In 2015, I was at home caring for my family and our then 10 rescue dogs. When the children were at school, the dogs and I used to go on lots of adventures; I would take them out in small groups of 2 or 3, or sometimes hire enclosed paddocks and take a few.

One day, I wondered if I could help other people with their dogs while simultaneously earning some extra money, and that was my lightbulb moment. Once I had the idea there was no going back; I took out insurance, did a dog-walking and pet care diploma, and a pet first aid training course.

I then asked on Facebook if anybody would be interested in me walking their dogs. Straight away, I had 2 potential customers contact me. One was a lady with a Cockapoo called Paddy who has been with me throughout my Happy Trails journey. He still has weekly walks with us, only now his Golden Retriever brother, Billy, comes along as well.

The business was growing rapidly and I was loving every minute. I started with a small car, then a larger car, estate car, small van, larger van, and now have a large fully equipped crated van which can help safely transport all my dogs.

In 2016 my husband Andy was made redundant from his job as a motor mechanic. In between looking for work and attending job interviews, he would join me on walks. We both dreamed of the day he could join Happy Trails full time. A couple of years later it was possible and we worked well together, as a team walking groups of dogs.

We would sometimes hire enclosed private paddocks to take our own growing pack. We were in love with the idea of owning our own land just for our and our customers’ dogs. In 2021 the dream came true and we purchased an overgrown piece of land. We had a lot of work to do but we didn’t care; it was ours! Andy set to work hiring a 9 ton swing shovel excavator to clear the land and make an access. We then got a local company to secure the areas using 6 foot fencing. We have 2 good-sized paddocks and a potential for a third in the future.

We hadn’t thought of pet sitting but had a few people ask us if we could. My first overnight pet sit was for Paddy. He didn’t seem to miss his owners at all as he was in his own surroundings and with me, whom he knew well.

We decided that we could help more dogs and their owners by offering it as a service. Meanwhile, our own pack was growing. We couldn’t resist offering a home to unwanted sighthounds, including ex-racing Greyhounds that had ended their racing career.

Fast forward to July 2023, we are servants to 20. 15 Whippets, 4 Greyhounds, and a beautiful young Weimaraner.