Happy Pet, Happy Home, NI

16/08/2025

Great day at Parkgate & District community event - we were only able to stay for about an hour, Chloe and Charlie helped judge the Seniors Category, which we were very happy to sponsor. I've added some photos below, was lovely to meet so many gorgeous dogs, if you recognise anyone please do tag the owner, some great posers there 😍

16/08/2025

07/08/2025

A lovely summer so far, with some of the most gorgeous dogs. We had a great family break away in the sunshine, but we missed the dogs and were glad to get home to them - very grateful to Grace from for looking after them so well.

Thank you to everyone who sent in requests for dates for the rest of 2025 and for 2026, we have lots of lovely company to look forward to. Please remember our availability is limited as we will be taking more time off, and we are keeping our numbers low to 1-2 households at a time so that the dogs have a nice chilled holiday and our own dogs don't get overwhelmed.

Our own wee Lola has had a couple of trips to the vets since we got home, the arthritis has got into her front two legs now so she's on a good pain relief and taking it easy. Lola loves to see people and gets very excited when anyone arrives at the front door, this is one of the main reasons we ask for drop-off and pick-up times - when she gets over-excited, she gets breathless because of the trachea collapse but she can also over-do it with movement and end up hurting herself. Our dogs and visitors have the run of the house and love to watch out the front windows. When we know anyone is due to arrive at the house, we can get the dogs into the kitchen or living room to keep them calm, it makes it a less chaotic environment for people arriving, and also lets us protect wee Lola from getting too excitable...

03/08/2025

Fancy trying some good quality freshly cooked food for your beloved dog? How about at half price?

Bobby and Lola (and many of our clients) love Butternut Box food. As the owner of one dog with a very fussy appetite (Miss Lola) and one dog with previous problems with his gut (Bobby), we were delighted when we tried Butternut Box and it resolved their problems.

Butternut Box offers several benefits for dogs and their owners, including: 

▪️improved digestion - gently cooked food is easier to process (so better 💩);
▪️skin and coat health (less itching, more shine);
▪️weight management;
▪️tasty for the dogs, with lots of variety and choice;
▪️big bonus of convenience. 

We get ours delivered once per month, store it in a tray in the freezer, defrost 5 pouches every 5 days to store in the fridge. Then just open and serve (we do heat ours up in the microwave 🫣). Bobby likes his with some Pooch and Mutt kibble (check the ingredients on your kibble, some of the bigger brands aren't actually that great in terms of nutritional value 😳).

Butternut Box work out the quantity your dog needs, based on breed, age, activity level and weight. Butternut Box also offers access to a 24/7 vet nurse helpline for any health concerns related to your dog's diet. 

We put some of ours in Kongs and licki-mats for treats, and use the bone broth for tasty ice cube treats on warmer days. Have to say, the dogs who visit us are trying their best to get to Bobby and Lola's food, it looks and smells more appetising than most dog food 👌🏼

Best of all - with our code, you can try two boxes for half price. There's no contract, you just order as and when you want, pause or cancel when you need. And if for any reason your dog doesn't like it (we don't think this will happen), if you live locally to Templepatrick we'll buy the pouches off you (so long as they have been stored correctly and the pouches are intact and unopened). Can't offer better than that.

Link for discount is in our bio when you click on the business name. I should have some small sample packs in stock soon, limited availability, if any of my clients would like to try. Treat your dog to a tasty dinner 🥰

08/07/2025

Our last couple of months with our guests, all of them repeat and regular clients (how lucky are we) - some just for a half hour garden visit, some for the odd daycare session, and some for their holidays. Love them all 💙🐾

25/05/2025

What a beautiful week ☀️ we made the most of garden time in before the return to normal Norn Iron weather ☔

We had visits from Cisco the 13 year old cocker spaniel who became a firm fave in our house, she is such a wee dote. Beautiful Hermione had her holidays with us and has also cemented her place in the clan, she is so well-mannered and gentle and an absolute credit to her adoptive mum, after a bad start to life on a puppy farm, this little lady is absolutely thriving.

They went home and we welcomed wee Arnold back for his holidays, absolutely love him. Everywhere I go he follows and watches, my wee shadow. Gorgeous Misty is here for a short stay and Bobby is loving the playtime, they have a lovely play style together that just clicks and it's great to watch, she's also like our wee therapy dog and we are all getting lots of cuddles.

And we had the absolute honour of taking beautiful little Cuisle to her mum and dad's wedding yesterday, she got to see them going into the chapel and joined them for photos after, she was the bestest girl. It's not something we do often but we are happy to do this for dogs that are boarding with us, Cuisle is a little dream guest.

We also had our wee regular Rafa here for daycare, and Ralphy boy back for a sleepover. These fellas just come in, look for Bobby, run about the garden, make themselves at home and we love how comfortable and content they are. Beautiful little Bella joined us for a morning adventure to the waterfall.

Visits to Rocky the handsome mini schnauzer pup, Millie the titchy tiny lab-collie-cocker pup and her big sister Riley the cockapoo, Zia the stunning Vizsla, big gorgeous Murphy the lab-cross who we adore, Charlie the Crosskennan Lane Sanctuary resident, Arthur the warrior cat, and Lola and Ziggy the adorable posing pair who melt our hearts.

It's a nice kind of busy, a great mix of dogs in our world who are brilliant company for each other and for us.

And big congrats to Tilly and Lola who won the giveaway basket full of toys 🎉

17/05/2025

CURRENT CLIENTS: send us your dates for next year!

We've been getting lots of enquiries for next year, happy to say that we are now able to take some bookings for home boarding with us - only for current clients at this time (sorry about this, I get so many new enquiries every day that I have to say no to - we just don't have the capacity for new clients right now. We are so very lucky to have a great group of dogs who come to us regularly and repeatedly, which is the ideal scenario as we can help them out last minute or in emergencies and know that they just slot right into our family life here).

Our availability will remain limited next year, as we're at a stage where we have a good balance and are able to focus on family life and the kids. We're both retired now and having this wee business is really a part-time hobby job, a way for me to have extra company when I am at home most of the time, but it's still a responsibility that we all take very seriously. Looking after someone's dog is a 24/7 job - it's not hard work, it's the best job ever, (especially as the dogs who come to us now are truly part of the family when they are here, so settled and content), it's a lovely way of life, but it is full-on as we never really switch off - making sure that the dogs are safe, secure, happy, fulfilled and comfortable.

So to continue to make sure we have a good balance of days and weeks off, we will have dates blocked out for family time. We aren't intending to have any dogs boarding over school holidays, so that we can make the most of the time off with the kids. However, as you guys know, we do try to be as accommodating as possible for our regulars, so please do send us through any enquiries and we will always do our best 💙🐾

12/05/2025

Thank you to whoever nominated us for this again this year, it's lovely to hear the nice comments that people make in the nomination form 🥰

Highlighting the dedication and commitment of those working within the local pet sector.  In 2025 we will honouring local pet businesses in Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Scotland - shining a light on the best in each area.

07/05/2025

HELP WANTED 🙏

This is Charlie 💙🐾

Charlie is currently living up at Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary, a charity we support monthly, who care for so many animals and do so much good in the world.

Charlie's background story is heartbreaking. He is 10 years old, and he was surrendered just before Christmas - his family had apparently decided they didn't want him anymore and took him to be euthanised 😱. Thankfully, a very kind lady stopped this from happening, and Charlie ended up at Crosskennan. An appeal was put out for a long-term foster, the dream being that Charlie can find a home to live out his golden years in peace and comfort.

Crosskennan recently decided that Charlie will stay at the sanctuary, as they simply couldn't find the right home for him. He is an elderly gent, he has been traumatised by being abandoned by his family, his fur had been badly neglected and he needed vet treatment - Crosskennan have provided for all of these needs and think he would benefit from the company of some human friends - experienced and confident dog walkers, who can take him out of the sanctuary for a walk occasionally, for a change of scenery and to help continue with his training.

Charlie walks beautifully. He prances, he sniffs, he is a happy little chap so long as he isn't being unnecessarily fussed over - he reminds me a lot of our Lola! If any of my dog walking friends would be able to volunteer in a similar way, the sanctuary would love to hear from you 🙏

Maybe wee Charlie can still live in hope that a long-term foster will come forward to offer him his forever home. The Sanctuary is a safe place for him where he is clearly adored, but a 10 year old dog who has grown up in a family home would ideally live out his days with a family, and this what the Sanctuary would love to happen for Charlie 🥹

If you'd like to donate items of use to Crosskennan, we will be visiting Charlie a couple of times a week and are happy to act as a drop-off point and deliver the goods. Their list of items to be accepted are:

Animal food - Pedigree Markies, Pedigree Dental Sticks, Dreamies, Royal Canin Pet Food, fresh fruit and veg (apples, carrots, etc)

Hay, shavings

Bedding - Sheets, duvet covers, blankets

Towels

Items for selling, eg unwanted gifts

Your time! Volunteers are welcome and appreciated

Your money! The charity relies on donations from the public, it's not government funded, and as you can imagine, it's not cheap to look after 150 animals per day. You can set up a monthly donation like we do, it's so easy to do, or make a one-off donation.

Email them at [email protected] to offer your help, or go on to the website to set up a donation 💙🐾

Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary

29/04/2025

Feels like Summer ☀️

We had a great Easter break, time away with the kids and dogs, lots of catch ups with family and friends, refreshed and ready to get back to the dogs. And what a lovely bunch of dogs...

New pup Millie has joined the clan for puppy visits 🥹 cannot cope with her cuteness. And her gorgeous big sister Riley is doing so well with her 🫶🏼

Visits to Rocky, Murphy, and Peaches, love them all 💙🩷

And visits from the mini schnauzers - sisters Tilly and Lola, and wee Ralphy popped in to say hi before his upcoming holiday. We also had golden oldie Charlie here for a sleepover, princess Nala joined us on Rosie's Ramble for charity before her sleepover, Rafa our regular daycare dude, and of course Bobby and Lola 💙🩷

Few wee meets and greets and trials going on for future bookings and we're loving life. Sunshine, blue skies and lovely dogs, what could be better 🐾

14/04/2025

Happy Easter Holidays 🐣🐰

We're just rounding off a lovely week, ready for a mini-break away with the kids and our own dogs, and saying a sad farewell to Summer 2025. Those few days of sunshine were wonderful ☀️

Wee Alfie is going home today, I am going to miss this wee man sooooo much, we all will. Thankfully we will see him again soon 🥰. We got the chance to head to a couple of hotels last week for overnights, celebrating a few different things including Happy Pet, Happy Home being 2 years old 🎉 so on Alfie's last week with us he got to live it up in The Rabbit and also he came up the north coast with John, me and Bobby to stay at The Bushmills Inn. We got some beach visits, pub visits, lovely coastal walks and some sightseeing done.

Visits this week from: Rafa for daycare 💙 Tilly and Lola for a sleepover 🩷

Visits to: Abbie, Zia, Rocky (who got to meet his fellow mini schnauzers Tilly & Lola), Murphy and wee Thor 💙

It was our last walk with Thor last week, we have had so many lovely walks with the big man, we will miss him and we hope to bump into him sometime in the future, he is such a lovely dog 🥰

Signing off for a couple of weeks now to enjoy Easter break with the kids, Bobby and Lola. Have a great break everyone 🥂

05/04/2025

Happy Season is here ☀️💙
I do love the blue skies, warmer weather, dry days... Such a mood lifter, especially when in the company of such lovely dogs.

Our Lola loves the sun, whether lying out in the back garden for a snooze, or finding the patch on the carpet where the sun shines through the window. Bobby also loves being outside on a dry day, so we've the back doors open constantly, fresh air coming in, dogs pottering around, bliss....

Visits over the past couple of weeks from:
Big Todd, lover boy, the big black lab who thinks he is a lap dog 💙 Rafa (cavachon) on his daycare session each week, makes himself at home and so full of play and confidence 💙 Arnold the pug who we all want to kidnap and keep, he has the most adorable wee character quirks and we just love him 💙 Alfie the dachshund is still here and has settled the best, his mummy would be so proud, he's got a couple of fun adventures coming up next week to round off his stay 💙 Mac Attack, the French Bulldog, we've known him since a pup, hard to believe we first met him 7/8 years ago, those ears 😍

Visits to:
Zia the Vizsla pup, all healed and happy after her spay and raring to go 💙 Rocky the miniature schnauzer pup, freshly groomed and looking grown up, handsome wee dude 💙 Murphy the handsome lab cross and Ollie the chocolate lab, neighbours and besties, loving life 💙 beautiful Peaches, the golden retriever, love to see this girl and walking with her feels like therapy for the soul 💙 Thor our wee Frenchie mate, knows the road he wants to take and has a wee bum wiggle along the way 🫶🏼

We've quite a quiet month ahead, with the kids being off for Easter, we are looking forward to a bit of family time. Plan to visit some dog-friendly places over the next wee while so will post some reviews and recommendations if we find anywhere worth a visit. Enjoy the blue skies and the start of the good weather ☀️