Luna's Doggie Den

19/05/2026

03/05/2026

Next weekend one of my lovely client’s sons is walking the Marsden march with friends, to raise money for the Royal Marsden hospital, a truly amazing hospital.

Good luck Sanderstead Strollers!

In Fin’s words…

We are walking in The Banham Marsden March for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity - a cause close to my heart. It would mean a lot to me if you could sponsor my walk. Every donation will help to transform the lives of cancer patients everywhere.

I'm raising money for a cause close to my heart and would love your support.

29/04/2026

Tails from the Den: Juno Finds Her Courage

Me: Juno yesterday melted my heart.

Luna: I’d like it noted that I was the inspiration.

Me: Really? You mean you were being deliberately reserved to see if Juno would take the lead in initiating zoomies and a chase?

Luna: Exactly that.

Me: But Juno is usually quite reserved herself on walks. She hangs back, watches the others, keeps herself to herself. Never bothered about chasing balls… or dogs. You’re saying you were doing reverse psychology on her?

Luna: Yes. You saw her yesterday.

Me: I did. And halfway through the walk, something changed. I think your unusual calmness made Juno think you were out of sorts. She barked at you, then launched into a chase as if to say, “Come on then, be yourself!”

Luna: She was trying to reboot me.

Me: Then came more games with George and Hazel. I could hardly believe it.

Luna: Sometimes confidence arrives when nobody is looking.

Me: I sent the video to her owners and said I’d never seen her do that before.

Luna: And?

Me: They said they hadn’t either.

Luna: See? Historic moment. You’re welcome.

Me: You know, Luna, there’s a lesson in this. Because you’re a grower too.

Luna: Excuse me?

Me: It’s true. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure about you. You were one giant fluffball of chaos. No eye contact because your fringe covered your eyes. Lead manners questionable. Pulling and jumping up at everyone from children to joggers to dogs.

Luna: I was enthusiastic.

Me: You were also a professional food thief. Surfaces, cupboards… nothing was safe.

Luna: Allegedly.

Me: Then Cat came to help with behaviour advice, your fur was trimmed, training began, and after the groomers we realised you were actually underweight and hungry. Once you were fed properly, the stealing stopped.

Luna: Funny what enough dinner can do.

Me: And underneath all that fluff was a calm, affectionate dog who can pretty much charm everyone she meets…

Luna: Including Juno.

Me: Indeed. And yesterday showed me something else: dogs bloom when they feel safe, settled and comfortable. Juno didn’t just join in play… she started it.

Luna: Courage looks different on everyone.

Me: Exactly.

Luna: But… I still deserve credit.

Me: Do you know what, Loons? I think you do ☺️

21/04/2026

We are so excited to have received our licence this week, and we are now officially open for daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then daily from June for daycare, dog walking and overnight stays. Yay!

13/04/2026

News from the Den: We’re Officially Open 🎉🐾

Luna: Mummy… why have you AI’d me with a party hat on and fireworks in the background? You do realise fireworks usually make me bark?

Me: Fair point, Luna…

Luna: And also… AI changes faces. Whilst it looks like me, it doesn’t really look like me. Have you noticed it gives you a slightly chipmunk-y face, Mummy?

Me: Yes, I have noticed that…

Luna: So… why have you done it?

Me: Because today is a big day.

Luna: How big?

Me: We’ve finally received our licence.

Luna: Ohhh… so we’re officially open?

Me: We are! 🎉

Luna: And the fireworks?

Me: Purely symbolic.

Luna: Good. Let’s keep real ones out of it.

Me: Agreed.

Luna: So what happens now?

Me: Just 25 more commutes into London…

Luna: Including 8 commutes with me.

Me: Exactly. And then we’re not just officially open… the Den will be open every day.

Luna: I like the sound of that. More dogs, more walks, more treats…

Me: You’re all about the treats….

Luna: I’ll allow the AI party hat then. Just this once.

Me: Thank you, Luna.

Roll on 11th June… 🐾✨

27/03/2026

🐾 Yesterday at the Den: Turns Out… I’ve Been Claimed 😂

A little conversation between me and Libby…

Me: When I imagined daycare… as well as the energetic fun stuff, I pictured cuddles, calm time, all of us piled onto Luna’s massive sofa bed… peaceful, happy, relaxed ❤️

Libby: Yeah… about that…

Me: I made sure Luna was part of all the walks leading into daycare, so she could bond with everyone before sharing her home.

Libby: That part you nailed.

Me: What I didn’t quite anticipate… was some of my daycare dogs deciding they actually own me.

Libby: Oh yes… the ‘no one else is allowed near you’ situation 😅

Me: Group cuddles? Not always allowed.
Other dogs getting attention? Debatable.
New dogs arriving? Definitely something to have an opinion on…

Libby: To be fair… some of us just really love our humans.

Me: And I’ll take that as a compliment — that we’ve bonded enough for me to be one of their favourite people ❤️

Libby: But… there are still rules.

Me: Exactly. When behaviour isn’t acceptable — like growling at another dog for getting too close to me — there are consequences. A short time out, a reset, and then we try again.

Libby: Fair enough… even if someone might not agree at the time…

Me: And that’s the learning curve. From managing multiple dogs on walks… to understanding personalities and group dynamics in the home.

Libby: Basically… we’re all figuring it out together.

Me: Exactly. Every dog is different. Most are incredibly sweet — just with their own little quirks (just like us). And at the Den, where we can work through those… we will.

Libby: As long as there are still cuddles at the end of it.

Me: Always ❤️