Monthly Update - January.

I hope you’re all doing okay and that January has been kind to you. It can be a difficult month for a lot of people. The weather is often unpleasant, routines feel disrupted, and the return to “normal life” after Christmas can feel quite abrupt, especially with all the New Year, New Me messaging everywhere.

Dogs and cats can also be very sensitive to routine changes, so shorter days, colder weather and owners heading back to work after the festive break can leave them feeling unsettled. Dogs may seem quieter, more clingy or less enthusiastic about walks, while cats can become more withdrawn, more vocal, or a little off with feeding and sleep.

Extra enrichment, short training or play sessions, keeping routines as consistent as possible and making sure pets have warm, comfortable places to rest can all help.

For some dogs and cats, I also use Pet Remedy as an extra helping hand around travel or other stressful moments, to help take the edge off. I use it alongside my calm, gentle approach to handling animals and I’ve found it does make a difference. I’ve also used it while settling Scooter in (more on him below), and found it's being really helpful in supporting his transition into his new home. If it’s something you’d like to try, you can get 25% off with code PMFPETS25.

A Slow Start (Thanks to the Snow)

The snow disrupted things for a week or so this month, and many of my clients were snowed in too. I lost a fair bit of time with my animal clients, which was frustrating but unavoidable.

Once things got going again, it was really nice to be back out and about and see everyone after the break! I had lots of very enthusiastic cuddles with my animal friends.

Training Updates

I’ve had my first round of training clients start since offering training walks and intensive weeks, and I’m seeing some really positive results.

With consistency, commitment from owners and a few small lifestyle tweaks, these dogs are doing really well.

At the moment, I’ve got a bit of a run of working-line dogs in, mainly adolescent Labradors and Spaniels. They’re all making steady progress with recall, lead work and engagement, and it’s been great to see.

Tip of the Month 🐾

Using paw balm before and after walks has worked really well this winter, even for dogs that usually struggle with cracked or sore paws.

Although we seem to be past the snowy spell for now, if temperatures drop again or your dog is prone to sensitive feet, this is a simple habit that can make a big difference.

Product I’m Loving This Month

This month’s favourite is my Bark and Beau microfibre towel (I went for the Stone Path colour).

It’s excellent at drying, and the hand pockets make it much easier to manage wriggly dogs. Not an ad, just something I genuinely like and find useful. It's made a huge difference to my work day, making it far quicker to dry all the soggy doggies!

👉 https://www.barkandbeau.co.uk/product-page/microfibre-dog-drying-towel-gorgeous-grey

A Little Personal Update 🐱

On a personal note, I rehomed a very sweet ginger boy from Cats Protection this week. His name is Scooter, he’s around six months old, and he’s still settling in but already we're so in love with him!!

It’s been really nice to be a cat mum again after a year and a bit without my last cat. It's taken me a while to be ready for another but I'm delighted that the cat sized hole in my heart is full again.

Availability Update

I’m currently fully booked and working through a training waitlist at a steady pace. If you’d like to chat about training and whether it might be a good fit, feel free to pop me a message and I can add you to the waitlist, although it’s likely to be March before I have availability.

Looking Ahead

February is shaping up to be another busy month, with holiday clients, my usual walks and continued work through the training waitlist. Here’s hoping for slightly kinder weather too!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. I’ll be back next month with another update 🥰