HELPING HANDS PET SERVICES ©

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