Dunstable Dog Care

Welcome to ‘Dunstable Dog Care’. We are Andrea and Matthew. We are in our thirties and do not smoke. Andrea is an ex-Speech and Language Therapist with training in Teaching and Psychotherapy. She is currently a full-time homemaker. Matthew runs his own business. In February 2008 our daughter, Martha, was born and whilst our ‘in-our-home’ boarding service was first started in October 2006, the service was put on temporary hold for a while around this event. We now have two Springer Spaniels. Choccy (castrated) was born in December 2005; we rehomed him in August 2006. Daisy-May (spayed) was born in March 2006 and has been with us since she was 10 weeks old. (Kelly, born in May 1991, sadly died in May 2007 and having been with us for almost 16 years is still very much missed.)

Choccy and Daisy-May are happy, calm, non-boisterous, well socialised dogs. Choccy loves cuddles (in his mind all visitors are in need of a cuddle from him), catch, tuggy, his walks and swimming. Daisy-May lives for fetch, catch and find-it, and would play these games 24 hours a day if possible; be prepared for a tennis ball to find its way onto your lap or into your hand many times! Choccy and Daisy-May also adore each other and have a great time playing together. Choccy especially loves to play with other dogs whilst Daisy-May, also happy to play with other dogs, much prefers people and her tennis balls. Both our dogs are well-trained, affectionate dogs; we believe only in training through positive, rewarding means. We do not hit or shout at our dogs or force them to do anything they do not want to do. Our household is run very much with the fact that Choccy and Daisy are important members of our family. They are allowed on the furniture and have no understanding that anyone visiting us hasn’t come to see them as well.

As a family we are able to provide lots of doggie fun and games, a nice quiet safe place to stay, or anything between. Whilst we have much experienced with puppies, elderly/infirm dogs and those with behavioural/emotional/medical/physical/sensory difficulties, because of our young daughter we are now not able to take ‘especially-high-maintenance’ dogs. Although we will consider dogs will some mild extra care needs.

We live in a four bedroom Victorian house in Dunstable with a good-sized, secure garden with lawn, shrubs and patio. The dogs have a paddling pool. We are five minutes walk from Blows Downs, a large area of countryside which offers large open fields, woods and miles of footpaths. We walk most days on Blows Downs, but also frequently go to Stockgrove Park, Totternhoe Knolls, Ashridge Estate, Wendover Woods, or Tiddenfoot Waterside Park. Choccy and Daisy-May typically go for roughly a one and a half hour walk in the morning and a shorter walk in the evening. However our timetable can be very flexible to take into account the weather, who’s staying with us and what their needs are.

‘Dunstable Dog Care’ is run with a great deal of care for and attention to your dog’s welfare. We can only offer a home from home for one family’s boarding dog/s at a time, although sometimes there may be some overlap, especially during busy periods with new arrivals and those returning home. Your dog/s will become part of our family for the length of their stay; your dog will get the same high level of love, attention and stimulation as we give our own dogs (we are NOT a kennel). We like to know your dog/s routines, preferences and games. If he or she likes to sleep in or on your bed, he or she will be very welcome in ours (especially in the winter when it’s cold!) ‘Dunstable Dog Care’ means that you can leave your dog/s safe in the knowledge that we will care and love your dog just like he/she were one of our own.