About Us | The Dogs

What is life without a dog? I really can’t imagine a house without a dog in it. But, it is not easy to live with a dog. They don’t come pre-trained, a blank slate for you to mold into the perfect pooch, or if you decide to rescue a dog, without any baggage. When I think about The Dogs, this is what comes to mind.

What do I love about dogs?

As someone who has always had dogs in the house, I honestly can’t remember a time when there was no dog around. First, we had Thomas, a Golden Labrador cross. He was named after a particular Tank Engine (what do you expect from toddlers?!). Then came Pluto, a black Lab, possibly the happiest dog I will ever meet. Pablo was next. He was a West Highland White Terrier, named for the famous painter (for reasons beyond me). The miniature poodle, Pierre is still with my parents.

A few years ago I moved to Birmingham into a rented flat, which meant, no dogs. As someone who has worked from home for a number of years I am pretty good with staying in a flat for long periods of time, but not having a dog around made life a bit tedious. In a flat, in a city, there was only one thing I could do. I started dog walking and dog sitting in my spare time. It was a great way to get out of the flat and see some four-legged friends.

It was a bit strange as a child as we never walked our dogs. They had a big garden to play in, as well as there always being two of them to play with each other. It was only when I started walking dogs in Birmingham that I started looking for advice on training and walking etiquette. I spoke to a friend looking for that advice and it was my first entry into the dog community. I found that everyone with a dog has some kind of technique or trick that works for them, and they are happy to share it!

In that time I learned some tricks and walked a variety of breeds (some of which I had never heard of before). From a boisterous Boxer to a playful Shiba Inu, a crazy Border Collie, my journey of discovery of dogs has not stopped since.