Hello!

We open our home to a small number of family pets for boarding and day care. I take all sizes of dogs, so long as they are friendly with other dogs, and good with children. Dogs that stay with us become part of normal family life and have a true home-from-home holiday. They stay indoors with us, have sofa cuddles, come for walks, have garden time and generally have a very relaxing stay.

Méabh 🐾

Méabh is our cream Golden Retriever and is incredibly friendly. She absolutely adores other dogs and is very used to sharing her home with all shapes, sizes, breeds and ages of dog. She loves them all! She's an extremely good-natured girl.

A little bit about me

I grew up in the Wicklow hills, in an old farmhouse on two acres. We always had lots of animals — several dogs and cats, chickens and ducks, sometimes a rescue pony and, at one point, even a family of rescue peacocks!

I've always been around animals and I love them all. I believe pets are part of the family, and any dog staying with us is treated as our own, with lots of attention and company.

Our home

We're a small family home with myself, my husband and our two children (6 and 9). We also have two cats, who stay upstairs behind a stairgate, and Méabh, our Golden Retriever.

We live in a lovely, quiet estate in Douglas, with lots of greens surrounding us. We are lucky to be within 20 minutes of beaches, forests, a dog park and many large parks.

We also have a secure back garden.

What is a stay like?

I'm a full time mom and pet minder, so dogs in my care are not left on their own for long periods, never more than an hour.

Because I only take a small number of dogs, I can give each one plenty of individual attention. What happens in a day depends on what dogs I have staying. If it's a new dog, I take the time to get to know them and their personality, likes and dislikes. If a dog is a little nervous or missing their owner, we either stay home for a while with lots of gentle care and cuddles, or we go for a short walk around the neighbourhood. I find this helps settle a new dog into its new environment.I take things at each dog's pace, and vary our walks and routine depending on their age and ability.

If the dogs are confident and happy, we will usually head out for a nice long walk mid-morning — to the forest, dog park or beach. It depends on the dogs I have that day.

Afternoon is generally chill at home time, I leave the back door open to our small secure garden, always supplied with fresh water bowls and dog toys. Sometimes the dogs like to play, sometimes have a chew toy, or sometimes just have a snooze in their beds or on our sofa: the choice is theirs. If I have energetic dogs that day, we will sometimes go for an afternoon stroll around the neighbourhood. 

If a dog is staying overnight with me, they will join me and Meabh on our evening walk, if they are able.

 It is all very dog-dependent, and I watch and learn from the dogs that are with me, and follow their lead about their needs. 

A few FAQs...

Unneutered male dogs
Unfortunately, I can't take male dogs who aren't neutered.

Vaccinations & treatments
I do ask for proof of vaccinations, and please make sure your dog is up to date with their usual deworming and flea/tick treatments. This is simply to keep all the dogs staying with us healthy and comfortable.

Where will my dog sleep?
Dogs can sleep wherever they're happiest downstairs, and they're always indoors at night. Dogs aren't allowed upstairs, but they have free run of the downstairs of our home and our secure back garden.

Handy for Cork Airport

We're just 15 minutes from Cork Airport, so we're particularly handy if you're heading away on holidays.

We've been lucky to have lots of different breeds, sizes and personalities stay with us, and it's been a real joy.

If you'd like to know a bit more or think your dog might be a good fit, just get in touch and tell me a little about them. I'm always happy to have a chat and answer any questions before booking.

Chat soon!