As a small business ourselves, this Easter we thought we'd do a big shoutout for all of the amazing small businesses we use, have used, and admire ourselves in the local area. We're lucky enough to call lots of these wonderful business owners friends too, we use them all and have also learnt so much from each of them! Supporting local business is so so important, and we hope you'll find them useful if you don't know of them already.
*Please Note: We are not affiliated with any of these business, and we are not being paid or sponsored to advertise them, we're simply sharing our honest experiences with you all!*
First up on our recommendations list is Debbie Taylor at Puppy School Mid Cheshire!
We have used Debbie for many years now, and all of our new Pup's have been to Puppy School. Puppy School is all about reward based training, and setting your dog up for success. We first used Debbie when we got Nala, she attended Puppy School, Canine College and Hoopers Foundation & Bronze. Everyone always comments on how Nala is such a well behaved girl, and we always say Puppy School is to thank for that!
We also love Debbie's classes because they are limited to a small number of dogs each session, meaning there is more time with each dog and their owners to ask questions, practice, and the dogs don't tend to get over stimulated as it's a calm class environment.
Nando can't wait to complete his Sniffer Dog UK course and get a new shiny certificate with Debbie soon!
"Animals have been the centre of my attention for as long as I can remember. As a young girl, I developed a fascination with dogs in particular and I couldn’t get enough of them! Whether it was reading about them, spending time with them or observing them every chance I could get. I have worked at a local veterinary hospital for 14 years and gained a great deal of knowledge and experience working closely with dogs on a daily basis. It has been a great opportunity for me to meet a huge variety of breeds and observe their individual personalities and behaviours. As well as veterinary work, I began assisting Puppy School classes in 2013 and became an official Puppy School Tutor in 2014. I now run my own classes in Barnton and Anderton in Northwich. Being part or the Puppy School organisation has enabled me to improve my knowledge of dog behaviour and keep my skills up to date by attending regular CPD events, conferences and behaviour courses. Although I enjoy all aspects of dog training and behaviour, my speciality is the puppy’s early stages of development. Training a young puppy positively helps to build a trusting, lifelong relationship and can prevent future behaviour problems from occurring. I am passionate about giving puppies the best start in life, and for this reason I love teaching the Puppy School course. I am also proud to be a Registered Animal Training Instructor with the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC)."
Don't hesitate to get in touch with her if you'd like any more info on her courses, but beware, we're not the only ones who know how good she is, so she can book up very quickly!
You can find her course information and contact information on her website by clicking below
We cannot recommend Rachel at Nose to Trail enough for behaviour. She is a member of the APBC, ABTC and pact and is a Clinical Animal Behaviourist.
We used Rachel when we rescued Minnie, our Yorkshire Terrier. Minnie was really struggling to get along with our other 3 dogs, and as she got older she became totally unpredictable and began attacking them all for reasons unknown to us. Rachel worked with us to find out all about Minnie's life, her likes and dislikes, her behaviour in general to try and help Minnie, and us, manage her outbursts. She provided us with a personal, detailed, behaviour report, gave us routine changes to introduce to try and make her day to day life less stressful, and taught us all about trigger stacking, sleep startle and the dynamics of a multi-dog household. She also looked at our other 3 dogs to see where the problem lay. In the end, it was clear that we couldn't give Minnie the life she needed, she was a completely different dog without our other 3 around her, so after lots of deliberations, we came to the hard decision to re-home Minnie. Rachel helped us every step of the way, and even went above and beyond to find us the perfect home for Minnie, without other dogs, without children, and somewhere experienced in dog behaviour so they could continue to work on any issues with her, without the dynamics of other dogs interfering with her training.
As soon as Minnie left our other dogs began to play with toys again, were able to go to sleep in their beds without worrying about her attacking them, and it was easy to visibly see the signs that they were becoming less stressed. It was one of the hardest things we'd ever had to do, but with Rachel's knowledge and support we know we made the right decision, and we couldn't be happier with her services. Minnie is now living her best life as the only household dog, where she can rule the roost and enjoy sunbathing in the garden in peace!
Rachel also runs training courses for dogs in Dog Parkour, Reducing Reactivity and Man Trailing, as well as online courses and memberships, so be sure to head over to her page and check them out!
"Nose to Trail is a multi award winning Clinical Animal Behaviour service run by Rachel Rodgers MSc. Rachel specialises in working with small dogs and using scent work techniques such as man trailing and pet trailing to help dogs to overcome their behavioural difficulties. Scent work is key for dogs, who experience the world through their noses rather than their eyes! Sniffing releases dopamine, lowers the dog’s heart rate and blood pressure and generally helps to calm and relax them! The type of dogs who may benefit are those struggling with difficulties like: separation anxiety, sound phobias, reactivity (barking, lunging and pulling on the lead) as well as other fear and anxiety based conditions.
Nose to Trail is part of the Canine School of Trailing. A company established by Rachel Rodgers and co-founder Marilyn Gilchrist. Trained by Markus Burkhardt from Austria, the duo are two of only a handful of dog trainers with the speciality of pet trail training in the UK.
Pet trailing is where a team (usually an owner and their dog) are trained up to find a “missing” pet, most commonly a dog! While the majority of Nose to Trail’s clients do this just for fun, and think of it as a giant game of hide and seek, Rachel’s own dog Rico has successfully found a missing dog which resulted in him being in the finals of the Super Dog Awards!
Trailing has huge benefits for shy and anxious dogs but also for everyday pet dogs. Including: strengthening the bond between owner and dog, building self-confidence and motivation, and releasing the feel-good chemical dopamine. This could be the new hobby you have been looking for!"
You can find Rachel's Website and contact information by pressing the button below!
We have used Charli multiple times now and would highly recommend her to everyone! She's been working with animals for years now and is very knowledgeable about all kinds of pets. We use Charli's Pet Angels for pet visits when we go away, and she always goes above and beyond, she even waters our house plants! She provides updates every visit and puts our mind at rest knowing our pets and house is in the best hands. Charli covers the Leighton side of Crewe and some surrounding areas, so if you're nearby and looking for someone trustworthy, experienced and professional then be sure to reach out to her!
"Established in 2016, Charli’s Pet Angels is based in Leighton in Crewe, Cheshire, and is run by Charli with the help of a small team. We offer a friendly, reliable, and professional Dog Walking and pop-in Pet Sitting service (visits to your home for cats, rabbits, guineapigs, exotic pets, other small mammals, and birds). We are passionate about caring for your pets as if they were part of our own family, and we wholeheartedly understand that finding someone you trust to look after them (when you can’t) can seem a daunting task. That’s why we’re here to help: Your animal’s care and well-being is our utmost priority. We are fully insured, DBS checked, and trained in Emergency Canine First Aid for your peace of mind."
You can find more info about Charli and her services by clicking the button below
Having 4 dogs, and 2 of them being extremely reactive to people, means that off lead walks for all of them together are few and far between in day to day life. Having somewhere they can all go together, to run around and play off lead is a godsend! We regularly use Steph's fields in Byley, Middlewich, for our crazy bunch. You have the whole field to yourself for the whole time, and there's never another person or dog in sight, so we can relax knowing that Teddy and Lunabelle won't go crazy barking at people or dogs, which stresses them out and quite frankly isn't nice for anyone involved! Our favourite is field 2, which has access to a pond for Nala to swim in, lots of agility equipment for them to practice going through tunnels, doing small jumps etc. They always have an absolute blast and are shattered afterwards!
"Raised with family dogs, Steph adopted her first rescue, Choccy Lab Bailey, in her early 20s when she had her own Marketing Business and livery stables Years later Steph adopted a second rescue dog, Lab X Frenchie Jaxy, and found that as they became a bonded pair they were not always comfortable with off-lead dogs approaching them whilst they were on the lead After several uncomfortable encounters with out of control, off-lead dogs Steph thought how nice it would be to be able to take them to a place where they would not have to deal with other dogs that were off their leads She therefore approached a local landowner, who she had known for many years, with her idea for a secure dog field and he had the perfect place so Steph opened her first secure field in Byley in Middewich in July 2019 and has not looked back since!"
You can find her page for more info and to book by clicking the button below
Ginger & Browns is Nando & Nala's favourite treat shop, hands down! They are based in Blakemere Craft Centre - we don't live local to Northwich anymore, but whenever we're in the area on our days off we always make sure we pop in for them to pick out some tasty treats. They have a huge pick and mix selection of natural, high quality treats, as well as eco toys, quality coats, leads, collars and harnesses etc. We also love that they only sell high quality, nutritious dog food unlike a lot of other pet shops who sell all of the big branded, low quality food full of fillers.
We asked Josh to give us a bit of background info about him and the business -
"Back in 2009 I headed to the University of Chester to study Animal Behaviour Bcs having followed a career towards the Zoological world. Throughout this I'd worked and trained all sorts of animals from fish to Polar Bears and absolutely loved it! As I graduated, an opportunity to work at the University of Liverpool with a team of evolution scientists arose - it was a contract for 4 years, and when that came to a close, I knew a career in science research was really unreliable for research grants, with many colleagues having to move countries to find work! Zoo work had become less financially viable as it's not the best paid of careers, and so - with by best friend Rach by my side - we decided to launch Ginger&Browns in 2016. It was named after our dogs: Fern - the "ginger" Vizsla who came into my life in 2013, and Mally the "brown" Border Terrier who's Rach's dog. It combined this bakery-esk name with a very rustic, natural feel, and our focus has been to provide a new feel to a pet shop where qualities such as being natural, eco-friendly, locally sources etc. were combined with fair prices. It has grown and grown through the years - despite the recession, Brexit, pandemic and now cost of living crisis, and though Rach moved in 2021 and created a new business as a nutritionist, we still catch up every other week! We're now a team of 7 and have expanded to multiple areas with much more to come!" - Josh Beeston
This is another local company who have a message that we totally back and it's owned by Mark and Charli (from Charli's Pet Angels above). Using natural ingredients, being extremely environmentally conscious and being of such high quality makes them stand out from the crowd of large corporate companies. We'll be stocking some of their products at the salon soon too, so watch this space! To demonstrate the need for people to use compostable poop bags over traditional bags they even did an experiment, you can find out how it went down over on their article here - https://bagandboop.com/blogs/blog/compostable-dog-poo-bag-experiment
"Bag And Boop is a close-knit family business located in Cheshire, driven by a profound love for animals. Our ethos revolves around harnessing the inherent gifts of nature to enhance the lives of our four-legged companions and contribute positively to the world around us. Our diverse range of products covers all aspects of your furry friend's needs, from certified compostable dog poop bags, handmade 100% natural grooming bars and healing balms. The continued development of the business allowed us to welcome a new range of supplements during 2023. All of course, harness the power of nature. From pumpkin powder, fish oils, cranberry for urinary treatment to joint and muscle issues we've got you covered. Looking to enhance your dogs life minus the pricetag of the big brands then head over to website today. Be sure to checkout our poop bag experiment and enjoy an exclusive 15% discount on all products with the code "first boop". Bag it , boost 'em and groom 'em! Your dog's poop, health, and looks covered."
You can head over to their website to check out their range of products via the button below!
We and a lot of our customers have other pets too, so we had to mention this wonderful company! You can find Katie at the Artisan Market in town every month, and she has stalls at different markets all over the North West. We found her at a Saturday Market in Trentham over a year ago, and were blown away with her selection of very high quality, reasonably priced and variety of treats for our little furrys. If you have Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Degu's or other small animals then be sure to check her out!! We regularly buy hay, forage, enrichment treats and hay cookies from her, and they go down an absolute treat!
"Guineapig Wheekly came to be in 2015 when as a small illustrator based in Stoke on Trent, Katie created a set of whimsical inky illustrations focused around the love of all things cavie. Designing and manufacturing her way from a colouring book to a custom fabric line of pet beds, enamel pins and more there was sure to be a variety of small pet lover merch all under one roof here in the guineapig wheekly store. In 2022 though after a difficult few years throughout the world, it was time for a small change to reach out to new small pet people but just in a different way. So August that year was the start of our small pet market adventure travelling to small towns across Staffordshire and Cheshire to bring fresh forages, treats and toys alongside the gift range to people in person. Katie would make yummy treat boxes for her guinea pigs and it wasn't until her little sister mentioned "why not do these for other peoples pets" that Katie created a small pet market stall experience for guineapig and rabbit lovers alike and now in 2024 has become one of the go to market stalls for local small pet owners around in Staffordshire and Cheshire."
You can find Katie's page here and keep up to date with upcoming stalls and products - https://www.facebook.com/guineapigwheeklyuk/ & her website can be found by clicking the button below!
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