Four dogs, maximum
That's a hard ceiling, not a target. It means I can properly watch how everyone's getting on — and because each dog has a room of their own to slip away to, no dog ever has to be sociable when they'd rather not be.
Hello — I'm Lucy
And this is Poppy — sixteen years old, and the reason all of this exists.
Why I started
Sixteen years of Poppy
Poppy — our miniature labradoodle — is sixteen this year. Nobody ever believes it when they meet her. People usually guess she's about half that, right up until I tell them, and then they look at her again.
We brought her home as a puppy, and six weeks later our first baby boy arrived. So she has never known a quiet house — she's grown up right alongside all three of my boys, through the baby stage, the toddler stage and the football-in-the-garden stage. They absolutely adore her, and she has every one of them wrapped around her paw.
She's been a gift of a dog. Bright, easy to train from day one, quick to pick up anything you teach her — and docile with every person and every dog she has ever met. Sixteen years and I've never once had to worry about how she'd be with someone new. Give her a puzzle feeder with a treat inside and she is entirely content.
As she got older, we stopped putting her in kennels. Not because kennels are bad — plenty are run by lovely people — but because I'd spend the entire holiday worrying about her. What if she wasn't well? What if she needed a bit more care and attention than a kennel could realistically give one dog among many?
That worry is the honest reason this business exists. If you've got an older dog, or a nervous one, or one on medication, or simply one you'd rather not hand over to a kennel — I understand exactly what you're weighing up, because I've stood there weighing it up myself.
Where your dog stays
A normal house in Wickford, with a garden and a very well-used sofa
No kennel block, no outbuilding, no runs. Dogs are in the house with me — underfoot in the kitchen, sprawled in the living room, and sleeping wherever they'd sleep at home. If your dog is crate-trained, bring the crate. If they sleep on a bed at the end of yours, we'll do that too.
- A room of their own. Every boarding dog has their own space to take themselves off to. They spend the day together — Poppy very much included — but if yours wants five minutes away from the others, needs feeding somewhere quiet, or simply settles better on their own at night, they have somewhere to go. Nobody here is made to be sociable.
- Secure, fully enclosed rear garden — lawn and patio, gate kept bolted, so there's somewhere safe to potter and play.
- Two proper walks a day for boarding dogs, out on the local footpaths and green spaces around Wickford.
- Their own food, their own routine. Bring what they normally eat and I'll feed at the times you feed. No sudden changes — that's how you end up with an upset tummy.
- Enrichment that actually tires them out — puzzle feeders, snuffle mats, scent games and training games. Sixteen years of keeping Poppy's clever brain busy means I own a slightly ridiculous number of these, and I know which ones work. Ten minutes of nose-work is worth a lot more than another lap of the park.
- Photos and updates while you're away, because that's the bit that lets you properly switch off.
How I work
Small on purpose
I could take more dogs. I don't, because the moment you do, it stops being home boarding and starts being something else.
We meet before anything's booked
The meet & greet is free and there's no pressure. Your dog gets to sniff round the house and garden and say hello to Poppy, who has never met a dog she didn't like. If it's not a fit, I'll say so — that's better for everyone.
Licensed and insured, properly
Home boarding here is licensed by Basildon Council under licence number A11011162, and I'm fully insured for animal care and public liability. Vaccinations, flea and worm treatment need to be up to date — for your dog's sake as much as everyone else's.
A day in the life
What a boarding day actually looks like
Nothing dramatic, which is rather the point. Dogs do best on a predictable day.
- Morning — out in the garden first thing, then breakfast at your dog's usual time, then the first proper walk of the day.
- Midday — the quiet bit. Most dogs sleep. There's usually a chew or a stuffed Kong going on, and a snooze somewhere sunny.
- Afternoon — play, training games, puzzle feeders and scent work in the house or garden.
- Evening — second walk, dinner at your dog's usual time, then sofa o'clock with everyone else.
- Night — last garden trip, then bed. Indoors, always, wherever they're most comfortable.
Come and meet us both
Bring your dog, have a cup of tea, look round the house and the garden. It's free, it takes about half an hour, and there's absolutely no obligation afterwards.