🧨 you may experience memory loss
🧨 you may struggle with a lack impulse control
🧨you may have problems with reasoning and risk assessment
🧨 you might find you struggle with attention and focus
🧨 you may develop problems getting to sleep or staying asleep (insomnia)
🧨 you may find you might develop some anxiety and/or depression
🧨 you may have difficulties regulating your emotions
🧨 you may experience sensory overload problems
🧨 you may find you do things that help you feel distracted from your emotions and stay stimulated as much as possible

These things slowly creep in without you knowing it.

In the meantime, your dog is smelling the little fluctuations and surges in your cortisol levels as the baseline rises to new levels, your horse is smelling it to!

You can't smell cortisol so you aren't even aware that your dog or horse is responding to the information you are unknowingly and unconsciously giving them.

⚠️ This scent is a warning system to your dogs and horses ⚠️
This scent says "I feel under threat, be alert and vigilant of me and around me".

When you release this scent, you will display corresponding microexpressions in your body language to. So now your body smells like danger and your body looks like danger. This is a lot of information for your dog and horse. It speaks VOLUMES and 100% trumps ANYTHING you say verbally to your animal. They'll believe EVERYTHING your smell and body says over what your words say.

And we wonder why our dogs and horses don't want to partner up when we want them to!

🫵 So check in with yourself first.
🫵 Do some deep breathing.
🫵 Check your body for areas that are holding tension.
🫵 Acknowledge any emotions that you're holding on to without having an opinion or validation.
🫵 Data dump whatever thoughts are running around in your head.
🫵 Take a walk and MAKE time for yourself
🫵 SLOW YOUR MOVEMENT DOWN!!!

Happy brain training 🧠
Charlotte 😊

31/10/2023

Happy Halloween from Beaux the bat lab! 🎃🐾