10th July 2017

  Cats are true carnivores, live on a diet consisting mainly of protein and are perfectly designed for hunting, for example they have: Wide peripheral vision Excellent night vision – at the expense of their ability to see colours well Acute hearing and ears that can be moved independently Keen sense of smell and touch Skeleton designed for speed and... Read more

23rd June 2017

  I have two dogs, Pepper and Tallulah, who have just come back from their first trip abroad, touring northern Europe in a motorhome with my 25yr old daughter and I. We drove over 1,000 miles, saw three countries in 7 days and, for the most part, had a great time. Sadly though, I can honestly say it will be... Read more

20th June 2017

As the temperatures start to soar in the UK it’s a good idea to prepare yourself, your home and your dogs for the coming hot weather. All it takes is a little extra thought and you and your dog can enjoy the summer together. Which dogs are particularly affected by the heat? Any dog which has breathing difficulties, be this... Read more

26th May 2017

  Pets in Chislehurst, Kent can look forward to some first class care today, as we bring you news of the launch of Petpals Chislehurst! Pet care services Father of two Ray Hipwell (57), has left behind a life delivering driver training to the London Fire Brigade, to start up his new Petpals business offering a full range of pet care services to people... Read more

17th May 2017

  Did you know that Petpals is the UK’s largest full-service, bfa member, pet care franchise? We recently surveyed our 50+ franchisees to define what led them to purchase their pet care franchise. ‘Love of animals’ Unsurprisingly one of the main reasons given was a love of animals, with some stating that working with animals had been a ‘life-long dream’. ‘I know... Read more

3rd May 2017

  Franchisee Alex Mees, owner of Petpals Basingstoke, recently made a donation of £100 to her local Guide Dogs team. Alex, who purchased her Petpals franchise in December 2016, met Lee Thresher, community fundraising development officer for Hampshire and the Channel Islands in the beautiful Basing Wood, one of the many locations she walks her customer’s dogs, on a daily, weekly or ad... Read more

10th April 2017

As one of the largest pet care companies in the UK, with over 50 Petpals businesses looking after pets from Aberdeen in Scotland to Bournemouth in Hampshire, we walk thousands of dogs every month. Here’s a lovely testimonial from one of our satisfied customers, whose dog Pippin is walked by Jo at Petpals Salisbury. Petpals is a franchise organisation, if you would... Read more

30th March 2017

  Have you ever watched your cat as it walks around the garden (or inside the house), rubbing itself over various objects and wondered what is going on? In the previous article, we talked about territories and this activity of scent marking is part of that. Scent glands There are scent glands concentrated on the top of a cat’s head, lips... Read more

20th March 2017

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR ENTRIES. THE WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED OF MORE PETPALS COMPETITIONS, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE Name(required) Email(required) I would like to receive the Petpals newsletter(required) Thank you so much for visiting our website, to enter our competition to WIN this wonderful... Read more

1st March 2017

If you’ve never tried them before, these homemade dog biscuits are really easy to make (fun for the kids to help make too) and, what’s more, you’ll know exactly what’s gone in them. We found the recipe on the Guide Dogs for the Blind website, so all thanks to them for sharing it. There’s a link to their page at the bottom of... Read more

10th February 2017

What are territories and ranges? Basically, a cat’s territory is the area which it will defend (from other cats); the range will be larger and is the total area it inhabits or requires to feed itself in the case of a feral cat. Male cats have larger ranges than females. How large is a cat’s range? Studies have shown that... Read more

2nd February 2017

  At the beginning of January Petpals held their annual franchise conference, not the stuffy, presentation-filled affair you might imagine, but a weekend at a rather lovely hotel with friends and colleagues, old and new. Franchisees Yes, we had the all-important talk from our MD, Kevin Thackrah, about how the network is doing, we’ve got over 50 franchisees so there’s... Read more

13th December 2016

Pepper the pug says ‘Don’t let me eat these this Christmas!’   Did you know that many of the products you bring into your home, especially for Christmas, are highly poisonous for cats and dogs?  Many people don’t, so we’re warning all pet owners to be vigilant this Christmas, to avoid an unnecessary trip to the vets, or worse. Christmas... Read more

25th November 2016

We are delighted to announce that we have a brand new Petpals launching in Basingstoke.  Alex Mees is the owner of Petpals Baskingstoke and will be offering regular and occasional dog walking, puppy and elderly dog care/letting out service, cat visits, rabbit and small pet visits, pet tax/transportation and pet services to owners across Basingstoke, Chineham, Sherfield park, Sherfield on... Read more

9th November 2016

  Our very own fantastic Foursome of Pippa, Neil, Emma and Jodie from Petpals in Saffron Walden have organised a fun doggy walk to raise funds for Tom’s Trust, a charity dedicated to providing the Clinical Psychology provision for children with brain tumours, within complete rehabilitation services. On the 20th November 2016 the Awesome Foursome will be walking the 16.5... Read more

1st November 2016

  Fireworks night is nearly upon us and, unless you live in the middle of nowhere without a neighbour in site, chances are you and your pets are going to hear lots of pops, bangs and whizzes over the next few days, so we’ve put together a list of things owners can do to keep their pets safe and calm... Read more

31st October 2016

  Following on from the recent article about choosing the right dog boarding company, here at Petpals, we’ve put together some advice to help you choose the right dog walking company for both you and most importantly, your dog! Obviously, as one of the largest dog walking companies in the UK who look after approximately hundreds of dogs a day... Read more

17th October 2016

  Ruth and Les Wall, owners of Petpals Crowthorne and Bracknell have recently returned from a once in a lifetime trip to the Kalahari desert. The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in southern Africa extending 350,000 sq miles, covering much of Botswana, parts of Namibia  and regions of South Africa. Over to Ruth to recount the story... Read more

7th October 2016

Before deciding to get another cat, do bear in mind that it could be you that wants the extra company rather than your cat. Most cats are solitary creatures and whilst many will tolerate another cat in the house, some will positively hate it and introducing another into an established home really can upset the apple cart leading to aggression,... Read more

27th September 2016

Pic: Emma and Nigel, owners of Petpals York When Emma Read, owner of Petpals York found out in May 2016 that her partner Nigel had testicular cancer it was, as one can imagine, a huge shock. The pair were in the middle of a move from Selby to York and with one thing and another Nigel never quite got around... Read more

15th September 2016

‘I should pull myself together, he was just a cat/dog’ they say, whilst catching themselves for the umpteenth time that day, walking towards the door to let him out or call him in from the garden…only to remember….he or she isn’t there anymore. His bed is empty, her food bowl lies unused and their toys un-played with. Dealing with the... Read more

2nd September 2016

  2nd September 2016 http://bigtickproject.co.uk/ This morning the BBC reported that a veterinary study by Bristol University in conjunction with MSD Animal Health, called the Big Tick Project is, for the second year in a row, setting out to study the ever-growing problem of tick-borne diseases in the UK and what we as dog lovers can do to keep us,... Read more

1st September 2016

  Domestication and Territory Pack animals like dogs have a hierarchy and have developed a series of appeasement behaviours in order to avoid conflict.  Cats, being highly territorial and solitary hunters by nature, have different ways of interacting with one another and in dealing with confrontation or aggression. Before cats were domesticated, population densities were lower, with little need for... Read more

24th August 2016

As dog lovers, we all know how much we love our dogs. In the last 30 years dogs have moved from sleeping in the shed, to the porch to the kitchen to, let’s be honest, our bedrooms and are every bit as important to us as our friends and family, so it is only natural that the thought of leaving... Read more

10th August 2016

Image: Petpals Grantham, L-R, Wendy Turner (Propr) with Brum, 24 June 2016   Owner of Petpals Grantham, Wendy Turner, recently had her photo taken by local photographer Adrian Harvey, as part of his Grantham@Work project. Adrian photographs local people, going about their daily working lives in Grantham, with some taken standing outside their shops, displaying their wares, in a style... Read more

29th July 2016

  Jo Davies, owner of Petpals Salisbury is running and sponsoring a Dog Show at her local country fair next month. She and husband Leon, who owns Black Hole Storage and Removals, are joint sponsors of the fun event at the Wessex Country Fair on Sunday 7th August 2016 from 10-5pm at Wilton House Estate by the kind permission of the Earl of... Read more

11th July 2016

Keen sidecar racer, Alfreton-based Dave Wallis, owner of Petpals Amber Valley, has recently won The Robin Daykin Memorial Trophy at the Oliver’s Mount, road races in Scarborough, in his fully branded ‘Team Petpals’ LCR Suzuki. The Trophy is named in honour of Robin Daykin, a popular character on the sidecar racing scene for many years, who sadly died of cancer... Read more

7th July 2016

If a cat fluffs up its tail and arches its back it is probably being defensive or aggressive and may be making threatening sounds – a sort of combination of a meow and a growl, but to really understand what is happening look at the eyes and ears. Ears lying down flat are defensive; the pupils will be wide open.... Read more

20th May 2016

Name: Kerry Don Age: 34 Region: Chingford and Epping Forest Number of clients: Over 90 Before buying her Petpals franchise, Kerry worked for nine years as an accountant in the city of London. After being made redundant she decided she’d had enough of long commutes and 12 hour days, so started to look around at other options, hoping to find... Read more

6th May 2016

Recently we asked our 50+ franchisees, who own and operate their Petpals businesses, ‘Which breed of dog do you look after the most?’ On average, a Petpals franchisee will have up to 150 dogs they walk or board on a regular basis and our survey discovered that the trusty Labrador Retriever was the ‘most cared for’ dog across our network,... Read more