Waterlooville dog care business drums up donations for animal rescue centres in need of support

Hundreds of donations have flooded in to the Pledges for Paws campaign from Waterlooville business Pooch & Co, aiming to help animal charities in need.

Gabby Head, who owns Pooch & Co, was inspired to do something after team member Sam Tame came forward to explain how the RSPCA centre she also works at was being affected by the lockdown restrictions.

Gabby, 27, said: ‘Because of the lockdown, they were really struggling with getting donations. We have an amazing network of customers so I thought let’s get our little doggy community together to help local charities.

‘We put a post on our Facebook page and it took off and we have been inundated with amazing donations.’

So far, the team has donated to organisations including Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital and Portsmouth Stray Dog Kennels.

It has been so successful that Gabby has also extended it to include care packages for individuals who might be struggling to feed their animals during this time.

Dog owner Gabby, who set up Pooch & Co in 2016, said: ‘We’re so lucky all our customers were more than happy to help.

‘If people have donations, we’re more than happy to take them. It’s keeping us busy through lockdown and it’s nice to help the local community too.’

When setting up the business, Gabby was looking for a service to help with her chihuahua Prince Pablo and her toy poodle Minnie.

Gabby said: ‘I have dogs myself and I always struggled to find a company that offered everything for dogs as a one stop shop.

‘My business has just grown and grown. We’re fortunate we’re really busy and we have completely the best job in the world working with dogs all day.’

SEE ALSO: Personal trainer prepares to bear crawl for a half marathon to raise cancer charity funds

Pooch & Co offers dog walking services, grooming, boarding and daycare for pet owners.

Donations are always welcome for the Pledges for Paws campaign, and items needed include pet food, toys, beds and blankets for the team to distribute to charities in need.

Visit poochco.info for more information or to get in touch about donations.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as fewer adverts, access to our digital edition and mobile app.

Our trial offer starts at just £2 a month for the first two months.