At 50, I find myself responsible to the wellbeing of an old dog for the first time in my life. Despite growing up with family dogs and taking on my mother’s dog after she passed away, I have never lived with an old dog before.

 

Work in my twenties, and thirties required long hours and left little room for them but luckily in 2014 I was able to leave all that behind. I accepted a redundancy package that left me with the time to work out what I wanted to do next. It gave me the opportunity to retrain in canine massage therapy. In that year I also adopted Eva, an adult lurcher from a local rescue. 

Eva, taught me more about love, patience, and responsibility than any job could and she quietly trained me in the skills I needed to care of her.

 

I set up Safe Hands Clinical Canine Massage in January 2017, aiming to improve the lives of local dogs and as it turned out, their owners.

Expanding my expertise to include core conditioning came I noticed recuring  issues and postural concerns with my canine clients. The pandemic highlighted the need for a more holistic support for anxious dogs, and I am now training in canine behaviour to help address this increasing need. 

Now, as Eva enters old age, I continue to learn from her. She has multiple age-related conditions, and I am now on a mission to learn as much as I can about older dogs so I can help her, and others live the very best lives possible.

 

Despite the many challenges ahead and the devastation that is inevitably to come; my mission remains clear: to provide excellent, proven services that ensure the physical, mental and emotional well-being of dogs at every stage of life and to empower us as owners to become the best advocates for them.

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Running my own business and the change in my life style was frightening at first. But improved working hours and a dedicated home clinic allows me give my dogs the very best life whilst supporting you and your dog through the scary times and the good times as they move through their lives by our side.