Hi, I’m Russ. With nearly 10 years experience of professional dog care, and a lifetime of dog ownership, I can confidently say I understand dogs.
PawPrints is a company I have built on one single premise, if I was having someone look after my boy Darwin, what would I expect. I use this is my reference for every decision regarding PawPrints North East.
So you can rest assured, that your dog will be loved, looked after and treated as if he was our dog. Being a member of the PawPrints pack makes you part of our family.
What People Say
Gryffin has been walking with Russell for a couple of months now and absolutely loves him! We love how happy Gryffin is and how amazing Russell has been with our bonkers boy. He got to know him first by taking him on solo walks and has been slowly introducing him to the rest of the pack. All round great experience for us all
Gryffin
Absolutely fantastic dog walking company! So reliable, flexible and we have a very happy dog and owners. Trust is a big part of handing over a loved pet and I 100% trust and recommend pawprints north east.
Archie
The absolute best – Ernest sits by the door waiting for the bell to ring – for his meet and greet with his pals- comes back and crashes out / great time had by all
Ernest
How It All Began
I have always had a love for the outdoors, from a young kid in the beavers and scouts, to helping out around the farms where we kept horses to studying Sports Management with a focus on outdoor pursuits in Plymouth University. So being out all day, with my dog in tow, is how I would always choose to spend my free time. My dog, Darwin, and me would regularly be found disappearing into the Northumberland countryside or the Welsh hills for day long adventures and high mileage walks. Together we have scaled Snowdon, Scaffel Pike and most of the Brecon Beacons, and there’s not a forest in 50 miles of us we haven’t thoroughly explored.
And people noticed! For a Beagle, Darwin was never overweight, and supremely fit. He also listened extremely well and was an all around well behaved boy. People would always ask what it was that I did to keep him in such good shape, and when I explained they would inevitably mention that they had a dog, and that they would love to go on such an adventure…very subtle!
So I started taking out friends and family member’s dogs. I loved it as I had new canines I could call my friends, the owners loved it as they had well exercised and very tired pooches and, most importantly, the dogs loved it. After relocating from South Wales to the North East, I decided that this was something I could make a business out of. I’d seen that dog walkers were becoming more and more common place, and that I had something to offer. And that’s when PawPrints North East was born.
The Darwin Standard
One thing I always considered and worked to, from the start, is that every dog in my care, would receive the same love and attention that I would give my own dog. Whenever a decision needed to made regarding where to take the dogs, how to look after them, how would they be transported, in what condition would they be returned etc I would always ask myself, “what would I expect and demand, if someone was looking after Darwin for me”.
This core idea has remained at the centre of what we do, and we always make sure that every dog that comes into our care gets the ‘Darwin Standard’. So they are treated as family, like one of our own, so you can be safe in the knowledge that they are well and truly loved and cared for when out with us.