Welcome To Porter’s Paw Patrol

The decision to follow my passion and work with pets has finally been made! The summer of 2021 has seen me keep busy setting up this new business. I decided on the Porter’s Paw Patrol name and purchased the website domain. I outsourced getting a logo designed and spoke to a web designer who has built a number of dog walking websites in the past.

There is a lot to consider when starting your own business. For a pet services business I’ve had to look at insurances, home boarding licences, setting up a Facebook page etc. I also decided to obtain a type 1 Animal Transport Licence from DEFRA which will allow me to consider doing pet transport work over longer distances (journeys over 65km). Finally I’m ready to start offering services to residents of Market Harborough. In this first ever blog post I want to introduce myself and discuss some of the services I’m offering.

Who Am I?

I’m Dan Porter and I’ve lived in Market Harborough with my wife and daughter for a number of years. We share our family home with Ruby our Cockapoo who is no doubt looking forward to meeting other local dogs who we will meet as part of Porter’s Paw Patrol. Besides pets I have a number of other hobbies. These include travel, socialising and meeting with friends and generally being outside in the great outdoors.

Our Pet Services

When starting a pet services business you need to consider exactly what services you want to offer. Having given it some thought I’ve decided to offer a pretty wide range of services to meet the needs of local pet owners. These services include:

• Dog Walking. Initially I will offer only group walks that are an hour in duration. I have 3 different time slots during the day, spread out to allow time for transporting dogs to / from the park. When we say walks last 1 hour, that’s pure walking time. My insurance allows me to walk fairly large groups of dogs but I’ve decided to limit walks to a maximum of 4 dogs. It’s important in terms of safety of the pack and other park users that groups are limited to a manageable size. For this reason I also try and match the personality and exercise needs of dogs when deciding if they are a good match with existing dogs.
• Dog Boarding. I’m working with the local council to apply for my home boarding licence. This service is perfect for the types of dogs who don’t do well in kennels. Many owners prefer the ‘home from home’ environment that mimics their home routine more. I only board a small number of dogs at any time. Dog boarding is a very popular service and customers are advised to book early, especially at peak holiday times.
• Doggy Day Care. My doggy day care service is aimed at those dogs who need more than an hour group walk to break up their day. Dogs who either constantly bark when left alone or dogs with separation anxiety might be suited to doggy day care. This service operates between 8:00am and 6:30pm. For owners who are unable to drop off or collect within these hours I offer a transport service at an additional charge.
• Pet Sitting. Some customers want a pet sitting service that takes place in their own home. For example some cats are very independent and have access to a cat flap to their own home. If you are going away for a weekend or longer, you may only need a couple of short pop in visits to feed and water your cat, clean a litter tray and give some fuss and attention to cats that enjoy company. Such a service can sometimes be less stressful to cats than putting them in a local cattery.
  
  Our pop in visits are also ideal for other types of pets. Perhaps you have a puppy who is still being fed 3 times a day and you work full time. A short visit to give your puppy food, garden time and some company is ideal until they are old enough to perhaps join group walks.
  
  I also offer overnight pet sitting in the owner’s own home. This is mainly aimed at dogs who may not be suitable for home boarding, for example reactive dogs. This overnight service includes feeding, exercise, company and regular updates. Customers who might be interested in this service are advised to contact us to discuss exactly what’s included.
• Pet Taxi. My pet taxi service is perfect for trips to the vet or groomers. Because I have a DEFRA licence I am also able to consider longer pet transport bookings. Typically these longer journeys include the collection of puppies or kittens from breeders.

Thanks for reading my first ever blog post. I plan to use my blog going forward to inform readers about pet related news, products or services that I feel would be of interest. Feel free to comment on share any of our articles that may be of interest to you or your friends.