There's always a bit of trepidation when a warm weather snap comes early, but this is turned to cautious optimism when you work outside walking our beloved Hot Dog Hols customers. 

Our boarding guests are loving the sunshine, and our regular dog walking customers are enjoying the clear blue skies and clean paths! It makes for quick clean ups as well so there are no complaints here. 

The early sunshine has got us thinking about how great it is to be your own boss and work outdoors. It isn't always like this however. The snow and cold has been relatively kind to our business this year (so far! and fingers crossed), but as far as we can see, you just can't beat the chance to walk outside with our fantastic customers. 

Long may this sunshine continue, but be sure, if the beast from the east 2.0 lands in March, we'll still be out looking after your pets  no matter what the weather. 

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Starting a small business a few months after starting a family is, on the face of it, a daft idea! The start of Hot Dog Hols came about after the birth of Lucy, a bundle of happy babyness that came into our lives in 2010. 

Shortly after came Hot Dog Hols and I've been grateful that the business has grown to point where it replaced my part time job income, meaning I could spend more time with Lucy as she was growing up. Working flexibly has been great throughout Lucy's life, I've been there for her first day at school, dropped her off and collected her everyday and seen Lucy grow into a confident, funny, happy youngster (going on teenager). 

I love my Hot Dog Hols customers and I'm proud of the service we provide, but I've reached a turning point where, to continue to serve those customers we need to make a few important decisions about where Hot Dog Hols goes next. 

When I think back to how nervous I was about starting my own Home Boarding and Dog Walking business, I wish I had someone to support me through the process. Someone to share ideas with and ask questions of. Someone to guide me on the processes such as HMRC registration, website set up and self assessment. Someone to help me licenses and insurances. I feel that I can be that someone to a budding new business person. We don't have all the answers, me and Steven (Hot Dog Hols Hubby) have been on a bit of journey and have the benefit of experience to give to a new small business and member of our team and we think that could be really helpful when someone is just starting out. 

That's why we've taken the decision to open up to the Hot Dog Hols service and expand our team. We want to find someone that wants to start to earn a living for themselves, someone who might be starting a family and wants to replace a part time income with something more flexible. Offering this kind of opportunity  hasn't been an easy decision. I'm really committed to my customers and care very much about their pets' well being and trusting another business with that care doesn't come lightly. If I want to grow the business though, that's how it's going to happen. By finding someone 100% committed to starting a new home boarding and dog walking service. Someone who is committed to growing their own small business with our support with every step of the way. 

So what I'd say to anyone looking to start a business, try home boarding or start walking dogs is... "Come and talk to us, we want to see if you have what it takes to represent our brand. What it takes to walk our customers beloved pets rain, wind or shine. What it takes to open up your home and share it with a stranger's pet." If we find that special someone we think we can offer them a brilliant start in their business. Support, customers, expertise and guidance - what more do you need! 

If you want to find out more about starting your own home boarding and dog walking business, or if you want to find out a little more about how I started my business, take a look at our opportunities or message me on Facebook. Cheers! 

The Aycliffe Way is a brilliant bit of green space in the town and was originally created as part of the Town's 50th birthday celebrations. It's a super resource for the town, provided by the the Town Council, and is great for afternoon walks. 

Most of the walks we undertake as part of our dog walking service takes place on the Aycliffe way in some way shape or form, but with the original route of 5 miles having been extended to take in the Southern part of the Town, walking it in its entirety isn't a daily routine! When you do have the time to take in the full walk it's a great way to spend an afternoon. The full, extended route weighs in at over 7 miles, but the going is gentle and passes through some lovely parts of the town. We tend to start off in or around BlueBell wood which is in the Northern part of the walk and is a lovely wooded area where the path runs through the middle of the trees. At some points, including the wood the well maintained path does run quite close to the main road, so we do take care with our dog walks to make sure all dogs are under control, lead or no lead.

As you move around the walk the paths are either well maintained tarmac, or easy on the foot gravel. Most of the surfaces would be suitable for wheelchair access but they do get very water logged in places during the winter (and summer!). Seating around the walk is ample with nice benches available to sit and chat with other dog walkers or friends.

At a number of points around the walk you can take in some local sculpture! These are nice additions of public art and an asset to the walk. If you're quiet and attentive, and the dogs haven't already scared them off, you can easily catch glimpses of the local wildlife. We've seen deer, kingfishers and owls along or close to the route in the past so keep an eye out. Aycliffe is lucky in many respects that we have some brilliant green and open spaces and wildlife is never far away on the town.

The Dogs we walk, either as part of the regular walking customers, or as part of our weekend outings, always enjoy the Great Aycliffe Way. A large stretch of one of the routes runs alongside Woodham Burn, a small river which runs into the Skerne, which runs into the Tees and off out into the North Sea via Stockton and Middlesbrough. The stream is picturesque and one of the spots the wildlife might be a bit more apparent during the walk. We tend to keep an close eye on dogs, but you will get a range of dog walkers using the route to make an informed choice about on or off lead exercise, the burn area of the walk does come fairly close to a couple of roads in a couple of places, however there are points where you are some distance from traffic so could be more confident if that's an issue with your pet.

Overall the route is a brilliant asset for dog walkers and people of the town in general and we really enjoy using it for doggy exercise, leisure and enjoying the outdoors. We've included a link for more information on the walk so hope you can enjoy the route as much as we do. 

​http://www.great-aycliffe.gov.uk/environment-green-spaces/great-aycliffe-way.html 

Christmas is a fab time for all the family but with hectic schedules, cold weather, delicious and rich changes to diets and a whole host of new items introduced into the home it can also be a time where we need to take a few extra steps to make sure our four legged friends have as a Happy time as us!
We thought we would create a Christmas survival guide for you and your dog with some simple to follow tips and tricks to make this Christmas a happy time for all the family.

The wonderful weather
As much as we would like to have a white Christmas snowfall is still rare around the Christmas break. Temperatures, although milder than when we were small, can still drop below freezing meaning the usual hazards apply. Ice over Rivers, lakes and ponds are one to watch out for when the temperature gauge hits zero. Frozen water can often be hard to spot for your dog when playing or exploring and definitely avoid throwing objects too near open stretches of water/ ice. If your dog does stray onto ice do not panic and run after them, use your normal methods of recall, calmly and with lots of praise when they jog on back to you. Falling through ice is rare, but if it does happen, stay calm and do not venture onto the ice yourself. Encourage your dog to swim back to you or clamber up back onto safer ground, once safe check for any signs of injury and get straight back to your vehicle or home. Hypothermia in dogs can be serious so seek advice from your vet if you suspect there is a problem. Symptoms can include a paling of the gums, slower heart rate and constant shivering. The obvious applies, warm them up slowly with blankets and even a hair dryer, but if core temperature drops too low, treatment will be needed to restore a normal body temperature so consult your vet if you’re unsure.
The cold weather will also mean that anti freeze and windscreen washer fluid are required in abundance to keep our vehicles on the move. These substances can be harmful for your pets so be careful with storage. Again, consult a vet if you have an issue where a dog has ingested some material and make sure you take precautions to keep bottles/ containers secure.

​Christmas treats and turkey with all the timings
The traditional Christmas dinner is often the highlight of the season but don’t forget there are a range of food stuffs that are not great for your dogs stomach, not to mention any addition of rich treats and leftovers. Remember to take care with your dog’s diet even if yours has flown out of the window before the queens speech as started!
Foods to avoid for your pet include, chocolate, grapes and raisins which are all poisonous to dogs. Leftovers from the Christmas meal can feed the family for a week, but don’t forget your dog probably isn’t used to rich foods so, of course treat them to some sensible additions, but remember to balance things out with a ‘normal’ diet as soon as possible.
Presents and decorations are necessary for any Christmas party, but don’t forget there are host of things which might be harmful to your pet. Silica gel packs, paper, and probably no amount of lego bricks are not good chew toys so watch out for your over interested dog. There are also a range of Christmas plants that might cause some problems, including seasonal faves of Mistletoe, Holly, Poinsettia and even Christmas tree needles. Just keep an eye on these and where possible don’t leave them within your dogs inquisitive reach.

​A bit of calm
We all love Christmas and the it’s a time of year we should enjoy and be thankful for your pets, family and friends but dropping the energy levels for excitable dogs could be a good thing. Try and have space for your pet to still enjoy their favourite bed, snug or toy so they can retreat to these sanctuaries should they need to. Don’t forget that keeping a regular exercise routine will help work off the extra treats for your dog (and us!) and long walks are a great way to create calm and structure and also an opportunity to show any swnaky new coats and leads your lucky pooch might have received in their Christmas box.
Therefore, our top tips are:

• Stay safe in the cold weather and dark nights. Be careful when walking your dog around roads and open water
• Watch out for winter maintenance essentials which might be harmful to pets, keep container safe and secure
• Treat yourself and your dog, but watch out for Chocolate and other food stuffs which might be harmful and go easy with the extras. Balance your dogs diet after the wall of food on the 25th!
• Presents are great fun but additional paper, silica gel packs and small components are not good chew toy. Supervise your dog and keep things out of reach if necessary
• Keep harmful Christmas plants out of the way during the break
• A safe, quiet or familiar place, toy or bed will help your dog relax when things get hectic
• Regular walks will help bring calm back to your house and work off that extra pile of pigs in blankets
• Enjoy the break and the fab time you get to spend with your pet, family and friends

 
All in all the Christmas break is about enjoying time with family and being thankful. So please enjoy your time with your dog, friends and family and take our season’s greetings with you wherever you go. All the very best.
Claire, Steve, Lucy and Anna – the Hot Dog Hols team – Merry Christmas.