A couple of ex-police officers, with almost 30 years’ experience between them, quit their jobs to take their first steps on a new career.
Tanya Hodgkiss and Matthew Boswell have started Fernwood dog walking.
Paw Patrol Pet Services offers many services, including dog walking, cat and small pet visits, as well as horse/livestock visits. They also offer group sessions that are high-energy and tailored to each pet.
Tanya, a nineyear-old officer in the police force, stated: “The businesses started with a combination of things. Our little boy loves the Paw Patrol cartoons and he has a learning disability so working uncertain hours and shifts just wasn’t working.
“So, we decided to leave and start our own business.
“We love dogs so much that we thought why not combine all of the things that we love?”
Paw Patrol Pet Services offers group classes that are based on age, fitness, temperament, or breed.
There are four routes: Claypole (Claypole), Claypole (Fernwood), and Long Bennington.
The couple can look after the animals, feed them and give medication, if needed, during home visits.
“We just got a passion for dogs and walking them so we just thought that our passion could be our work and it didn’t seem like a job, it’s just fantastic,”Matthew, a police officer for nearly 20-years, said these words.
“It’s a really stressful job in the police, and really under-funded. You never know if you are going be kept on at work and obviously because our little boy has autism, when you’re working a certain hour away from him, and he needs us, we can’t guarantee we will be back.
“Now we are working on our doorsteps, so are always around, which gives us a peace of mind and he’s much happier.
“We are always home for tea with him and able to sit down as a family, we just knew that we couldn’t carry on with a job that he wouldn’t grasp.
Despite the business success, the 360-degree life turn was very uncertain.
“We were earning a really good income at the police and losing it has been really hard, quite scary actually,” said Tanya.
“Although it’s been really scary, and we had a lot of sleepless nights, we decided that our mental health was more important than being financially well-off.”
“We’re not materialistic at all and it is just nice to get up in the morning and just go out and do something that we really like and that we’re done by tea time, no amount of money can take that away, it’s been worth it.”