Leads and Trails - East Lothian

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

A beautiful morning (crack of dawn, before it got too hot!) for a game of ball with Tilly… while Agatha, naturally, is carrying out her very important perimeter patrol! 😂🐾

One of the biggest benefits of having access to this lovely private field is that it gives the daycare gang a safe, secure place to enjoy proper off-lead freedom.
There’s no worrying about busy parks, unexpected encounters with unfamiliar dogs or people, or dogs disappearing over the horizon because they’ve spotted something more interesting! Everyone can relax, explore, play and have fun with their friends in a space that’s exclusively ours while we’re there.

It’s particularly reassuring for owners of dogs whose recall is still a work in progress, or for dogs who are happier avoiding interactions with unfamiliar dogs outside our own little daycare family (Agatha, this means you!).

Watching them run, sniff, play and simply enjoy being dogs in such a peaceful setting really is one of the best parts of my job. 💚

08/07/2026

Look at these eyes. Don’t be fooled by the cuteness. She is a hunter and killer disguised as a chipolata! This morning Agatha brought a live mouse into the house to show me 😱 it managed to escape her jaws and scuttle under the furniture. Meanwhile I immediately went from calm, in-control, leader of the pack, to the woman in the Tom and Jerry cartoons whose face you never see, but who jumps onto the kitchen chair shouting “Thomaaaaaaaas” when she sees Jerry! Ok, not quite that bad but Mr Leads and Trails had to be drafted in to come up with a plan and help me move furniture as I appeared to be incapable due to being generally horrified and doing an alarmingly good impression of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”.

I tried my best to rescue the tiny mouse but unfortunately it didn’t survive 😢 On the plus side Agatha was extremely pleased with herself. This, after all was what she was bred to do: use her big paws to dig into the undergrowth on the hunt for small animals, get her long slim body into tiny spaces, and alert me with her loud shouty voice! I sometimes forget this was her original purpose when she’s lying on her back beside me having her tummy scratched 😳 RIP Mousey 😢

25/06/2026

Me: [smiles smugly and fills doggy paddling pool, thinking this will keep them all busy for hours]

Them: What do you want us to do with that?

Me: [rolls eyes and throws some kibble in the water to generate some interest]

One dog: [jumps in and eats every single piece of kibble]

Literally all other dogs: Not even if you throw a rotisserie chicken in there

Me: [has a small cry about the price of the next day delivery fee that could have been avoided]

One other dog: [drinks some of the water from the pool and wanders into the house]

Me: FML

🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

13/06/2026

My antisocial little sausage is a whole 5 today!! She hasn’t had an easy time but hopefully the last couple of years has shown her what unconditional love is. I can’t imagine life without her now ❤️ she’s celebrating her special day with a rabbit’s ear 🤢 Happy birthday to Agatha 🎂 🥳

10/05/2026

🐾 Daycare spaces available from June

Due to a recent change in routine for one of my regulars, I now have limited availability for dog daycare on Mondays and Tuesdays from the beginning of June.

Leads & Trails offers small-group daycare with plenty of enrichment, walks, rest time and home comforts in a calm, friendly environment here in East Lothian 🐶

This would suit friendly, sociable dogs who enjoy the company of others and are comfortable in a home-based daycare setting.

One of the lovely benefits of joining the regular daycare group is that I only offer boarding to existing daycare dogs, meaning holiday stays and weekends away are much more relaxed and familiar for everyone involved 😊

As always, compatibility with the existing group is very important, so meet-and-greets are essential before confirming spaces.

Feel free to message me if you’d like more information or think your dog might enjoy joining the gang! 🐾

Photo: post-walk nap time 🥰

05/05/2026

Mid-afternoon enrichment play for the pups! I always collect all sorts of things I think might be useful for our games - empty kitchen rolls, tissue paper, cardboard boxes, packing materials from my many online purchases etc. The dog room looks like the canine equivalent of the Blue Peter store cupboard.

This one is simple and keeps them busy for twenty minutes or more depending on their hunting drive. Just an empty kitchen roll stuffed with tissue paper, some wrapped around a few pieces of kibble, others as dummies. Fold over at each end and voilà. I’ve even taken a photo of “one I prepared earlier” 😂