​​PAWSFORTHOUGHT

​   Success Story

 

I am very pleased to be able to support Ms Tracey Holmes as she aims to

offer a valuable, useful and helpful service to  owners and lovers of

animals of all shapes and sizes, but particularly to our canine

friends.

 

Tracey first came to me about four years ago when I was fostering dogs

from a rescue centre based in south west London. I had various

terriers; a Patterdale, a Parson's Jack Russell, some Staffordshire

Bull Terriers, a Border Terrier and a very large American Bull Dog,

named Edie. Tracey felt comfortable with them all and, on occasions,

would take three or four of them together on their daily walks across

the fields and woods near where we were living at the time. But I want

to tell you about the special relationship she built up with Edie.

 

Edie arrived having had major surgery on an enormous prolapsed bowel

and was in very poor condition. She had not been walked regularly and

needed time to adjust to her new circumstances living in a noisy multi-

dog home, although she did have her own room. Tracey recognised her

needs immediately and began to walk her for short periods building up

her strength over a few weeks. Edie learnt the routine very quickly and

was waiting for Tracey each morning, looking out of her bedroom window

by sitting on the dressing table and barking when she saw Tracey's car

approaching.

 

At weekends there were four or five other walkers, but initially none

of them wanted to walk Edie as she was strong on the lead and difficult

to control. Over time, however, Tracey had used her skill to calm down

(I don't like to use the word "train") Edie to the extent that all the

weekend walkers were falling over themselves to walk her and she

became, probably, the most popular of the dogs which they were able to

exercise.

 

Tracey continued to work with Edie and, by the time we moved away from

Tunbridge Wells, Edie was "off lead", her recall was first class and

she would return home soaked to the skin or plastered in mud having

experienced the most wonderful of walks imaginable. But that wasn't the

end, Edie eventually had to be returned to the rescue's kennels in

Gatwick and Tracey would travel over to maintain their relationship and

continue the magnificent work she started in T Wells.

 

Tracey has asked if she could use some of the photos she took of the

rescue dogs we had and I do hope she includes the "selfie" of her with

Edie sitting in the front seat of her car: they both look so happy.

 

Tunbridge Wells is one of the busiest towns in the UK and occasionally

the two main roads through the town would be blocked, but Tracey was

usually waiting outside the house to collect the dogs and, on the odd

occasion when she was held up she would always ring or text to explain

the problem. I had every confidence in her ability to look after my

dogs and to give them an enjoyable and rewarding period of  exercise.

 

Whilst she was walking my dogs, I do know that Tracey began to offer

behaviour class to difficult ones and, if her success with Edie was

anything to go by, she would be equally successful in this side of the

business she is trying to establish. And it is not only dogs with which

she has had experience....I am sure she will elaborate in her own

account of the experience she brings to her business.

 

I wish Tracey well and hope that Pawsforthought proves to be a great

success and a help to those who use its services.

 

John Fowle

​

​