Fur seasons Pet Hotel The Place to Be for Every Pup

Welcome to the Fur Season Pet Hotel at the Top of the Hill of Nercwys! Jane and Nick talk about their work as dog carers on a 17-acre farm. from here they offer a unique bus service to pick up dogs and ferry them to the farm for hours of play where they ensure their safety and happiness they also offer daycare, a taxi service and overnight boarding for man’s best friend.

What is the history of the company and what is your own background?

We used to be dog walkers before moving to Nercwys. Top of the Hill is a 17- acre farm and we lived here with my dad until he passed away last year.

We decided to run a bus service for the dogs – we would pick up the dogs from their homes and transport them to the farm to play together for three hours, before taking them home. So their ‘parents’ could go to work knowing that we would collect their pets and look after them for the day. We started with a taxi and a bus, but during Covid (we were able to continue working as it was classed as animal welfare) there was a sudden increase in dog thefts in the area. So we decided to travel together to ensure the dogs’ safety. That is our number one priority.

What is the typical day for the dogs?

We drive a bus route and pick up our clients, (the doggies), and when we get to the farm they all alite and run together excitedly, until we are walking together around the yard and paddock. We have tunnels, a trampoline, paddling pools, a doggy lounge full of sofas, and many, many tennis balls! When we have exhausted the excitement of the paddock we open the yard gate and all 20 dogs run through the fruit trees to the field ... it’s very funny to watch them all getting excited about another gate being opened. We do a roll-call to ensure all of the dogs have made it to the field – and continue to run, walk, play, chase, sit in the shade/ sun and we throw balls for those that want to fetch. We take regular breaks to rest and have a drink, I sit on the ground and get covered in dogs trying to sit on my knee, get cuddles, and give kisses. Then we continue back to the yard area to slow down and relax, get some water to drink or paddle in to cool down, until it is time to go home. We continually take photos and videos throughout the day, and I send them to the client’s parents afterwards.

Can you give details of the different options you offer to dog owners?

We offer the half day play session as described above, using the school bus. We also have a taxi service so, if a client is running late getting home, or away until later that day, we can taxi the client home by 6pm. We offer a home boarding service for day care clients. Licensed by Flintshire County Council we can sleep up to 3 dogs from one family, per night. This service usually follows the day care play day, and we bring the dogs into our home to stay with us as part of our family, whilst their family goes on holiday. The doggies take part in our routine every day, attending day care and travelling on the bus, during the week. At weekends they run around the fields with our own dogs, and follow us around the farm as we complete jobs and other work. The security and safety of our clients is our primary objective. The dogs must get along together in the large group – dynamics change within a pack, the more dogs you care for. Body language and communication are very important to watch ... there is a big difference between an aggressive dog, and one that is showing their acceptable boundaries. Puppies can benefit greatly from social interaction with older dogs of all ages. The communication between animals is fascinating. A puppy can learn a lot from playing in a group, and puppy training with the parents is essential to develop a well-rounded adult dog. We cannot tolerate a dog that shows animosity towards others, and that is another thing that saddens me about the job. But we want to ensure the happiness and safety for every attendee. Having to say to a client’s parent that we cannot bring them to play, is very upsetting for everyone. But our responsibility for keeping the doggies in our care safe, this must be 100%. If a dog tries to get out, or away from the group, then I would rather lose a customer by being honest and explaining how I couldn’t live with myself if I lost their fur-baby. Can you imagine the heartbreak? It has only happened to us twice, where one dog found a way to scale a stone wall to get to our sheep, and another found a wet patch of mud at the base of a fence and tried to get into another field. We were stunned at the skill of the dogs, but we were on our toes and prevented them from getting out. Then we immediately rectified that area to ensure the other dogs wouldn’t copy!

Nick and I travel together all the time now – for client safety. During lockdown, the price of dogs tripled, and we had to create a policy when we were picking up dogs from their homes.

Back at the farm, we put in a lot of measures to improve safety – locks on the exterior gates, taller barriers on the gates to prevent anyone climbing over, or lifting a dog over; we put in more gates to create a ‘secure-zone’ ... this ensures the dogs can’t get further than the next area should they squeeze through your legs when walking between zones! We have CCTV cameras have been installed, 5-foot fences everywhere, constant head counts and roll calls, and getting to know our dogs’ characters. Most chose a friend or group to play with, some are loners and prefer sniffing around and only have the occasional interaction, and some just follow me around and want a fuss. I take lots of photos to send to the parents so they can see what their pet gets up to in their social life, and I can check the photos throughout day care to ensure all our clients are enjoying play time.

Do you work alone?

It is just Nick and me working at day care at the moment, but we would like to have staff to help so that we could play with more furbabies.

How does your work change with the different seasons?

The seasons and weather does play a big part in the life at doggy daycare .... we are on the road towards Eryrys so we do get a snowfall every January! On some occasions it has been necessary to close for the safety of the clients. We won’t put our dog’s at risk, if we were to skid into another vehicle, or get stuck, our dog’s could be traumatised or hurt. Or at least stuck in the cold awaiting recovery. In summer if we get a heatwave, like today, we don’t encourage the dogs to chase balls and run in the heat, in case of sun stroke. We have more pools which are regularly topped up with more cold water so that they can paddle and cool down. We erect more parasols and gazebos creating as much shade as possible to avoid sun stroke and heat exhaustion. In the rain we have the doggy lounge to play in, and between showers we can go outside and play – then rush back to the lounge for the next downpour. Some dogs like to play in the rain, others like to curl up in a bed in the van or in the two rest areas we have in the shippon.

What is the most difficult part?

I absolutely adore dogs! I love their company, I love their different characters, I love seeing them choose friends and play together in their chosen groups. I love sitting down and having a free for all cuddles session, and they are so good taking it in turns to sit on my knee and give me hugs. The worst part is losing them... whether it’s old age, or circumstances change. I miss the dogs so much. Like they were my own.

What is the story of your farm? When did you start and for what reason ?

We bought Top of the Hill with my dad three years after losing my mum. I had moved in with them after taking redundancy from Cheshire Police, to help look after them with my family. My Dad knew Will who lived here before us, and he loved this farm. We had some ideas of how to make a living and we took the plunge. My dad sadly left us last year, at age 92.

Is it difficult to grow veggies in North Wales?

I made an area of the garden into a large Allotment with raised beds and wheelchair access for Dad to work on the veg. It was hard work doing all of the manual work on our weekends, but it has all been worth it. We have fresh eggs from our chickens, ducks, guineafowl, and bantams. Our turkeys don’t lay... they were Christmas rescues... now called Mary and Joseph! It would be great to expand the area and grow more... but one step at a time!

Have you had any training on sustainability or organic farming? www.facebook.com/ furseasonspethotel

No. But I was born and raised on a working farm 4 miles away. My sister and uncle are/ were very keen gardners with a vast knowledge.

What are your projects for the next few years?

We are very interested in re-wilding. The woodland Trust has supported us with tree planting, and we would like to work with the Wildlife Trust to put in a wildlife pond. An ideal goal would be to improve the breeding habitat for the Curlew ... this bird population has depleted by 80% in Wales over the last few years. It would provide a great environment for all wildlife and birds in the area. We have already identified many species of rare birds, we have a pond full of frogs, and wild ducks visit. We have planted 15 native British species of fruit trees to create a “vintage” orchard. This area has also identified some rare grasses and mushrooms, as it hasn’t been ploughed due to the slope, the woodland Trust has suggested that the area hasn’t been disturbed since it was a woodland in medieval times. Which coincides with the age of part of the farmhouse. We have been helping Colleg Cambria with work experience for a student who lives locally, and the students are very interested in working on a wildlife pond, reed beds, and wildlife friendly planting.

Tel: 07900 863102

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