Knocknarea Pet Services

07/08/2024

Just a reminder I am off from the 14-28th of August. A much needed break. Phone will be on silent for the two weeks and all messages will be replied to when I return.
Thanks again for another busy summer ☀️

06/06/2024

UPDATE: Owners found. Thank you all for sharing and caring 🙏

URGENT APPEAL

Does anyone recognise this little fella? 😺

This neutered male cat was found on the Strandhill area (Lecarrow) yesterday. No microchip. Very friendly.
He appears to have injuries that are consistent with a road traffic accident.
If anyone recognises him, please get in touch by calling us on 071-9304978

21/02/2024

Anyone who has texted me should have got a reply this evening re dates. Apologies again but not taking on any new clients as I am absolutely chock a block with my own amazing regulars. If you haven’t received a reply please just send me a message incase it’s been missed.

Quick reminder again for vaccines inc kennel cough, worm, flea and tick treatments all to be up to date before their stays. All vaccines MUST be given at least three weeks before their stay with me. I won’t be able to be flexible on this.

Looking like a super busy year, with the busy season becoming longer and longer each year and no quiet time anymore so thanks again for always supporting me ❤️❤️❤️

**BOOKING REMINDER**

☀️Brighter days are on the way (we hope) and I’m sure lots of you have booked your Holidays already. Our Easter Midterm is basically full up for home boarding, Summer boarding between June-August is incredibly busy. As it is a home boarding service, I’m limited to how many I can take in. I know a lot of you are very organized already & have all your dates secured with me. For those who don’t, please get them in soon.

🐶Unfortunately, I am still closed to new clients for home boarding as it is just too busy with my regulars.

💤I am taking off some dates myself, these are the ones booked so far, I will be booking off a few more days for horse shows etc so will update these as I know.
19-21 April
2-5 August
14-28 August

💉Please remember to check your vaccine cards and make sure your dogs are up to date with their vaccinations INCLUDING Kennel Cough. They have to had their Kennel Cough administered at least 3 weeks before their stay with me as it is a live vaccine & will shed. This is non negotiable. No dog will be allowed board if their vaccine was done less than three weeks prior. Can you also make sure all dogs are covered for their flea/tick treatments. Only get your flea/tick/wormers from your vets. The ones that are sold elsewhere are not strong enough, and also may have side effects for your dog, so ALWAYS best to seek veterinary advice.

⏰On a side note, can you please check times of flights etc when booking your dates with me & if flights are early morning/late evening home then book in the extra night at time of booking. It happened a lot last year that flights home wouldn’t be until late evening so dogs had to stay an extra night. This is normally fine, but during peak season this puts me under pressure as their then is a cross over of doggies.

Once again, thank you for always keeping me super busy. 13 years in business in April so I’m beyond proud at how far I have come. Big things will be coming for my little business in the next two years so can’t wait to share these with you all.

Kate 💕

10/02/2024

Anyone know this little dog? Found on the Strandhill road today

01/02/2024

**BOOKING REMINDER**

☀️Brighter days are on the way (we hope) and I’m sure lots of you have booked your Holidays already. Our Easter Midterm is basically full up for home boarding, Summer boarding between June-August is incredibly busy. As it is a home boarding service, I’m limited to how many I can take in. I know a lot of you are very organized already & have all your dates secured with me. For those who don’t, please get them in soon.

🐶Unfortunately, I am still closed to new clients for home boarding as it is just too busy with my regulars.

💤I am taking off some dates myself, these are the ones booked so far, I will be booking off a few more days for horse shows etc so will update these as I know.
19-21 April
2-5 August
14-28 August

💉Please remember to check your vaccine cards and make sure your dogs are up to date with their vaccinations INCLUDING Kennel Cough. They have to had their Kennel Cough administered at least 3 weeks before their stay with me as it is a live vaccine & will shed. This is non negotiable. No dog will be allowed board if their vaccine was done less than three weeks prior. Can you also make sure all dogs are covered for their flea/tick treatments. Only get your flea/tick/wormers from your vets. The ones that are sold elsewhere are not strong enough, and also may have side effects for your dog, so ALWAYS best to seek veterinary advice.

⏰On a side note, can you please check times of flights etc when booking your dates with me & if flights are early morning/late evening home then book in the extra night at time of booking. It happened a lot last year that flights home wouldn’t be until late evening so dogs had to stay an extra night. This is normally fine, but during peak season this puts me under pressure as their then is a cross over of doggies.

Once again, thank you for always keeping me super busy. 13 years in business in April so I’m beyond proud at how far I have come. Big things will be coming for my little business in the next two years so can’t wait to share these with you all.

Kate 💕

21/01/2024

We are now under a weather warning for the whole of Ireland. Please be extra careful with your pets during this weather. Strong winds & heavy rain will batter us in the next few hours.

Your dog won’t die if it doesn’t get a walk today-play some interactive games inside, hide and seek, filled kongs, snuffle mats. This type of enrichment will wear out their minds. Lighting a fire in our house works wonders for engaging sleeping mode with the dogs 🤣 Put on the radio/tv for some background noise.

Winds can blow gates open, so if your letting your dogs outside please make sure all gates are closed before you let them out. Make sure they have their ID tags on them with your number incase they get lost. If you normally bring your dogs into a non enclosed area for toilet breaks, please put them on a secure lead. Dogs can get extremely worried in strong winds with all the noises associated with it. It’s not worth taking the risk.

Also those with livestock make sure fields are not flooded, so many fields and roads flooded already. Those of you who own Equines who are out with rugs on them, make sure that straps are secure & not allowing rugs to flap around. Check gates to fields and stable doors that they are closed properly. Equines, are very much flight animals, so they should have some access to some hay, this will keep them occupied & hopefully relax them and also warm them up.

Stay safe ❤️

24/12/2023

Happy Christmas from myself & a very mucky Carra, Mandy & Alfie before they go into their stables for the night waiting on 🎅 A huge thank you to all my clients for such beautiful gifts and cards over the last few days. We have a few boarding dogs here who are also all in bed waiting on Santa to arrive. Hope you all have a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas 🎄❤️

18/12/2023

Happy Birthday to the other half of Knocknarea Pet Services, the one behind the scenes. Always my number one supporter in business & best friend. I honestly couldn’t of done 11 years in business without him by my side & as you can see he’s very popular with some of your dogs 🤣❤️

21/11/2023

***CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS***

Every year in the run up to Christmas the phone is constantly buzzing with requests for boarding. Please note I am not taking any new clients on as I am full to capacity. I have a few regular clients booked in for the Christmas period & I have now closed the diary for anymore bookings.

I will be finishing up on the 22 December - 8 January for any of my dog walking clients.

I understand last minute trips away occur and I accommodate this most of the year around. However, Christmas is a time for me to recharge, spend time with my own dogs, horses & catch up with family. So for this reason I will not be taking on any last minute request between Christmas and New Years.
Please be mindful that it is also my Christmas & time off.

Those who have booked with me, please confirm your dates as I know most of you have booked well in advance.

Thanks again
Kate ❤️

10/11/2023

Very proud wife today ❤️ Mark graduated with his Masters of Science in Quality. He’s always my number one supporter with my work so it’s nice to be able to support him today.

05/11/2023

What’s better than one schnauzer??? Three 🤣🥰 Ted, Jessie & Pebbles 🤩😍🥰 Absolutely love Schnauzers as a breed, full of character, great fun, very sociable & cuddly.

01/11/2023

Unfortunately it’s that time of year again when the gun club release their pen pheasants, which marks the first day of the shooting season 🤬 Be careful if your walking down near Killaspugbrone area ( the back of Dorrins strand) as there seems to have been a pen release of birds so the gun club is now down here with dogs shooting in the fields. Keep dogs on the leads incase they get a fright.

31/10/2023

***TONIGHT***
So many people are warning about fireworks & to be extra vigilant with animals around this time of year but tomorrow there will be posts all over social media of dogs missing after getting a fright. Do not take the risk! Your dog does not need a walk tonight, if you need to bring it out for a toilet break do so on a secure leash and collar. Put on some noise inside the house such as a tv or radio and give them a nice chew to keep their mind off the sounds outside. Have them in a secure room inside the house if you will be opening and closing the door to trick or treaters. It’s not just dogs, cats & my own young horses are absolutely terrified of fireworks 💔😞
I know from our yard in Knocknarea I can see town is absolutely alight with them at the moment so give your dogs some extra cuddles to make them feel a little safer 😞

20/10/2023

What a beautiful boy he is. A friend of mine fostered him & couldn’t say enough good things about him. Very gentle dog, loves people, good with other dogs. Deserves a loving home of his own now. Please share ❤️

15/10/2023

Anyone see this pretty boy?

14/10/2023

**ROAD SAFETY***

Did you know by passing a horse at speed you are not only putting the horse and rider at risk, but also yourselves? Horses are flight animals, which means they will flee anything they feel is a threat to them or scary. A horse does not know the dangers of stepping out in front of your car has, all it knows is there is something scary behind that hedge and I’m moving away from it.

It is shocking the amount of road users that do not slow down for horses on the road. In fact, they nearly speed up to get past them quicker, tailgate behind them, rev their car or swerve in & out.

I’m currently out hacking on my 4 year old who has been a dream on our busy roads so far and is putting his trust in me to keep him safe, but this doesn’t mean he won’t find something scary some day.

I do everything right as a rider, I wear a high viz to be seen quicker, I wave people down to ask them to slow down, I tell them to stop if there is cars coming and I signal them to pass when safe to do so. However the amount of drivers that show no regard to our safety is crazy.

If you see a horse and rider on the road, we have every right to be there, slow down, do not drive right up behind the horse, take heed of the hand signals the rider is giving you, and pass slow and wide. If a horse jumps out in front of your car, it’s not just us that will be injured, you will too.

We should all be able to enjoy the road and our countryside. Would be great to see a campaign being done by Road Safety Authority Ireland & local politicians to highlight the importance of this. They are always highlighting about cyclists etc.

05/10/2023

Absolutely heartbreaking, foal stolen from donegal 💔 please share to make this baby too hot to handle. His mother must be going mad without him. He’s only 2 months old. He could be absolutely anywhere so keep eyes open when out walking & driving around. His poor owner 😭💔

The owner of a young foal, stolen from a farm at Dunkineely last Saturday, says she's heartbroken by what happened and has made a desperate appeal for

02/10/2023

A day away from dogs is a rare occasion but we had the best weekend with the best people celebrating Lou’s wedding ❤️ 12 years ago, I started in Athlone doing a veterinary nursing course, on the first week we had already made our little group & little did I know then that I would make friends for life there.
Huge congrats Sarah-Louise & James for such an amazing day ❤️
Back to reality today in the old clothes covered in dog hair 🤣

01/09/2023

This cat is at a house in Knocknarea near the car park. He’s hanging around all day and now looking to get into house. Woman is going to keep him tonight inside. Anyone know who owns him? Obviously lives around the area.

22/08/2023

From this little surprise on a cold march morning to this beauty that we have today. What an incredible horse he has turned into 💙 just broken and taking everything in his stride 🥰 He has always had a kind hand, always showed things slowly & allowed to process what’s going on, and it has made doing everything with him easy. Horses are very special animals and will always be very close to my heart ❤️💙

16/08/2023

***SWIMMING FOR DOGS***

The benefits of swimming or even walking in the water for dogs is just as good as it is for us humans. Exercising in water has the benefit of providing both buoyancy and resistance, making it possible to strengthen and condition muscles and build endurance without placing stress on joints.

Even walking your dog in the water at belly height can have amazing results such as for arthritis, any mobility issues, fitness, weight loss and also for cuts/abrasions.

The only major thing to be aware of is to not allow your dog to intake salt water-so no throwing balls into the water for them as with every time they catch the ball they take a mouthful of water.

As you can see some dogs absolutely love it like miss mollie and snoopy who often go in for their own swim. We are extremely lucky living in Sligo with the vast amount of beaches we have, so next time your on the beach with your dog, take 10 minutes to do a water walk with them. You will definitely see the results and benefits.

10/08/2023

My first weekend off this year and it was the BEST weekend with the best people & animals ❤️🐶🐴

🐴 Carra got a first and second at
North Sligo Agricultural Show so I was over the moon as this showing crack is all new to us. What a fantastic local show the team in grange put on. So much effort goes into these shows that we will never see, it’s so important to support them.

🐶 Miss Lexi and miss Vikki who belong to my friend Shane came down all the way from Kildare to have some fun on our Sligo beaches. Lexi the setter has been very sick with kidney issues & hasn’t been eating properly or in good form…. Few days on the beaches in Sligo and she’s eaten us out of house & home & has chased every bird that landed 🤣🤣

I ABSOLUTELY needed this weekend to relax & switch off from work, it’s been a very busy year working 7 days a week so thanks to all my clients for understanding, I know it’s a busy weekend to take off. Thanks to my Mum who stepped in to mind the dogs so I could enjoy my evening.

Another few days off and back to work next week.

Dates for October BH & Christmas nearly booked up.
Kate 💕

31/07/2023

Home Boarding… exactly what it says on the tin 🤣

Lots of people ask about what is the difference between home boarding, a “home from home”environment and kennels, the main difference is home boarding is in a home environment. Your dog will stay in the home of the person minding them.

Mollie, a 15 year old rescue is making the most of her home boarding stay with me. She found her way to my bed 🤣 Luckily for her Holly couldn’t care less about sharing.

At the moment, due to repeat customers, I have no availability for new clients. I’m happy to recommend a few well established businesses in Sligo for home boarding & also kennels. Do your research when it comes to choosing where your dog stays, ask questions, look at where they are staying, make sure the environment is not too busy-this can overwhelm dogs and over excite excitable dogs resulting in behavioral issues. It’s all about having a good balance.

**** FUN FACT*****
Did you know dogs do not have to greet every dog they meet? In fact, they should be neutral when seeing other dogs-a bit like you walking past people on the street, your not happy or angry to see a stranger you simply pass by them. This is the aim you want for your own dog. So over socialising dogs in the wrong environment can result in them wanting to run up to every dog they meet. This is why most good dog trainers hate dog parks. Remember this when picking a service for boarding, daycare and walking for your dog. It is very easy to create a bad behaviour but very hard to stop it so start as you mean to go on.

Always happy to chat through options for other places with anyone who is stuck. But unfortunately at the moment I am only offering boarding to my regulars & even at that I’m fully booked for a lot of weeks between now and Christmas 😅🎄🎅