Mooches and Meetings Around Northwich
What a difference a year makes. A year ago we were in the grip of the Beast from the East and shivering our way through February: this year we’ve been sunning ourselves during the warmest February on record. The dogs who’ve been on Barking Mad dog holidays during the month have been making the most of the warm weather, with lovely, sunny walks with their dog sitting hosts in locations including the Whitegate Way, Neumann’s Flashes and Northwich Woodlands. We were delighted to welcome back Pepper the Labrador, one of our regular customers, for another home-from-home holiday. You can see from the smile on her face just how much fun she had on her walks around Northwich!
Pepper At Neumann’s Flashes
This Is The Cat 107.9FM invited us into the studio to chat about love, loneliness and the benefits of having a dog in your life. Janet joined Dave Foulkes on his Amongst The Pigeons show on 25th February, broadcasting to listeners in Nantwich and Crewe. You can listen back to the whole show on the This Is The Cat website.
Janet joins the Amongst The Pigeons show on This Is The Cat radio
We’re very proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Pooch Mooch at Marbury Park in Northwich. This annual dog walk raises funds for Cheshire Down’s Syndrome Support Group and takes place on World Down’s Syndrome Day, 21st March at Marbury Park at 10am. The event is free of charge, with any donations being warmly welcomed, and is open to everyone. Do come along and join us: you can walk with or without your furry friend!
Pooch Mooch 2019
One of the great things about arranging one-to-one dog home boarding holidays (apart from spending time with so many gorgeous dogs, of course) is getting out and about and meeting new people. In February we popped along to the Stateside Bar & Kitchen in Northwich to chat to other small business owners and homeworkers at the Northwich ‘Jelly’ meeting. We also spent a morning walking whilst we networked at a ‘netwalk’ in Delamere Forest – and dogs were very much welcomed. What a fabulous way to do business!
Winter dog care in Cheshire
Brrr, we’re all feeling the winter chill at the moment. Just like us, dogs need to take care in the winter conditions, so our hosts are making sure their visiting furry guests are well dried off after walks, with any snow and grit cleaned from their paws and, of course, that they have a cosy bed to snuggle up in afterwards. Pepper the Labrador certainly made herself at home on her hosts’ sofa during her recent stay!
Pepper On The Sofa
It’s been a busy few months for Barking Mad Northwich. Back in October, we held a number of fundraising activities for Dogs For Good, including collecting at Bridgemere Garden Centre and running bric-a-brac stalls at car boot sales in Wincham and Blakemere Village. We raised just over £50 in the month – thank you to everyone who came along to support us. Your generosity, together with that of Barking Mad customers, hosts and friends around the UK, helped us to sponsor a second assistance dog puppy for Dogs For Good in 2018, the very cute Wendy. We’re proud to continue our support of Dogs For Good in 2019, so keep an eye on our Facebook page for details of upcoming fundraising events.
Blakemere Car Boot
In December, we joined Cheshire Down’s Syndrome Support Group’s mini Pooch Mooch in Hartford. It was a beautiful morning for a stroll through the wood and along the banks of the River Weaver to the Blue Bridge, finishing at Hartford Hall for a very welcome cup of tea. CDSSG’s annual Pooch Mooch to mark World Down Syndrome Day on 21st March will take place at Marbury Park in Northwich – hope to see you there.
Pooch Mooch
January saw the launch of our campaign to highlight how the companionship of a dog can help to tackle loneliness. We’re very grateful to the Northwich Guardian, Nantwich News and Heart of Cheshire for their support in spreading the word. If you feel that you or someone you know would benefit from the company of a visiting dog from time to time, do get in touch with Janet on 01606 800506 for a chat about becoming a dog holiday host for Barking Mad Northwich.
Nantwich & Northwich Local News – Summer dog care in Cheshire
What an amazing start it’s been to the summer this year. It’s a long time since we’ve had such a prolonged period of hot, sunny days and Nantwich has looked beautiful in the sunshine, particularly with so many stunning floral displays around the town thanks to the hard work of Nantwich Town Council and the volunteers from Nantwich in Bloom, Nantwich Litter Society and Nantwich Civic Society.
Nantwich Town Square in bloom
Of course, the hot weather has not been without its challenges for our furry friends who can really struggle in the heat. With our home dog boarding service, we aim to maintain your dog’s routine as much as possible but, during this very warm summer, we’ve been making sure that the dogs in our care are walked in the cool of the morning and evening and keeping them out of the glare of the midday sun. Zac, the handsome French Bulldog/Staffy cross was with us at the beginning of July and had a lovely time discovering walks along a local beck at the beginning and end of each day, rather than his usual lunchtime canal walks. At lunchtimes, he opted for a snooze on the sofa – well, we all like an afternoon siesta when we’re on holiday!
Zac enjoys a siesta on his Barking Mad holiday
We’ve enjoyed being out and about in Nantwich during July and have visited so many dog friendly venues: Nantwich Book Shop and Café, the Waterside Café at Nantwich Marina and Bridgemere Garden Centre are all great if you’ve got your canine companion with you. We also had a fantastic day at the Nantwich Societies Spectacular on 21st July, meeting lots of dog lovers and welcoming new hosts to the Barking Mad family. We’re always pleased to have new hosts join our community, so if there’s a dog-shaped hole in your life and you like the idea of having a dog to stay with you for a holiday, do get in touch on 01270 260470 or fill in our online enquiry form.
Barking Mad all set up and ready to go at Nantwich Societies Spectacular
We rounded July off with a visit to Nantwich Show, on what felt like the hottest day of the year! Wisely, most visitors had opted to leave their dogs at home, but there were a few doggy visitors who prudently kept to the shade and took advantage of Nantwich Pet Vets’ brilliant hydration station.
It looks as if we may be in for warmer than average temperatures for a little while longer and even into the autumn so keep yourselves and your dogs hydrated and stay cool!
