HELPING HANDS PET SERVICES ©

She's The Man !

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Hello Readers

Ahhh what lovely weather its been, the welly's came off and the walking boots were back on and when i was just doing Mobile Cattery visits the flip flops even came out. Which did mean i had to give a little TLC to my feet, after all the months of wet weather and just wearing wellington boots, you do forget to pretty up your toe nails. I have to give you a mental visual of how i look when its a wet day...I have my black water proof Jacket on, uniform of black fred perry top and combat trousers, wellys and i wear my cap, which is a bakers boy style, its black and i like it, however i did get mistaken for a man twice on one day??? oh my goodness, not a confidence booster that !! The pet service is hard work and a physical dirty job at times, still i dont think i look like a man...do I ?? oh eck. To be fair the first confused person was only looking at my back as i was leaning in the car tying the dogs in...he called me MATE when asking me a question, when i turned around and looked at him he saw i was female ! the second time it was the early evening and we had finished for the day and weekend so popped into a lovely country pub for a well earned pint of Guiness,still in uniform, i was following paul from the bar and i was putting my phone away ( again head down, cap on ) when a man let us pass and said there you go FELLA'S, so i looked up wondering who he was talking too then realised it was us....thankfully on both of these mistaken identity moments i had my lippy on and false lash mascara so these chaps could then tell i wasnt a DUDE. It made me chuckle though and i got apologies when they did see that i was LADY :roll:

I hope you all have a lovely Easter Break, we are already in the swing of things with the services, its a very busy time for the Mobile Cattery Service and Small Pet Visiting. The Easter bunny will be leaving some treats for the clients for when they return. The Dog Walking service is still busy only a few dogs have gone on their holidays. We have Kirk our new Dog Walker in training and he is enjoying meeting some of the Gateshead Dogs that he will have on his round.

Bye for now

Best Wishes

Dawn

Little Dog Walks

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 11:45:00 +0000

Hello Readers,

You may have noticed that we have brought back a service we originally had in 2007 to 2008....Half Hour Dog Walking ! We were the first service in Gateshead to introduce a half hourly service as well as an hourly. Why we have brought it back is due to having lots of enquiries off potential clients asking if we could take their small dogs for a loo break walk as they didnt want them to go on the hourly service or with mixed breeds including larger dogs. We think this is a great idea for an updated modern version of the Half Hour Service and we have called it " LITTLE DOG WALK SERVICE " Clients In Gateshead can have their small or Toy breed dog taken out with a simular size dog for a lovely lunchtime walk, getting a good stretch of their legs and a loo break as well as getting to see their buddies and enjoying a fun social life. Due to the high cost of fuel at the moment we can only provide this service for Gateshead area's such as LOW FELL, SALTWELL, BENSHAM, CENTRAL GATESHEAD, ALLERDENE, LYNDHURST, SHERIFF HILL, FELLING, ST JAMES VILLAGE, LEAM LANE, WINDY NOOK, BEACON LOUGH, WREKENTON. We charge only £5 per walk for this service and if your dog has a sibling of the same breed at home they can come along too for only an extra £2

Talking about fuel, this is a huge concern for businesses like ours who are Mobile and rely on vehicles to provide our services. Obviously we dont want to pass on the higher costs to us onto our clients and we havent, some i think have too though, the budget is possibly going to increase fuel costs further so i cant imagine the impact this is going to have on people. The way it affects Helping Hands is that we had to capp the area's that we cover and it guts me when i get potential clients who have heard about our Mobile Cattery Service and want to book and i have to turn them away because we cant cover that area, its the same for the Dog Walking Services, I have to explain the reason to reject a potential client, i could quote them but it would be very expensive, Helping Hands is about superb services at a very fair price. These new services that have been popping up all over the place charge some very cheap prices, in fact they are suspiciously cheap, i dont know how they can off set their business expenses against those type of fee's, surely they have nothing left to pay themselves or afford to employ any staff to help them ? maybe they are not a legitimate business?? Mmmmm beware out there if your after a cheap and cheerful pet service...it wont be!

I wrote a blog on the website last week about some of our regular Mobile Cattery Cats being poorly, mainly due to age related health problems....so i was very sad to learn that Cleo ( the oldest cat on our service ...24 ) and Buster a lovely 3 legged 17 year old cat had to be put to sleep...i had to break the news to Sharna, Martin and Emma who all know and care for these cats at various times. Our thoughts go out to their heartbroken owners

On a personal note my healthy eating has gone very well, i dropped a few pounds but i still cant give up pizza??? i must address this problem, let me finish my Asda vegatable supreme first !!

Bye for now

Dawn x

Poorly Cats

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Hello Readers,

Well we are nearly into March, so the weather should be improving soon, we hope!!! What a busy week we have had with the mobile cattery, lots of our regular clients heading off on business trips and short breaks, strangely though a lot of the cats have been poorly with various things. This is why the Mobile Cattery Service is so great because clients can still go on their trips knowing we can continue with the care and medication they have been providing. Three of the poorly cats are at an age where there is probability of illness, cleo is 24 now and still going strong but did have a sore tooth which was stopping her eating, thankfully the painkillers helped her and she was soon on the mend, poor Buster on the other hand, who is 17 is having a tough time of it , when we started his visits his owner updated me that he had been to the vets for injections and treatments that morning, she was worried to leave him but couldnt get out of her trip, I reassured her we would keep a close eye on him, i kept her up to date with how he was and i felt that after our 3rd visit he hadnt improved from when she left and recommended i popped him back to the vet on Monday morning as my client wasnt due home until Tuesday, which I did. It looks like a liver problem but more tests needed to be done, buster was really good at the vets, i fussed and kept him occupied whilst the vet examined him then he was admitted to their hospital section, fingers crossed they can help him get better. One of the younger regular cats has had an operation and also had a tough time of things lately, Mooshie is normally fit and healthy so it was quite a shock when her owner told me that she had suddenly been so poorly, thankfully though she is on the mend, and her owner had all the meds organised down to a tee so it was very easy for us to give Mooshie her tablets, so all went smoothly and Moosh continued to get well whilst her owner was away for a few days. It does pull on our heartstrings though when we see any of the cats poorly, Felix who has been on our service from the beginning of Helping Hands, and who is getting on a bit, was sadly diagnosed with a tumor in his tummy recently, it was so sad when his owner told me. I do know though that all the cats on the Mobile Cattery Service are loved so very much by their owners and have a wonderful life, what more could a cat ask for??? maybe having Helping Hands Pet Services so they dont have to go into boarding when their owner is away?? the cat that got the cream springs to mind :)

Bye for now

Best wishes

Dawn x

Poo

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:15:00 +0000

Hello readers,

Happy New year, I wonder what 2012 will bring for Helping Hands as we go into our 5th Year of business. Its always exciting when a new year comes, already we have bookings for 2013 so thats a great start ! we are also looking for a part time dog walker for Gateshead, this is a lovely little job for someone who wants to work with great dogs, be out in the fresh air and be part of a growing family run business, already we have had a lot of applicants, but we never rush our choice, we are very particular about who we employ.

We walk the dogs in some beautiful places but i have to say i cannot believe the amount of dog poo we see??? I hate dog poo and we always try to avoid over populated places where people walk their dogs for this very reason so im baffled when we go to a rural place thinking it wont have many dog walkers going there to then see lots and lots of poo...Eeeew. The thing is we then come across walkers who scowl at us with our group of dogs thinking its us not picking up after our gang when we do !!!. I dont understand people who dont pick it up, they really are spoiling walks for everyone. Martin went to walk his dogs in a well known part of Newcastle that is popular with runners and walkers and dog walking services. Martin thought it would be a nice change for his gang, but as he was getting his dogs out of the car ready to head off he noticed another dog walking service who ignored the fact that some of their dogs were doing a poo and he noticed they didnt have any used bags either ( the bins are where you park the car ) so they must not of picked any of their mess up??? now if they go there everyday, which they seem to, then those dogs will be running in it and then contaminating their vehicles and possibly their owners homes?? so martin put his gang back in the car and left and went to a walking area that isnt full of poo. I would like to buy a field for Helping Hands dog walking service so we know our dogs can have fun walks without having to stand in other dogs mess, i think we will do that one day. Im waiting for the goverment to start financially punishing pet services with expensive licences or something, i think it will happen and it will be the good services like us who suffer and the rogue one's, the ones who dont pick up the poo or have insurance or pay their taxes because its all cash in hand or have the proper things in place to run a safe service who will get away with it. Crikey somethings never change, ive started the new year with a RANT !

Onto nice things....Toni one of our dog walkers has had her baby... a little girl called Holly and she is gorgeous. Congratulations Toni and Kal. We have had lots of new cats come onto the mobile cattery service over Christmas so a big hello to all our new clients. I love the mobile cattery service, its an extended family of cats to us, we visited Dexter and his brother Sebastian for a full month over December to the beginning of January, they are siamese and adorable....we missed seeing them everyday when the booking finished but im glad to say they have just been booked again for a few days in february so we will look forward to giving them a hug then. The dog walking service is back to full throttle after Christmas, all the dogs get soooooo excited to be with their buddies again, we cant help but laugh at their antics. Its so muddy at the moment that most days the dogs are filthly, especially the labradors, we do shower them down but my apologies for any mud that might creep into their beds when they are dropped off, im looking forward to getting out of my wellies and back into my walking boots so roll on spring. I have intended to spend more time in the office but until we get another person on board to help with the dogs im afraid you might get the answering machine quite a lot at the moment but dont be put off, leave your message and i will get back to you.

Well thats all for now, i hope your all sticking to your new year resolutions, i didnt make any but i have decided to eat healthy from now on....and im taking Paul on this trek with me, ( oh yes the big fella is coming down with me....in size ) so out with the junk and take aways and in with good healthy food. I bought a diet magazine as motivation and a woman who had started a cattery business had the same problem, no time to do anything else as the business was their total focus, so they ate on the run and from take aways, ( i thought i was reading my story ! ) she put on 4 stone before she knew it but she changed her ways and looks great now, so there is hope. No doubt i will keep you updated in my blogs with how its going, i cant give up my glass of wine at the weekend though but ive sacrificed pizza instead, so i think thats a fair trade.

Bye for now

Best wishes from

Dawn

What A Year !

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,

I cant believe we are reaching the end of 2011. THANK YOU so much for all the lovely gifts we have recieved so far, its truly overwhelming how kind and generous you are to all of us at Helping Hands.

How do I sum up 2011??.....WOW what a year !! it has been our best year yet for growth with the business, our mobile cattery service has a huge loyal clientele who have really put the word out about us, the clients coming to us from recomendations has been a record high this year, the service is so popular and is a full time job in itself and its with thanks to all our Helping Hands staff that we can run everything so smoothly and reliably....and im glad we can offer services at the drop of a hat when our clients need it , especially this year as we have had a baby boom with our dog walking clients ! when we got a text at 4.30am off a nervous dad-to-be at the hospital supporting his wife, he knew he could contact us to go and take care of their furry child at home who would need her 6am walk and breakfast. I gave one quick phone call to Martin who is their dog walker and he was duly there at 5.55am and all was well.

We had a FIRST for Helping Hands in February 2011....a client who didnt pay for her service! Now im a very fair person but this particular client kept making excuses after excuses as to why her Dog Walking fee wasnt paid, i did make allowances for the glitch of internet banking but when the promised cheques and cash didnt materialise after week 3 i knew i was being fobbed off...so what do you do???....we had contiunued to provide the service, after all when their lovely little dog is so excitied to see you and wants to go out you cant just leave them at home, so at week 4 and the last promised payment was not there i left a note, I text and I emailed the client ( just to make sure she got my message ) that we would be suspending her service if the payment was not there the following Day and her dog would not be walked , this then got a very angry responce from the client who decided she wanted to cancel her service as she did not like my tone! So the phrase " Sour Grapes " sprang to mind as she has had a superb service that she was going to lose. Sooooo long story short, after she sent a cheque that she then cancelled when she got her keys back, how rude !! I followed the only course possible... through the courts, and when i told her of my intention it triggered a lot of intimidation and bullying off this client who said she would bad mouth Helping Hands on social networking sights such as twitter and face book if i persued her for payment through the court..well that is just a red rag to a bull with me!! I did not correspond with her anymore and ignored her threats even though it did worry me a little as she is quite high profile in the NHS and we have a massive amount of NHS clients...but again Sour Grapes came to my mind, she is upset that i suspended her service and she would not have the flexible service that she needed and relied upon. Im very pleased to say that the court was quite rightly in our favour and placed an attachment of earnings on this clients wages.

Spring was a great season, the lovely weather brought everything to life and lots of bookings for clients going on last minute holidays to take advantage of the heatwave. The Royal wedding put a cheer in everyone's day, any excuse to have a party ! I managed to spend some time with my family in Nottinghamshire to watch the wedding thanks to Toni, Martin and Paul for running things, it was a memorable day. Our puppy care service had new additions and the dog walking service had graduates from the puppy care service...phew it was a busy time.

Spring soon became Summer and our regulars booked in for their holidays, I can practically predict who will book and when....and felix's owner is often on route when she books, it always makes me chuckle in fact i did have a little premoniton that she may book when we were going to be out of office for a weekend ( paul and I were having a chillaxing weekend in filey ) even though Martin was checking the office messages daily I felt I should send Jean a text to contact my mobile if she needed the mobile cattery service over the weekend and then i could let Sharna or Martin know to provide the service....and bless her she phoned me to thank me for thinking ahead as she would need us.

We had a very busy end of summer....life threw a test at us! Steve our dog walker broke his wrist, Toni our other dog walker got the flu and Sharna our Cat girl and multi tasker, her new car broke down and had to be in the garage for 5 days, this was all in one week and it had to be on our busiest week ever ! So with most of the staff down plan b comes into play, fear not we are always prepared and with Martin and Emma Lister-Jarrett on hand and sharna on foot we coped brilliantly even though we were very tired by the time September arrived, we all had a feel good factor for a job well done.

Winter 2011 has started to throw its snow ...again ! We are quite use to it now, our trusty 4x4 gets us around. Santa Paws is organised this year, sadly last year my Father passed away in November and Paul's father had passed in August, so i just couldnt seem to get Santa updated with the usual photo cards, calenders and treats but this year im back on track and we are now in the week before Christmas. I just have consultations for new clients up until Thursday 22nd then that should be it...all booked in and raring to go. The last minute touches to the staff work schedules need doing and then our festive busy season begins on Friday, I cant wait, we have Dog walking Services then lots of cats, Hampsters, house bunnies, outdoor rabitts, Guinea pigs a Gecko and 2 new Ferrets having Mobile Cattery and Small Pet visiting services....Ho Ho Ho ! we all enjoy working over the Christmas holidays its a very magical time and we like to make it special for the pets, that is where Santa Paws comes in.

So all that is left to say is I wish you all a very Wonderful Christmas and New Year. I hope you get to relax, spend time with loved one's and that Santa leaves you some lovely presents under the tree. Myself and all at Helping Hands Thank You for using our services this year, Thank You for all the fabulous comments on our website and Thank you for all the promotions you have done for Helping Hands by telling family and friends about us...We are just one big and very extended happy family.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR !

See you all in 2012

Best wishes From Dawn, Paul, Martin, Emma, Sharna, Toni, Steve and Kirsty who have all been your Helping Hands in 2011 x x

Notice Something Different ?

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,

We have made a few changes here at Helping Hands. You may notice that we have changed our name slightly...we have taken off the Errand part and are now known as Helping Hands Pet Services.

We have decided to stop providing the Errand Services, dont worry to the clients who have their regular errands and Senior Service they will still continue for you, but for new and future clients its pets only. I had to think long and hard about this decision as i have been very proud to introduce the first Errand Service to the north-east, it was something that wasnt around when i started looking in 2006, there was only concierge services, which are great but a little to posh for what i was looking for, so after a lot of research i found that the americans used Errand Services daily and i knew that would be perfect for my clients. I liked the way the Errands went hand in hand with the pet services and they have been growing in popularity with some of our clients but now that we are so busy with our pet services it is hard to find someone to cover the Errands so im keeping the service just for them that do have their regular runs which we are use to providing and they fit in nicely but there isnt room for new work with Errands so its goodbye to one of the Helping Hands twins. Another reason to stop them is that they are not unique to Helping Hands anymore, ive noticed services adding errands and home help but none more rude than a new service that set up in Newcastle earlier this year who stole our Errand service. They very unscrupulously copied them practicaly word for word off our website. I did challenge the owner of the service about this and they denied ever hearing of Helping Hands...but they would say that wouldnt they ! I suppose if you think about it they wouldnt of put the time in to research and put together their services because they just took them off our website, and if your setting up a new business wouldnt you want to know who was around that you would be in competion with?? you just have to google pet services for newcastle and gateshead and it brings up Helping Hands, how this new service had never heard of us baffles me....yet they have all our services??....hmmmm just goes to show that you have to be careful when you chose your pet service as this new one in Newcastle who pet sit ....aint honest !

This year we have had a lot of heartache with clients pets passing away....six dear cats have passed, toots the guinea pig and kym the first ever dog...it still upsets me and we miss them all, sadly last week Louis the cat was put to sleep due to ill health, poor lisa his mum is devasted and who wouldnt be, louis was the most gentle loving cat you would want to meet, he loved Helping Hands visiting him and would always sit on my knee enjoying being brushed.....and today i have had an email off another client also called lisa who is the proud mum of 2 young cats called lucie and charlie, she had the very sad news that Charlie had been hit by a car last month and she died instantly. It seems lucie was at such a loss without her sibling so just recently they have adopted Ed a lovely little boy who is driving lucie mad...but in a good way....and is easing lisa and her familys grief for Charlie. So this is one part of running a pet service i dont think i will ever get use too, as we love all our clients pets just like our own and we feel every loss, we have much empathy for the owners.

Not to end on a sad note i just want to mention our Dog Walking Service. Martin and Sharna are doing a fantastic Job and they have lovely dogs on their rounds, we have had Wiston join some of the Gateshead dogs, he is a Black lab and has fitted in with his group of friends as if he has known them forever, he mainly walks with Desmo the golden lab and Jenson another very handsome Black Labrador then poppy the terrier, Ella the cavalier king charles and Sadie the springer spaniel. I must admit Winston is a very strong and powerful dog and we have noticed that he is very keen to run...after Sadie ! as you know springers love to run and run and run...so Winston has been as well with great determination, he has great stamina, he is in love and i think Sadie is with him. Sadie is very petite for a springer, she is very young, not even one yet but crikey she is boisterous and one of the lads! she loves to grapple and wrestle with the labs, to make them chase her it is hilarous to watch. I feel very lucky and privileged to be out walking these wonderful dogs, the 3 labradors love nothing better than running in the countryside fields and lanes, we have wonderful adventures with them.....even when Jenson enticed Desmo to jump in a dyke!! gosh they were filthy and smelly....the RAV smelt of it for weeks but the boys didnt care they were having great fun and even though it was a disaster we couldnt help but laugh at their cheekyness. I will get some photos of them on the website asap. I realised why my phone pictures are a bit misty and unclear...the lens needed cleaning!!! i thought it was just a rubbish camera, so im glad that we can now ( after 18 months of fog ) get some clear shots of all the pets.

Bye for now

Best wishes from

Dawn x

Twitter or FaceBook? Neither Thanks !

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:50:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,

Christmas is nearly here, we have been and bought our 6ft tree and put it up already ( 29th November ) early i know but December goes Soooooo fast i want to make the most of our beautiful tree.

I have been in a dilema recently. I know the trend at the moment is to be online as much as possible through networks such as facebook or twitter and as a business it seems the logical thing to do BUT im not so sure. To help me make up my mind I have made the effort and sat down at my laptop and surfed the net and I have come accross Pet Services who are tweeting and stuff. I think sometimes there are things being written that maybe shouldnt and its all a bit overfamiliar for my liking. Helping Hands IS out there but not on Facebook or Twitter....so the dilema was should we be? I like the idea that i can send photos instantly to these sites and i see that clients can be " Your Friend " I do have a personal Facebook page, im a billy no mate though, i have about 30 friends..how sad, but its not because im unpopular ( i hope not...eeek ) but its a time thing...I dont have any ! im so busy with my mobile taking calls, texts and answering emails there is no room for tweeting or facebook, so it would be a very negleted page which i think would give a bad impression of Helping Hands and if i had the time to tweet and face book several times a minute, hour and day ( i have seen a service doing lots of chatting ) then your not very busy with your work??? so again i think that would give a very bad impression. So the decision was made...its a NO.... Helping Hands is bang on trend but not in your face. Helping Hands is friends with all our clients anyway and we dont need facebook or twitter to know that. We have a super website to put our photos on and a page where clients can leave their comments but mostly and i think quite importantly Helping Hands has a little mystery, discretion and dignity about it unlike some of the tweeters and networkers who expose so much. I have read on some of these sites where some are derogatory about their clients and pets and yet i dont think they realise that they are being like that ( this was quite a new service i noticed ) maybe they shouldnt be tweeting or facebooking when relaxing with a beer its not a good idea! overfamiliarity is not a good thing and you have to remember the impression you are giving to clients and potential clients. Keep Facebook and Twits sorry Twitter as a bit of fun and for personal use only or do so at your own risk !

We are having our Christmas work Do soon, im looking forward to that, a couple of sherry's around Newcastle Quayside and a meal will be fun, sharna has her posh frock chosen already?? crikey she puts me to shame that one ! I suppose I will have to dig out some "girl clothes" ...Im so use to wearing my uniform and wellies I forget what its like to dress up?? saying that, for work I always wear my make up , pink or red lippy and mascara to remind me im a lady and not a dude !

Have fun putting your Christmas Tree's and decorations up.

Best Wishes

Dawn

Dont You Just Love This Time Of Year !

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:15:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had fun at halloween and bonfire night, we didnt get anyone knocking for trick or treat this year, i think its due to where we live, its a bit dark and spooky at night without it being halloween, and as its quite a high point ( feels like a mountain ) its always very windy and gusty...so i couldnt waste these lovely offerings we had prepaired could I, so chock fest it was for me for a few days. I needed the comfort of chocolate to get me through X factor , which has been rubbish this year. We are normally huge fans, and it was great fun watching the auditions but the live shows have been very disappointing, so for the first time ever, we have switched off ! thank goodness for Big Brother and Downton Abbey is all i can say.

I love Autumn. My birthday month is October so im not sure if that has anything to do with it, but i just find these months to be exciting with the feeling of hope and expectations, it always feels magical and mysterious. I love to see all the colours of the leaves change then fall...I love to walk around the farmers market and buy the seasonal products...I love the nights to start drawing in early....I love to have cosy nights with the fire and candles lit....its a very relaxing time of year after having a very, very, busy spring and summer season....the slower pace of life and daily routine is a welcome change....Then before we know it Winter has arrived ! and things start to really speed up again....Christmas is just around the corner...I will have to get busy posting the clients Christmas Cards and remember to let santa paws know how many pets will be holidaying at home on Christmas day so he can leave them a gift under their tree. Throughout December the office phone rings off the hook, the mobile bleeps and flashes with text and email, and the diaries fill up with bookings from established clients and consultations for new clients who usually own Cats, Rabitts, Hampsters, Gerbils and sometimes a Gecko or two...dont you just love this time of year? I do !

Keep Warm

Best wishes from

Dawn x

A Sad Farewell To Kymm

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,

We have had a difficult week here at Helping Hands. One of our clients dearest dog has been poorly this week and very sadly had to be put to sleep today due to a tumour that was incurable. We all feel heartbroken at Helping Hands about this and cant imagine how Sue, Kymms owner must be feeling.

Kymm joined Helping Hands dog walking service in January 2008, due to sue's poor health we walked kymm for her everyday of the week. I remember her very first walk, she was nervous to come out with me and had to be gently coaxed by lilly ( sue's elderly mum ) kymm soon relaxed though as we strolled round her favorite park, Saltwell in Gateshead. In no time kymm was in the routine of coming out for her daily adventures, she has travelled to many places across Tyne and Wear and met lots of new doggy friends. We could walk Kymm with any dog, her gentle nature posed no threat and she was a popular dog on the service. I handed some of the Gateshead dogs over to Kirsty and she became kymms Dog Walker for a couple of years, I walked kymm at the weekends, and she loved having the variety of people including Emma and Martin when they have walked her.

Doggy Day out was a favorite trip for kymm, she loved to go to South Shields with her best friends. Kymm was great at playing football and was a challenge to any of her friends if they tried to get the ball off her, we laughed in amazement watching her skill with the ball, she could put the players at Newcastle United to shame !!

So its with a heavy heart we say goodbye to little Kymm. We have a tribute album for her on the website so take a look at this lovely little lady who will be greatly missed by us all.

Bye kymm... with Love from your walkers past and present ...Dawn, Paul, Emma, Martin, Kirsty, Toni, Steve and Sharna x x x

A Pet Loss Poem.....from RainbowBridge.com ...Dedicated to Kymm, Toots the guinea pig, cats Hardy, Fidel and Smudge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

A Day In My Life At Helping Hands

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:15:00 +0000

The Diary entry is Tuesday August 9th, a typical day at Helping Hands

5.00am...Feel's a bit chilly this morning. quick cuppa and toast before Jumping in the shower and heading off. Got some hens to let out so need to get a move on...

5.40am.... on the road to Gosforth, its lovely and quiet, hardly any traffic. The 3 ladies are now out of their hen house and free to roam the garden, we give them breakfast and find 2 eggs in their house...lovely ! We have lots of breakfast visits to do for pets holidaying at home, who is next on the list?.

7.30am... Its been a busy morning so far, Sharna has text to let me know her breakfast visits are going well and no traffic problems anywhere. On our travels we continue...places wev'e been, places to go....gosforth, Benton, Wallsend, Whickham, lobley Hill, Dunston, Birtley and Gateshead.

10.30am....Make a quick Coffee and I nip into the office to make a couple of phone calls, answer some emails, put the bookings in the diaries, sort out the keys we need for the dog walking we are doing today.

10.45am...on our travels again...on our way to start picking up Bebe, Phoenix, Miley, Bonnie, Bella Bentely, Jude, who are all excited to see each other and have their walk in the woods at Hazelrigg.

11am... luckily i dont have to do the driving as we travel, this leaves me free to check in on my Staff by mobile in between jumping in and out the car collecting the dogs.

1.45pm...Dogs all dropped back off ,worn out and happy after their run round the woods..We need some lunch, not much time so its a macdonalds drive through for a Burger...now I know why im not a size 10 !!!

2pm...The first of 2 Consultations today...I meet 2 lovely house cats that live in jesmond

3pm ...Start of the afternoon tea visits for the happy Pets holidaying at home, we are passing a clients house who needs me to collect a key so i nip in for that.

3.30pm...Salt and Pepper the outdoor Rabitts at Whickham are in a happy mood, they love the new corn treats we have brought for them, we have to keep a good eye out for the Rat that has been prowling about at night, have to make sure he cant get to them.

4.30pm... Traffic is building up, think there has been a problem on the A1...I have my second consutation at 6pm at chester-le Street and we still have some teatime visits to do. whilst waiting in traffic I text Steve, Sharna and Toni to see how their day went, all have had a good day with no problems.

5.55pm...Energy drink and im ready for my consultation.

7.15pm....The Consultation was great. Now I have to drop off some clients keys for Sharna that she needs for the following day.

8pm...put the lovely ladies to bed...the hens in gosforth that is....decide im to tired to cook so we pick up some fish and chips...the diet can start tomorrow!!

9pm ...in the office listening to messages left on the landline answering machine, I email some quotes and update the diaries

9.30pm...cosy up next to Paul to watch a bit of TV and put my feet up and chat about the day...will have to head off to bed soon though, it all starts again at 5.00am....phew what a busy day....wouldnt want it any other way though...night, night