About Us

Hello there, and welcome to Alpal's Dog Pals! 

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My name is Alice, and I'm the face behind this little venture I love so very much. I thought it might be helpful to tell you a little about me, this business and why I love doing what I do. 

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My love of dogs has been present from a very early age, wanting to watch every movie that featured dogs in some capacity (sometimes on repeat!). As I grew older this love grew into a passion for learning more about dogs; the huge number and variety of breeds, what they were bred for, all their stats and how years have shaped the dogs we have today. I think my mum bought every dog encyclopedia, and dog toy she could find! 

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Despite endless efforts to convince my mum (the concept of money on a 7 year old was non-existent), we simply were not in a position to own a dog. So over the years I got to know family dogs, friends dogs, neighbours dogs - walking them, playing with them and just thoroughly enjoying spending time with them! I took every opportunity to be around them, would point out every breed of dog I saw - I truly was engrossed in all things dog! 

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Fast forward to my teens and my dad had brought home not one, but TWO border collie puppies. Little did I know, but these two amazing dogs would truly teach me more than I thought I already knew. Despite being the same breed, their personalities couldn't have been more polar opposite - one being incredibly laid back, wanted to be friends with everyone and the other more reserved, saving her affection for those she chose to let in her circle (a true collie!). They very quickly became my long-distance soul dogs, I would be so excited knowing I was going to be spend upwards of 2-3 weeks at a time with these amazing dogs! They brought me so many amazing memories and joy and it only made me want my own dog more. 

Enter my late twenties... I had a great job working from home, COVID was more than 2 years in the past, and myself and my partner had our own home. I knew something was missing, something I'd wanted since I was able to remember. So we welcomed home our very first dog, Obi. 

A Labrador-Rottweiler cross, Obi entered our lives with the biggest bang. I'd researched everything I could before bringing a puppy home, prepared myself in every way possible. We took Obi everywhere with us, holidays, pubs, beautiful walks, family houses. I spent so much time training him, and building the best relationship with him; it truly felt like my life was complete.

 

His adolescent journey was another story and honestly, I wish someone had warned us about this chaotic era because it was A LOT! Safe to say we powered through and carried on with his training. However something happened that I simply did not anticipate. Obi was very quickly becoming reactive. I was heartbroken. Had I failed my dog? Was I not training him enough? Was I not doing enough? Did he need more than what I could give him? 

Turns out we were giving him plenty, and more... actually too much. He just couldn't switch off. His ability to regulate himself was near non-existent. Why?

 

Because we forgot to show him how. Yes. You read that right. Through all the training, socialisation, puppy classes, play, enrichment, walks - we forgot to teach Obi what to do when these things aren't happening. So, we had work to do. And that, was doing more of doing absolutely nothing. 
 

I'll be honest, this truly shook my confidence. I had spent my whole life learning and educating myself, yet I'd missed something so simple. However, we don't come into this world knowing everything. I took this as a learning curve, and truth be told I didn't want to stop there. 

I knew dogs were still my passion, and that I wanted this to be more than just a hobby. I left the world of employment, and took the plunge to becoming self-employed. I wanted to pursue my dream while I still could, I wanted to be able to spend more time with Obi because their lives really are too short. 

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And here I am today! A growing business dedicated to dogs and their individual needs and wants. I could have taken the group walk route, but truth be told I thrive on spending one-to-one time with dogs, getting to know them as well as I can and ensuring every element of their walk is every bit of them as it can be. 

If you've made it all the way to the end, then thank you. This is just smidge of what my love of dogs means to me, and if you do want to know more about me, the business or anything else then please reach out. 

Think we can help with your dog-walking needs? Then let us know!