Ex-police officers launch start Paw Patrol Pet Services, a dog walking company in Fernwood, in life change

A couple of ex-police officers, with almost 30 years’ experience between them, quit their jobs to take their first steps on a new career.

Tanya Hodgkiss and Matthew Boswell have launched a dog walking company in Fernwood.

Paw Patrol Pet Services offers a range of help, including dog walking, cat and small pet home visits, equine/livestock visits and tailored high-energy group sessions.

Tanya, who was a police officer for nine years, said: “The businesses started with a combination of things. Our little boy loves the Paw Patrol cartoons and he has a learning disability so working uncertain hours and shifts just wasn’t working.

“So, we decided to leave and start our own business.

“We love dogs so much that we thought why not combine all of the things that we love?”

Paw Patrol Pet Services offers group sessions depending on age, fitness, temperament and breed.

Routes include Fernwood, Middlebeck, Claypole and Long Bennington.

On home visits, the couple can either feed the animals, watch them or provide medication if needed.

“We just got a passion for dogs and walking them so we just thought that our passion could be our work and it didn’t seem like a job, it’s just fantastic,” said Matthew, who served with the police for nearly 20 years.

“It’s a really stressful job in the police, and really under-funded. You never know if you are going be kept on at work and obviously because our little boy has autism, when you’re working a certain hour away from him, and he needs us, we can’t guarantee we will be back.

“Now we are working on our doorsteps, so are always around, which gives us a peace of mind and he’s much happier.

“We are always home for tea with him and able to sit down as a family, we just knew that we couldn’t carry on with a job that he wouldn’t grasp.

Despite the business success, the 360-degree life turn was very uncertain.

“We were earning a really good income at the police and losing it has been really hard, quite scary actually,” said Tanya.

“Although it’s been really scary, and we had a lot of sleepless nights, we decided that our mental health was more important than being financially well-off.”

“We’re not materialistic at all and it is just nice to get up in the morning and just go out and do something that we really like and that we’re done by tea time, no amount of money can take that away, it’s been worth it."