The TW Dogs Team
Tess
Owner
Owner of TW Dogs Tess, manages the well organised mayhem, ensures that the treat tubs are fully stocked and that everyone goes home happy!
Tess has been with the company since 2016. Prior to that her experience was in hospitality management, events, finance and as a photographer. Growing up on a farm; feeding, mucking out and assisting dogs, cats and cows give birth, coupled with her professional experience, has provided Tess with the skills and knowledge to further develop TW Dogs and turn it into the thriving dog day care that it is today.
A proud member of the Pet Industry Federation, Tess holds the OFQUAL level 3 Professional Qualification for Dog Day Care along with Canine First Aid and several other certificates in dog behaviour & training. She is passionate about all elements of dog welfare, nutrition, and wellbeing. Currently working towards the IMDT’s Learning, Motivation & Reinforcement certificate, as well as Level 2 award in Canine Nutrition. Tess really enjoys being able to bring a deeper understanding of dog behaviour along with a positive training ethos to our day care environment, and this is reflected in how happy our dogs are.
In her spare time, Tess enjoys photography, beach walks, trips home to the Cotswolds and indulging the every whim of her two miniature Dachshunds Reggie & Stanley. She loves to travel; Italy is currently top of her 'where to next' list.
A firm believer of if you do what you love, you won’t work a day in your life – Tess has finally found exactly that with her career here, realising her ambition to work with dogs and improve their lives.
Committed to ensuring that the Team and all of the dogs in our care have the best day out possible, Tess is dedicated to achieving this goal by inspiring the team and providing a safe, active and healthy environment for all.
Instagram @myselfieswithdogs
Lauren
Day Care Manager
Our Day Care Manager Lauren, ensures that everyone at TW Dogs has a fun, safe and secure environment to learn and play in whether they have four legs or two!
Lauren is in her fifth year with TW Dogs. Before working with us, another dog day care utilised her skills and calm nature for almost two years; this set Lauren on her journey within the dog care industry. She has always worked with animals, particularly horses, from working on a stud farm, then with the Riding for Disabled Association. Lauren also took her passion to America to teach horse riding to children there.
When not attending to the dogs’ every need, Lauren likes to find scenic walks, watch films and get her friends together to go to escape rooms. She is a massive thrill seeker and has even been known to jump out of a plane!
Lauren’s passion for dogs took a step up when beagle Barney came into her life. Absolutely houndsome, you will see him in her van at collections and drop offs in central Twickenham. He loves welcoming new dogs to day care, playing with his paw pals and is chief treat inspector though he really enjoys nothing more than a well-earned snooze on the sofa after a fun-filled day at the TW Dogs paddocks. During the working day, Lauren can be seen managing the paddocks and ensuring the team and dogs are having the best day. As TW Dogs' Fire Marshal and First Aider she is hoping to learn more about agility training as she loves working thedogs over our selection of ramps and obstacles. Lauren has several qualifications including her degree from Merrist Wood, the IMDT's Canine Body Language course and the OFQUAL Level 3 Professional Qualification for Dog Day Care.
Lauren has seen TW Dogs grow phenomenally since she joined our small team during storm Gareth in 2019. Building connections and relationships with our members during her career with us, and welcoming new faces to our team and dogs to our collection routes has been especially rewarding for her. Lauren is dedicated to helping TW Dogs flourish and looks forward to the future and the many new fluffy faces she will meet.
Amy
Assistant Manager & Queen of Dogtivities
Amy, TW Dogs Assistant Manager and Driver for our St Margaret's dogs, is always on hand for cuddles and to keep an eye on the mischief.
Amy is in her third year with TW Dogs. Prior to that she worked in retail, childcare and as an independent dog walker. Amy grew up in Twickenham and now lives with her husband and their three gorgeous cats.
For as long as Amy can remember she has loved animals, so much so that aged just four years old she decided to become vegetarian! With her keen interest in dog behaviour and being happiest when outdoors, TW dogs is the perfect place to combine both of her passions.
With her dedication and passion for canine enrichment, Amy is our ‘Queen of Dogtivities’ and loves nothing more than inspiring the team to keep the TW Dogs happy and active. Keen to learn more about dog behaviour, Amy has completed several courses with the IMDT including Canine Body Language, Aggression & Rehabilitation as well as the OFQUAL Level 3 Professional Qualification for Dog Day Care and a Canine First Aid course.
When it’s time to relax, Amy enjoys trips to the beautiful New forest where she can immerse herself in the glorious nature, coast and forests.
Devoted to fun and playtime, Amy is committed to ensuring that every dog in our care has the most enriching day possible.
Instagram @twdogsamy
Amy-Leigh
Team Leader
Amy-Leigh chauffeurs our Teddington dogs to and from our day care paddocks. Spending her days doing activities with the dogs, bonding with them and having cuddles too she is also very good at making the team laugh with her quick wit and sense of humour.
Now in her third year with TW Dogs, Amy-Leigh joined the team with Level 2, Level 3 and Extended Level 3 Diplomas in Animal Management. Amy-Leigh has previously worked on a farm and at a zoo. She also spent time as a supervisor working in a hotel. She has loved animals for as long as she can remember. Visiting her grandparents in Devon was the perfect time to indulge her passion and do something with the animals. To her family’s amusement, young Amy-Leigh thought that every animal she saw was a cat, including hippos and rhinos – no matter what, they were always cats!
Especially interested in agility, nutrition, welfare and reward based training, Amy-Leigh has recently acheived the Level 3 Professional Day Care & Boarding Certificate awarded by the IMDT, attended their Canine Body Language course and is Canine First Aid qualified. Understanding and working with the dogs’ behaviours is an area that she finds particularly fascinating and rewarding. Amy-Leigh is dedicated to achieving her goals by gaining as much experience as possible.
When not taking care of the TW Dogs’ every need, Amy-Leigh enjoys spending time with her family, friends, her beloved cat Aurora and mischievous French Bulldog Loki.
She describes herself as a perfect mixture of breeds; crazy like a Frenchie, grouchy like a Chow, with the attitude of a terrier and the energy of a Labrador!
Instagram @amys.waggs
Olly
Day Care Assistant & Driver
Olly is in his fourth year with us, he has been with the company since March 2021. His life with animals started very young as a farmer’s son in Wiltshire, hence the West Country accent which some of you may have noticed! Surrounded by animals from such a young age it was natural for Olly to want to build a career with animals.
Olly studied Animal Science and Management at Lackham College. Most recently he was the ‘live in’ animal care assistant for the National Animal Welfare Trust. Olly has worked and volunteered in South Africa, Ecuador and for West Midlands Safari park and Bristol Zoo. His vast career working overseas and at home means that he is confident handling all varieties of creatures from small invertebrates, to horses and even rhinos.
With a passion for understanding more about animal behaviour, Olly particularly enjoys reward based training and working with the young dogs on their essential obedience tricks. Having recently completed IMDT’s Canine Body Language course, he’s keen to learn more.
Olly has seen first-hand the social progress a dog can make by coming to dog day care, especially confidence building for our nervous four legged friends from positive dog to dog interactions as well as human socialisation with the team. Olly loves to see these improvements and feels that being part of that change is incredibly rewarding.
In his free time Olly enjoys travel and seeing live music (he loves rock). A big passion of his is visiting theme parks and he is learning to play guitar and to snowboard.
Olly loves being a member of TW dogs: “We are a team that bonds well, and we all enjoy our job passionately - what better job could you ask for? Looking after dogs and bonding with them and seeing them grow is such a great experience for me”.
If Olly was a breed of dog, he would be a Springer Spaniel. He knows the breed well from working them on the farm and breeding them as well. Springers are hardworking, but crazy at times! They enjoy life to the full and are loyal and friendly – all qualities that Olly brings to work. Working with dogs is much more than just a job for Olly, he could not be happier than he is at TW Dogs.
Amelia
Day Care Assistant & Driver
The TW Dogs are in safe hands with Amelia who collects our Twickenham Green and West Twickenham dogs. With her down to earth and calm approach, Amelia has a natural affinity with our four legged friends and can usually be found helping with dogtivities and giving out the much needed cuddles throughout the day!
Amelia is in her second year with us and has always worked outdoors with animals; since volunteering at a stables from the age of 10 which turned into a career at 16, Amelia continued to work with horses part time whilst she was studying Level 3 Animal Management Diploma. After returning to full time equestrian work for a couple of years, Amelia planned to pursue a career with her other love - DOGS! Starting her career at another dog day care, Amelia joined our team in Autumn 2022 with a Canine First Aid qualification and ready to take the next steps in her career.
Growing up Amelia’s family had German Shepherd Dogs then later they fostered rescue dogs whilst they waited for their forever homes. After a few years Charles came along, and after fostering him for 6 months they realised he had found his forever home with them - Charles has just celebrated his 12th Birthday!
Canine behaviour is an area that Amelia finds especially interesting and she recently completed the IMDT’s Canine Body Language course. She finds reward based training and agility great fun and loves how rewarding it is working with the dogs and seeing how quickly they learn and develop.
Amelia is enjoying the connections she is developing with both the dogs and their owners, in particular building relationships with our more nervous friends is something that Amelia finds particularly rewarding; “it’s such a special feeling knowing that a nervous dog feels truly comfortable with you and can really enjoy themselves, which is exactly how we want all the dogs to feel!”
When not showering the TW Dogs with her attention, Amelia can be found at the stables taking care of and riding her horse Dobby. They are working hard together to help him progress as he is young and has plenty more training to do! An avid theatre goer, Amelia loves a pub lunch with friends too.
Amelia has said that she loves everything about working at TW Dogs!
“I love the dogs and I love the team - we all work so well together! I’m looking forward to expanding my doggy knowledge and gaining more canine qualifications!”
Char
Day Care Assistant & Driver
Char, our Day Care Assistant and Driver, joined us in the Autumn of 2022 and looks after our busy East Twickenham route. She has enjoyed every moment of her new role with us and loves doing dogtivities, working the dogs over our platforms and through the tyre jumps.
Joining us after working for another dog day care, Char has studied forensic science and gained valuable customer service experience whilst working at Premier Inn. She knew that she had always wanted to work with animals and volunteering with the RSPCA helped her to know for certain! Having had a vast range of pets growing up from dogs to rabbits, bearded dragon lizards and five chickens, Char now shares her home with Hank the Bulldog as well as her two adopted cats Footsie and Captain; Footsie has three legs and Captain has one eye.
Keen to learn more about behaviour and canine welfare, Char is looking forward to developing her knowledge through courses and webinars with the IMDT, and is working her way through the selection of books in the TW Dogs library. With her career at TW dogs, Char hopes to gain experience with dogs to help her be the best she can be, whilst working with the utmost care and attention to their wellbeing and welfare.
During her time off, Char enjoys baking, reading and loves watching a good TV series or film; the cinema is a favourite treat! She loves getting away to Wales to visit her Nan, especially because Hank absolutely loves going for amazing walks there with the beautiful views and waterfalls!
Char enjoys working at TW dogs because the dogs love it; they have such a great time when they are at day care and seeing the dogs bonding and creating friendships is really special. Char loves how involved the team are with the dogs’ day, she says the care and passion we all have is inspiring. “With all of the equipment we have, being able to do treat work and building on their skills such as recall means there’s never a dull moment!”
One day, Char hopes to have her own Bulldog sanctuary or charity. She will rescue Bulldogs and of course, it will be called ‘Hank’s’.
Faye
Day Care Assistant & Driver
Day Care Assistant & Driver Faye covers our Hampton & Sunbury route. She loves to play with and entertain the TW Dogs and is also a big of fan of cuddles and giving those all important belly rubs and back scratches!
Faye joined us in December 2021. Before working with us, she began her canine career at an indoor dog day care. Faye’s previous roles are diverse and give her skills in many areas, from beauty therapy and hair dressing, to sports science, landscape gardening & decorating.
Gifted at quickly gaining the trust of timid dogs, Faye is enthusiastic to come to work after a weekend off to see her canine pals. Being happy in life is her overriding goal and working with the team and dogs here has been a dream come true for Faye. She has developed her skills with reward based training, canine behaviour and body language since joining us. To one day foster or rehome and rehabilitate mistreated dogs would bring Faye deep fulfilment, gaining their trust and helping them learn that humans can be loving and that we do make wonderful companions.
An avid rugby player, Faye is keen to travel and see more of the world after spending several months in Australia in 2019. She's off on more adventures in the latter half of 2023 and coming back to join us early 2024. Quality time with her family is also important and Faye loves to get stuck into a good crime documentary!
The Labrador is the breed that Faye would most liken herself to; adaptable, easy to train and keen to learn, playful though also loves to relax!
Instagram @faye_twdogs
Danni
Day Care Assistant
Danni, our Day Care Assistant, can be seen helping our drivers with collections. She loves to see how excited the TW Dogs are when she greets them - wiggly bums and waggly tails all round - clearly excited to go to Day Care!
Danni comes from a very interesting background of teaching, the armed forces, and the London Ambulance service. She has always had a caring nature and been able to cope in any given situation, ready for anything life throws at her. This is one of the many reasons she makes an amazing addition to the TW Dogs team!
When asked what drives her she told us "I never lose, I either win or I learn", and Danni’s love to constantly learn and get the most out of every experience whilst having fun is wonderful to see.
Danni gained her initial experience working with dogs when volunteering at a grooming salon. After studying level 3 Grooming in her spare time, Danni realised that she finds the behaviour aspects of canines most interesting and says dog language is fascinating! Like many of our team, Danni has been surrounded by animals growing up; from cats, dogs, chickens, hamsters and parrots, she has seen the positive impact spending time with animals has on her mental wellbeing. It was this foundation that has lead to her new career with TW Dogs.
In her free time, Danni likes to go camping, cuddle up with a good book, cross stitch, eat Italian food and spend time with her ‘bun bun’, rabbit Mushi.
One of Danni’s favourite aspects to her role at TW Dogs is that she loves building a bond with the dogs, getting to know all their unique and quirky personalities and watching their daily shenanigans! And of course nothing can beat puppy cuddles! Of all the breeds, Danni describes herself as most like a Golden Retriever! She loves spending time with people and learning new things, and can also be very energetic, very cuddly and also clumsy and goofy!
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