My Path & Meet My Team....
The Some things in life are unclear and sad at the time, then after the event you realise that all things happen for a reason and opportunity can sometimes come from loss.
I have owned a dog all my life since age 11 .........except until recently when my beloved dog, my heart dog, my absolute soulmate passed away aged 13, peacefully and with me by her side. I say recently as I am still grieving her loss, but in actual fact it was in 2016.
She was my world and I thought all dog owners felt the same way about their dogs. I was single and child-less and admittedly that may have expanded my capacity to love this dog of mine, but when I moved to the Lake District and saw how some people live side by side with their dogs, I noticed there were different levels of care given to the furry friend by our sides. Some are owners, as in they feel only OWNERSHIP for the dog as an object.....meet its basic needs but the dog is a commodity. I saw a lot of dog OWNERS in the farming community for example (not exclusively I might add) and whilst I understood the beliefs behind it, it didn't sit well with me. I also saw dog care-givers....those people who make up the majority of folk, they see their dog as family members and are dedicated to giving them good nutrition, daily exercise, interaction and a good level of love throughout their lives. Then there are people like me...... these people are care-givers but also view themselves as dog parents. I felt as though we had a child- parent relationship. I wanted to educate her, give her the best healthcare, the best diet, to provide enrichment and lots of opportunities to have a fulfilling life. We went everywhere together, I even put my career in education on hold and only took job roles that were local, so that I could return home to her during my lunch hour, to be with her and relieve her boredom and toiletry needs (pre- dog walking days obviously)!
Then I had children..........and of course things changed. The love for my dog was still so strong, but my time was taken up with two tiny babies to look after.
My life was very different now, I was living on a sheep farm with my two young babies and my partner, and was heavily involved with the farm dogs and the livestock. The farm dogs were super high energy and wanted loads of interaction with me, constantly on the go. It got me thinking.......imagine if you had a dog that you felt like a parent to (like me) and you wanted to give that dog THE BEST LIFE, you worked in a job where you couldn't get home from work each day or had family commitments AND your dog was high energy/ high intelligence?
Was there even a service out there for these dogs and their human parents?
And so the idea of P.A.W.S. pinged into my head as I sat up in the early hours nursing my baby, it was only a seed of an idea......nothing tangible.
Then in 2016 my heart-dog died.
I was heart broken.
I had recently moved back to the Wirral with my two babies and was now sadly a single mother trying to find a way to support myself. Losing my dog now was a tragedy. I missed her terribly, but didn't feel ready to adopt another yet, I wanted her back. I was struggling and needed to make sure I got a job, a 'job' that would be flexible enough to fit around my role as a mum. Eventually, after a short while trying to find my feet again .......the time to start P.A.W.S. was upon me. It was perfect, as I could have dogs in my life again and retrace the steps I took with my own dog, and dedicate myself to them, but also fit it around looking after my children.
I had no idea how quickly and brilliantly the business would grow, I didn't really have faith in the 'PAWS Parent' idea initially and was scared to put my head above the precipice with the idea that some dog owners might want MORE for their dogs, but I eventually got the courage to execute my ideas and feel we are now delivering the kind of service that essentially makes dog parents and their dogs very happy, and that was always the goal.
To see how well the business has come in this short time, check out my Review of the Year 2019 video HERE, and to read about my journey in much more detail, grab my book "From Poor To Paw" on Amazon as a paperback, Kindle or Audible version.
I have owned a dog all my life since age 11 .........except until recently when my beloved dog, my heart dog, my absolute soulmate passed away aged 13, peacefully and with me by her side. I say recently as I am still grieving her loss, but in actual fact it was in 2016.
She was my world and I thought all dog owners felt the same way about their dogs. I was single and child-less and admittedly that may have expanded my capacity to love this dog of mine, but when I moved to the Lake District and saw how some people live side by side with their dogs, I noticed there were different levels of care given to the furry friend by our sides. Some are owners, as in they feel only OWNERSHIP for the dog as an object.....meet its basic needs but the dog is a commodity. I saw a lot of dog OWNERS in the farming community for example (not exclusively I might add) and whilst I understood the beliefs behind it, it didn't sit well with me. I also saw dog care-givers....those people who make up the majority of folk, they see their dog as family members and are dedicated to giving them good nutrition, daily exercise, interaction and a good level of love throughout their lives. Then there are people like me...... these people are care-givers but also view themselves as dog parents. I felt as though we had a child- parent relationship. I wanted to educate her, give her the best healthcare, the best diet, to provide enrichment and lots of opportunities to have a fulfilling life. We went everywhere together, I even put my career in education on hold and only took job roles that were local, so that I could return home to her during my lunch hour, to be with her and relieve her boredom and toiletry needs (pre- dog walking days obviously)!
Then I had children..........and of course things changed. The love for my dog was still so strong, but my time was taken up with two tiny babies to look after.
My life was very different now, I was living on a sheep farm with my two young babies and my partner, and was heavily involved with the farm dogs and the livestock. The farm dogs were super high energy and wanted loads of interaction with me, constantly on the go. It got me thinking.......imagine if you had a dog that you felt like a parent to (like me) and you wanted to give that dog THE BEST LIFE, you worked in a job where you couldn't get home from work each day or had family commitments AND your dog was high energy/ high intelligence?
Was there even a service out there for these dogs and their human parents?
And so the idea of P.A.W.S. pinged into my head as I sat up in the early hours nursing my baby, it was only a seed of an idea......nothing tangible.
Then in 2016 my heart-dog died.
I was heart broken.
I had recently moved back to the Wirral with my two babies and was now sadly a single mother trying to find a way to support myself. Losing my dog now was a tragedy. I missed her terribly, but didn't feel ready to adopt another yet, I wanted her back. I was struggling and needed to make sure I got a job, a 'job' that would be flexible enough to fit around my role as a mum. Eventually, after a short while trying to find my feet again .......the time to start P.A.W.S. was upon me. It was perfect, as I could have dogs in my life again and retrace the steps I took with my own dog, and dedicate myself to them, but also fit it around looking after my children.
I had no idea how quickly and brilliantly the business would grow, I didn't really have faith in the 'PAWS Parent' idea initially and was scared to put my head above the precipice with the idea that some dog owners might want MORE for their dogs, but I eventually got the courage to execute my ideas and feel we are now delivering the kind of service that essentially makes dog parents and their dogs very happy, and that was always the goal.
To see how well the business has come in this short time, check out my Review of the Year 2019 video HERE, and to read about my journey in much more detail, grab my book "From Poor To Paw" on Amazon as a paperback, Kindle or Audible version.
Sarah Marles- Mrs S. PAWS
Mum to two young children, paws parent to Pumpkin (we rescued her in 2020). With a background (pre-dog business owner) in training and mentoring in an educational setting, I have gained lots of experience of 'helping' and 'nurturing' people. I was late to follow my dreams of working with dogs and have always wanted to be self employed and in charge of my own destiny. Finally through working with dogs I am able to balance family life and entrepreneurship all together, which is sheer bliss.
MEET MY TEAM
See WHO Brings Joy To Your Dog's Lives........
Zara MoorePAWS Parent to Gizmo the Pug, her extended PAWS family include the solo doggies that need our help......those that prefer the company of humans rather than other dogs.
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Poppy LewinPAWS Parent to Goose, a rescue dog from Almost Home Animal Rescue, her extended PAWS family include all the BIG Gold Adventure dogs.....they adventure HARD and sleep WELL!
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Liz Brown RVNBringing a wealth of experience in looking after animals, having been a Veterinary Nurse for 17 years, now working in a self employed capacity as a freelancer, she likes to break up her working week adventuring with the PAWS Family......wise lady!
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Nikki HudsonNikki has joined the company as our first Licensed Partner, and jointly covers the Wirral area provision. She gave up a 30 year career to join the company and brings a wealth of knowledge both strategically and of course as a dog owner, lover and ambassador.
In joining us, Nikki is now a self employed business owner and runs her own share of the business as PAWS WIrral |
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