My decision to create Knocknarea Pet Sitting was born from the fact that there was only kennels as an option for minding dogs when you went on holidays. 

A friend of mine asked me to mind her two old red setters at her home for two nights when she went away, this is where Knocknarea Pet Services first started. I began with minding dogs in their own home, which progressed to my home boarding service, and over the years I have added numerous other services to the business, which have all proven to be a huge success and allow me to help fellow pet lovers.

Two years into starting the business, I got accepted in AIT on the Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Nursing degree.

I am also a qualified veterinary nurse. I was apprehensive about going to Athlone for three years and only being able to do my services part time, but luckily for me, my clients stayed with me, some of their dogs even coming to Athlone with me when their owners went on holidays. 
With a successful 1:1 degree, I came back to Sligo to put all my hard work and effort into my business and have loved every day since. 

As a qualified Vet Nurse I can offer another level of trust when caring for your pets, offering advice on health and behaviour, as well as practical nursing skills if your animal needs medication administered or in the event, they become ill while you are away, I can offer you peace of mind.

From a young age, I have always loved animals. My favourite thing to do is to be in my wellies and out playing with my dog, riding my horse, or just mucking around the yard. 

I have a huge support network in my husband Mark, who not only comes along for walks with us when he is off work, but also helps with the boarding dogs when he comes home from work in the evenings. The dogs love & know him just as well as me.

For me, Knocknarea Pet Service​s is much more than a job; it is my way of life. 
The dogs i mind become part of my family. My clients become friends. I absolutely love my job. Every day is filled with something different. One minute I could be mucking out horses, to injecting a diabetic dog. Typical days could be filled walking on the beach with a group of dogs, meeting a new puppy, trying to win over a older more cautious dog feeding and attending to clients cats, to tucking in some of the boarders I have staying. 

My evenings are spent usually scrolling through the hundreds of pictures I have taken that day, checking emails and uploading posts to share with my fellow pet loving followers online. 

Not one day is the same.

Holly is my partner in crime, from walks to sleepovers to cleaning and feeding, Holly is never far away. 

She is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier X came to me as a rescue eight years ago as a tiny puppy for fostering and we have never left each other since. She brings as much positivity to our lives as we do hers.

Holly came to college with me, and would often be asked to make an appearance in our practical labs, days for example when we had to learn how to correctly restrain, how to hold legs for injections, learning about the canine anatomy, x rays, and basic health checks, Holly was there. Holly would be perfectly behaved for the day, delighted with all the attention & treats. 

On our adventures together she learned a huge number of socialising skills with me in college, being around alot of people and other dogs. Holly is now my right-hand woman, she has an amazing temperament, excellent recall and impeccable manners. 

She is a firm favourite always, with the dogs and their owners,  she  is one of the luckiest dogs that her mum is a dog walker and never has a shortage of adventures and friends to look forward to.