Dom Hodgson, a Sunderland-based small business owner, has witnessed his dog walking walking business gain national attention from former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis.
Dom’s business Pack Leader Dog Adventures was the first dog walking business in the country to be recognised by Theo Paphitis as part of his Small Business Sunday feature that runs weekly on Twitter under the hashtag #SBS.
Moreover, Theo awarded Dom with the prestigious Small Business Sunday award.
Last week Dom was invited to receive a certificate personally from Theo as part of the SBS 2015 event in Birmingham on the 30th of January.
The event was covered by The Sun newspaper and attended by over 700 small business owners from all round the UK.
Dog Walker and Trainer Dom Hodgson from Sunderland quit his job in 2011 to pursue his dream of running his own dog adventure business for stay at home dogs in Sunderland and East Durham.
Many dog owners who work full time are unable to provide the time to exercise their dog during the day and Pack Leader Dog Adventures provides the service to fill that need and provide the dogs with exercise and training sessions that keep the dog tired and content.
Dom said: “It was an amazing experience to meet Theo and receive the award as recognition for the hard work we have put in.
“The opportunity to meet and talk with other passionate small business owners was inspiring has given me a real boost, I was proud to be there representing the City of Sunderland at the event’
“When thinking of getting a dog many potential dog owners are drawn to handsome pedigree breeds.
“These can be very high energy dogs and if not given the right amount of exercise the dogs can become frustrated and then behavioural problems can occur.
“We provide the exercise, training and training on our adventures to ensure that doesn’t happen.
“We work with our clients and give advice on diet and training to help them have the best relationship they can with their dogs.“