Keep Fido Caring For Our Amazing Pups and Clients

Hi, my name is Ben and i am a dog walker/carer, known within the Dog Community of South London as 'Fido'. I have been operating Fido as a Dog Care company for just over 6 years now and have had the absolute pleasure of turning my passion and dream into a reality, working with incredible clients in an exceptional community and being a part of their best friends lives and development.

About Me:

As a four year old my parents got our family a Border Collie puppy from family friends whom were aware of mine and my siblings obsession with dogs. This puppy was named 'Fido'. Although very young, i always felt that i was Fido's primary carer. I spent any free minute i had with Fido outside and in parks playing. I have since believed and practised that dogs are unlike any other animal on earth and are the only animal to evolve alongside us and see us as we see them. As family. With this belief and a strong, self-learned knowledge of both dog evolution and history as well as breed understanding/recognition and behaviours/body language, I have always aimed to work with dogs and dedicate my life to their advancement, protection and preservation. After working for dog day cares in London i quickly realised a unique element of dog care that was either not prioritised nor practised was social engagement with the more common facets of urban dog ownership. By Using the time a dog is in your care to not only socialise with other dogs and people but to engage with the environments that surround them. This not only helps the dog to find comfort quicker in new environments and situations that their owners may find themselves in during their busy city lives but also attempts to present a positive, affirming image of dogs and dog behaviour to those whom may not be as au fait with how amazing they are as we are.

Fido's story:

Starting with the strong belief in the idea that 'it takes a village', i began my dog care journey within my immediate community of Slade Gadens dog paddock. From this base Fido has been able to curate an extremely tight-knit community of dog owners whom have grown to become friends and even tertiary carers and sources of comfort, support and shared experiences. Making the daunting task of raising a well-socialised dog in the busy high-tempo London life, that much easier.

Since the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown and the vast increase of dog ownership in London, new emphasis has been placed on pets and specifically dogs and their benefits to mental health in particular. With this boon came a unique opportunity for the perception of domesticated dogs to change within the inner-city. Something i and Fido were prepared for. With our already established community and my personal relationships with the vast majority of clients, i and Fido were ready to further expand our emphasis on socialisation and bespoke, intimate care. Working with our incredible community has brought amazing fulfilment and built a sensational community of dog owners who feel more like family. Something we hope to extend as far as we can. Bringing dog owners together and making dog ownership in the inner-city easier and more enjoyable.

The Problem:

It is no secret that the cost of life in London at the moment is a stress to everybody and all small business, Fido and dog care is no different. I have managed successfully to balance both workload and work quality to assure that the cost of living crisis isn't the be all and end all of Fido. However unfortunately, from situations out of my control Fido is currently facing a fiscal disaster. After surviving the lockdown with no furlough and a reasonable drop-off in work as people worked from home. I worked month to month for a year with no opportunity to save. With the lockdown lifted the work not only increased but increased at a rate that opened up the prospect of opening properties for doggy day care and pet stores under the Fido name. Since then Fido has strived to work around the unreasonable commercial property costs of the city as well as ludicrous road closures and restrictions to continue to grow and reach our ambitions. This has not been easy but has been something that has made me and Fido stronger and better. At the tail end of 2023 the UK faced adverse weather and a plethora of extreme storms. One of these storms, in December of 2023 caused total loss damage to Fido's primary form of transport. After a terrible mishandling of my insurance thereafter and multiple errors in protocol by the insurance company, this damage and loss of vehicle has resulted in the loss of the majority of my savings and operating revenue. The outcome of this mishandled insurance policy and the subsequent 'cancelation' of our existing policy made assuring new insurance difficult and expensive.

After appealing the terrible outcome and meagre compensation rewarded and made to go through months of litigation and waiting, I have unfortunately been left in the position of running at a loss month to month, since the outcome.

What Your Help Would Do:

I have always vowed to dedicate my life to Dog care and hope i am able to continue my journey with the incredible clients and dogs i have dedicated everyday of the past six years to. I always hope to open a doggy day care in Brixton with the aim of further penetrating the dog care industry, emphasising the importance of bespoke care and socialisation as the growth of dog ownership and understanding continues. Covering the losses i have faced this year from all facets would keep Fido going and return us to our forward trajectory and growing into the the dog care provider we have always aimed to be.

I appreciate the difficult financial times and understand that the furtherance of a small business may not be at the top of peoples lists but keeping Fido alive would keep a community of incredible people and dogs connected, progressing and growing with the aim to provide the highest level of dog care available.

Thank You

Ben