Heidi's Pet Friends

21/09/2026

So well said 😊

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EikzQpPnC/

“Dog walking sounds like the easiest job in the world.”

Until you actually do it.

It’s the loneliness when you spend hours working on your own.

The mud, the mess, the rain, the freezing mornings and scorching days.

The physical strain, the injuries, the exhaustion that builds up over time.

The unpredictability of dog behaviour and the huge responsibility that comes with caring for someone else’s beloved pet.

It’s traffic.
It’s transport.
It’s vans breaking down.
It’s fuel, insurance, repairs and everything else that comes with keeping yourself on the road.

It’s juggling schedules, cancellations, early starts, late finishes and trying to make the numbers work when your income isn’t guaranteed.

And then there’s all the work nobody sees.

The messages.
The bookings.
The paperwork.
The planning.
The admin.
The constant organising behind the scenes.

It can mean sacrificing weekends, evenings, holidays and time with the people you love.

There’s emotional pressure, too. The worry when a dog is unwell. The guilt when something goes wrong. The stress of trying to keep every dog safe, happy and cared for while keeping a business running at the same time.

And eventually, there’s burnout.

So yes, from the outside, dog walking might look like getting paid to walk dogs all day.

But behind every happy, muddy, tired dog going home is a person carrying far more than a lead.

It’s physically demanding. It’s emotionally exhausting. It’s unpredictable. And sometimes, it’s really bloody hard.

But despite all of that… I genuinely wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because the muddy paws, wagging tails, ridiculous characters, little moments of trust and the bond you build with these dogs make every difficult day worth it.

I love this job.
I love the dogs.
And even on the days when it pushes me to my absolute limit, I wouldn’t swap it for anything. ❤️🐾

Treat anyone??? 😋

26/08/2026

Happy International Dog Day from staff member Ember 🥰
We love to go on adventures 💜

Please feel free to share your gorgeous doggos in the comments 🥰

29/07/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DExDuvvMM/

There are still a couple of spaces available on the PUPPY FOUNDATIONS Starting Sat 8th August. (No class on 15th August, as I am on holiday).then 4 consecutive weeks, all at 9.30 - 10.30am.
Weather being as it is 🔥 I have decided not to run classes after lunch for August too.
So I'm head scratching a bit to fit the levels in, but I will put some dates out for the other levels tomorrow. If you are waiting on a course please feel free to comment, or message me, and I will try and get the most popular courses in first.
All 5 week courses are £60, and run at Friday Bridge village hall. Remember you can repeat a course for the reduced price of £50 if you want to refresh, consolidate, or just keep your training relationship on track.
Diane 😊 🐾

21/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1HgFmzf3Rm/

.secret.dog.walker

19/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FZsA4y1G1/

So as a self confessed technophobe, I did a thing! I spent many an evening on my phone, creating a price list for my other business and eventually created something not too shabby!
So I set to and created this to use as a pinned post and as a quick and easy introductuon to what I offer. In just 2 sessions too!
I'm actually quite proud of myself, and also this is living proof that
a) you can teach an old dog new tricks 😆
b) with enough practice and attempts you can learn to do things that don't come super easily.
(I deleted and started again several times and had to tweak things a few times too).
c) a good reminder that practice makes progress, and consistency bears fruit in the end. Repetition is the key to success!
We can apply all of these principles to our dog training.
I'm going to call this 'pet level' IT skills 😅 and that's good enough for me! 🐾

18/05/2026

All of my dogs are pretty darn good - but that's not to say there aren't moments 😆
https://www.facebook.com/share/1b6kYpjKiU/

.secret.dog.walker

14/05/2026

Great information 😀
Ember is a box/paper shredder, an observer and a sniffer 😁

12/05/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B1mhWmCmK/

23/03/2026

National Puppy Day

Let's see them 😁 post up puppy photos in reply 😍 pleeeeease 🤭

If a rescue, I will absolutely take your first photos of them no matter what age, I don't want them left out 🤗

20/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GBcbd64si/

They've put this so well 🙏🏻
So much more than the "walking the dogs" going on before I "start" and after I "finish" for the day.

People think being a dog walker is just sunshine, slow-motion park runs, and an army of happy tails wagging in perfect harmony.

And yes… sometimes it is.

But behind every perfectly filtered photo of twelve dogs sitting like angels for a treat is a slightly frazzled human calculating whether the van will pass its next MOT.

Ah yes, the glamorous life.

There’s the van — my noble, muddy chariot. It doesn’t just transport dogs. It transports sand, half a forest, mysterious wet smells, and at least one tennis ball permanently lodged somewhere under the seats.

The MOT date lives in my brain like a ticking time bomb. Insurance? Due yesterday. Tax? Also due yesterday. Fuel? Disappearing at a rate that suggests the van is secretly driving itself around at night. I fill it up, blink twice, and somehow it’s thirsty again.

And the tires — oh, the tires — wearing down faster than my patience when someone says, “You just play with dogs all day, right?”
Sure. If “play” includes scrubbing paw prints off the ceiling.

After the last drop-off, when the dogs are home snoring on sofas they did not pay for, I’m back at base. Emptying bedding. Shaking out towels. Discovering that someone has once again rolled in something that used to be alive. The van gets cleaned. Again. And tomorrow it will look like I drove directly through a swamp. Again.

Then there’s laundry. So much laundry. Towels. More towels. Coats in every size imaginable. Washing. Drying. Folding. Repeat. My washing machine works harder than an Olympic athlete. It has seen things.

Somewhere between loads, I’m restocking treats. Because apparently dogs can tell when you’ve switched brands. I buy them in bulk, convinced this time they’ll last.

They do not last. They vanish into enthusiastic mouths and suddenly I’m back at the pet shop explaining why I need enough snacks to sustain a small furry nation.

And just when I sit down with a cup of tea?

Ping.

“Hi! Just wondering if you have availability in six months for our new puppy?”

Ping.

“Can you add an extra walk tomorrow?”

Ping.

“Did Arlo poo today?”

Of course Arlo pooed today. Arlo always poos.

The messages don’t clock out at 3pm. They follow me into evenings, weekends, and occasionally into dreams. I respond because I care — about the dogs, about the owners, about doing it properly.

And then there are the invoices. The least cuddly part of the job. After a day of mud, slobber, joyful chaos, fuel receipts, treat restocks, and calculating tire tread depth, I sit down to send out polite emails that say, in essence, “Remember all that happiness? That will be £___, please.”

But here’s the secret part no one sees.

When a nervous rescue dog finally runs toward me instead of away.

When an elderly dog leans against my leg because the walk was just enough.

When a puppy learns recall and looks impossibly proud.

When I get a photo later of a dog asleep, belly up, clearly exhausted and content.

Behind the MOT reminders, insurance payments, tax, fuel costs, tire wear, endless laundry, treat bills, and midnight messages… there’s a quiet, scruffy kind of love.

It’s muddy.

It’s loud.

It smells questionable.

But when twelve dogs look at you like you are the best part of their day?

Honestly.

It kind of makes the full tank worth it.