Published: 05 October 2018
In this Student Spotlight, we have a double act: Nick and Martin Ayris Papworth, who live near Brighton in East Sussex. Not only are they dog owners, but they now run their own doggy business: Wags and Whiskers! Find out more about Nick and Martin....
Name: Nick & Martin Ayris Papworth
Lives: Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven
What do you do? We are dog walkers / sitters / boarding / day care
How long have you been doing this? One year
What made you want to start your own doggy business? We love dogs and have two of our own. We found not many small companies offer what we offer
What did you do before you you started Wags and Whiskers? British Airways Cabin Crew and Tui Airline cabin crew
What’s your favourite part of your job? Meeting the dogs on arrival and spending time with them all
How do you keep your skills up to date? Working with the owners and we continue to ask our close friend Matt Rood who is a professional dog trainer
Do you have any favourite websites that you use? No as we tend to communicate one to one
Why did you think learning first aid for dogs was important to you? As cabin crew we used to be on our own to deal with first aid situations at 37000ft. We are also alone out on our walks and it is so important to have first aid training for dogs on the top of your list
What was the most valuable piece of information your gained from the first aid for dogs course? Dog CPR is very different to human CPR and we both found this valuable
What qualities do you think are important in a dog walker or dog sitter? Calmness, assertiveness, caring and a forward thinking attitude. Also organised and good
listening skills and not flappy!
Have you learnt anything surprising about dogs from working with them? They are very clever and very knowledgeable at recognising human sadness and happiness
What’s your top tip for caring for dogs? Not every dog loves other dogs and always look ahead at who’s coming towards you
Have you had an amusing experiences in your life as as a dog walker/ sitter? The bigger the dog the more they can be scared of little Dachshund or other small dogs!
Which dog, or famous person's dog, would you most like to walk? Martin would loved to have walked George Michael's Lab and Nick would love to walk all Paul O'Grady's dogs
Nick and Martin's business Wags and Whiskers can be found online in a variety of places including their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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