Hampshire Bark & Board

Ever heard the saying “drive it like you stole it”? Well Storm, we are definitely not testing that theory here. 😂

She was far too comfortable behind the wheel though, so I’m afraid she’s gone home with very unrealistic expectations and will probably now be asking her parents for a pickup.🐶

There are home boarders… and then there are home boarders who apparently take the dogs shopping for renovation supplies. 😂

Naturally, nobody questioned two Jack Rascals being pushed around B&Q like royalty.

If we’re going somewhere and it’s dog friendly ( red flag if it isn’t! ) chances are they’re coming too. 🩵

One thing we’ve realised lately is that not everyone quite understands what home boarding actually means. 🩵

It really does mean your dog comes to live with us for a few days. They’ll probably end up on the sofa, supervising Josh in the kitchen, joining us on walks and generally sticking their nose into whatever we’re doing.

It also means we’re quite careful about who stays with us. Not because we’re awkward, but because this is our home as well as theirs while they’re here. That’s why meet and greets, trial days and sometimes trial nights are so important. 🙌

It’s never just about whether we like your dog. It’s about making sure the dogs and humans are all going to feel comfortable and have a lovely time together. ☀️

Thank you so much for all the lovely messages about Lacey. It has really shown us what an amazing little community of people we have around us. Every message, comment and check-in has meant so much over the last couple of days. 🤍

Lacey had her long surgery yesterday and, in true Lacey fashion, pulled through absolutely fine. We were told that before she could come home she needed to show that she had some feeling and movement back in her leg, which can sometimes take up to a week. Clearly she didn’t get that memo, because just 12 hours after surgery she decided to show the physio that she could already toe tap, and I got a call today to say she was allowed to come home.🤣🙌

I can’t even explain how happy I am to have my dog back with us. She has been shaved all around her back end and leg and currently looks a bit like a tiny piglet 🐷.

Now the real hard work begins. She is extremely cross about being in a crate, equally offended by the fact she is now on slim and trim food, and already seems to think the rules of recovery should not apply to her. So I think it is safe to say she is feeling a little more like herself already. 😂

Thank you so much for caring about our little girl as much as you do. ❤️

🤍 From the Guest Book

Buddy’s been part of the gang for a while now, so this one deserved a spot.

“From the very first moment we met, we knew he was in the right hands.”

That’s exactly how we hope every owner feels after a meet and greet. It has to be the right fit for you, your dog and us. 🩷

Thanks, Nick. Buddy’s welcome back anytime.🐶

Well… this definitely wasn’t part of the plan. 💔

Our little Lacey somehow managed to snap her leg yesterday playing with Willow. Trust our tiny girl to do it properly. 🙈

She’s now at a specialist hospital waiting surgery. It’s a big operation for such a little lady, so we’d really appreciate it if you could keep her in your thoughts today. 🤍

Anyone who’s met Lacey knows she’s the little nanny of the house. She absolutely adores looking after all our visiting dogs, so seeing her lying in a hospital instead of bossing everyone around at home is a hard swallow.

Our little soldier never made a sound. Even with a broken leg, she was still trying to play with her ball and wagging her tail.🙈

As for these photos… she’s definitely not going to thank us for sharing them. 😂 Between the opioids, the pain relief and some rather unfortunate camera angles, she’s not exactly feeling her most glamorous.

For everyone with dogs staying with us, please don’t worry. It’s very much business as usual. Josh and I are working around the clock to make sure your doggos are still getting all the walks, cuddles and love they always do while we take turns visiting our poorly little sidekick. 🩵

And yes… they really do have a habit of emptying your heart and your wallet at the same time. ❤️

Thought we’d treat the gang to a trip to a new local dog wash… 🛁 Judging by the faces, I can’t honestly say the dogs thought it was the best day out we’ve ever organised. 🤣

Josh, however, was all for it. No muddy bathroom, no dog shaking water all over the kitchen and no blocked shower drain full of fur. 😂

It was definitely one of those “they’ll thank us later” moments… even if none of them looked particularly convinced at the time. That’s one of the things we love about home boarding though, they’re part of whatever we’re up to, whether it’s woodland walks, family BBQs or apparently a trip to the dog wash. 🩵🐾

🤍 From the Guest Book

We don’t often stop to celebrate the lovely messages we receive, but this one deserved a place on the page.

Thank you, Sarah, for trusting us with Floki. We loved every minute of having him here.

I get asked quite a lot why we chose home boarding rather than a more traditional set up. The honest answer is our Jack Rascals 🤍

If you’ve ever met our little rascals, you’ll know they’re happiest when they’re with people. They follow us from room to room, supervise absolutely everything we do and are permanently glued to our hips. The thought of leaving them somewhere that wasn’t like home always made me panic a little 🙈🥹

So when we started looking after other people’s dogs, we built the kind of place we’d want for our own. Somewhere they can wander into the kitchen to see what’s for dinner, curl up next to a new friend, watch Dutton Ranch with us or spend the afternoon snoozing together like Maverick and Bailey here. 🤍