04/08/2026
Before I begin, I’d like to say something that’s very important to me.
This isn’t just the end of a business. It’s the end of a huge chapter in my life. After 25 years, it’s difficult to put into words just how much this place, these dogs, and all of you have meant to me.
When I first opened these kennels 25 years ago, I simply hoped to build a place where dogs would be safe, happy and loved while their owners were away. What I never expected was that I would also build so many wonderful friendships and become part of so many families’ lives.
Over the years I’ve looked after tiny puppies taking their first nervous steps into the kennels, energetic youngsters full of life, and faithful old companions who gradually turned grey around the muzzle. I’ve celebrated new arrivals and, sadly, shed a few tears when some of our oldest friends crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Every one of them has left a little paw print on my heart.
People often say, “It’s just a dog.” But everyone in this room knows that’s never true. They’re family. They’re there to greet us when we’ve had a good day or a bad day, asking for nothing more than our love. It has always been an honour and a privilege that you trusted me to care for such an important member of your family.
I’d like to thank you for your incredible loyalty. Some of you have been bringing your dogs here for over 20 years. I’ve had the pleasure of caring for several generations of dogs from the same families, and many of you have become true friends. That kind of trust can’t be bought—it’s earned—and I have never taken it for granted.
There have been countless happy memories over the years: watching dogs race around the fields with pure joy, comforting the more nervous guests until they felt at home, and seeing the excitement on their faces when they realised their families had come to collect them. Those are memories I will treasure forever.
This business has never just been my job. It has been my life. It has meant early mornings, late nights, weekends, Christmas Days, birthdays and holidays spent making sure every dog was safe, comfortable and cared for. I wouldn’t change a single moment because it has been a privilege to spend my life doing something I truly loved.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without all of you. Thank you for every booking, every recommendation, every kind word, every Christmas card, every box of chocolates, every bunch of flowers and every hug. Most of all, thank you for coming back year after year and placing your trust in me. You didn’t just support a business—you supported me.
As many of you know, today marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. The kennels are now being passed into the very capable hands of Arlene.
I’d like to wish Arlene every success and every happiness in the years ahead. I hope you’ll welcome her with the same warmth, kindness and loyalty that you’ve shown me over the past 25 years. Every new beginning needs the support of good people, and I know there couldn’t be a better group of customers to help someone start that journey.
I hope that every time you drove away after leaving your dog with me, you did so with complete peace of mind, knowing they would be cared for as if they were one of my own. That trust has been the greatest gift you could ever have given me.
They say you can judge a person by how they treat animals. If that’s true, then I’ve been blessed to spend the last 25 years surrounded by some of the kindest, most caring people I could ever have hoped to meet.
The dogs may not remember my name, but I’ll remember every wagging tail, every happy greeting, every cuddle and every friendship that began because of them. They have all left paw prints on my heart.
So this isn’t really goodbye. It’s simply thank you.
Thank you for your trust.
Thank you for your loyalty.
Thank you for your friendship.
And thank you for giving me the privilege of being part of your dogs’ lives for the past 25 years.
Wherever life takes me next, I will carry these memories with me always.
I’d like to finish by raising a glass.
Here’s to Arlene and the exciting new chapter ahead. Here’s to all of your wonderful dogs, who have brought so much happiness into all of our lives. And here’s to the memories we’ll always share.
Thank you for making the last 25 years some of the happiest years of my life.
God bless you all, your families, your beautiful four-legged companions…
…and thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
