SPPOT is a unique social enterprise providing high quality dog daycare and dog training in Haverfordwest and dog walking across Pembrokeshire.
Great value standard prices plus helpful preferential rates for eligible people and dogs SPPOT is a unique social enterprise offering highly affordable dog daycare, dog walking, dog grooming and dog training and behaviour advice along with accredited training for people and children who experience barriers to work and education.
25/07/2025
✨MEET THE TEAM✨ - Amy
Amy has just completed her Foundation Degree in Animal Health and Welfare giving her a solid academic background in animal behaviour, wellbeing, and care. She’s now putting her skills into practice every day, helping the dogs thrive in a safe, structured, and fun environment🐶
Amy has also started leading some of our puppy training sessions, helping new dog owners build confidence and set their puppies up for success. She focuses on positive reinforcement, clear communication, and creating a supportive space where both pups and people learn together❤️
She also works closely with our amazing volunteers, supporting them and helping make sure every dog gets the care and attention they need from the moment they arrive at SPPOT😁
We are lucky to have Amy be part of our wonderful team!♥️
25/07/2025
How lucky are we that we are so close to Broadhaven Beach🌊
Helen and her gang had a lovely walk with Rocko! 🐾
22/07/2025
During the summer and autumn, the SPPOT Team are working on their 'Wildlife in the Community' accredited training course.
They've only just started and some wildlife is quieter in summer but we've got some great photos for our portfolios already. We even managed a photo of a dogfish 😃
We look forward to sharing more of the work we do over the next few weeks.
Happy Summer Holidays everyone 😎
20/07/2025
Some great ideas to add more fun and interest to your dog's walks
Or if your dog is walked by a SPPOT Volunteer, you can be sure they're doing lots of things like this with your dog and much more 🤩
15/07/2025
✨MEET THE TEAM✨ - Caitlin
Caitlin is our superstar Dog Training & Behaviour Practitioner here at SPPOT! With a degree in Applied Animal Management, she’s all about helping you and your dog build confidence, good manners, and a happy bond together. With 8 years experience working with all types of animals Caitlin is a treasure trove of information! 😊
From adorable puppy classes to fun, rewarding 1:1 training sessions, Caitlin is your go-to for tackling everything from basic training to those quirky behaviour challenges every dog throws at us! When she’s not helping dogs (and their humans!), Caitlin also steps in as a development worker🎉
Outside of work, Caitlin loves spending time with her young son and her lovable dog Finnigan — usually out on a family adventure or relaxing with plenty of cuddles. 🐶💙
We are lucky to have Caitlin as part of our team here at SPPOT ❤️
12/07/2025
Friday's pavement check by Ash - no SPPOT dogs are going out in that!!
12/07/2025
Good advice
12/07/2025
Here's a great post from the Mutty Professor, explaining exactly what we teach all the people at SPPOT, every time we get a 'proper summer/heatwave' (whatever you want to call it!).
We've had some very hot weather recently in the UK, and for many parts of the UK- the next three days are going to be scorchio!
It's important to be aware that being too hot can lower thresholds for tolerance and overt reactions- and not just in 'reactive' dogs.
And not just in dogs!
There's a correlation between human riots and an increase in crime during a significant rise in temperature (27 to 32 degrees).
It is well established that in people, heat stress causes irritability and an increased likelihood of aggressive behaviour.
Being hot and bothered is a physical stressor - the body works hard to return to homeostasis.
Cognitive processes can be negatively affected. So if your dog is not responding to as they would normally, consider the effects of heat.
Furthermore- being too hot can interfere with a dog's ability to rest and sleep. During rest and sleep, stress is lowered, and subsequently compromised rest and sleep affects behaviour.
This can affect (lower) the dog's threshold for emotional stress.
🐕 Two unfamiliar dogs meeting while both are hot and bothered is less likely going to result in a healthy interaction. Now is the time to largely keep yourselves to yourselves on walks, or monitor the body language of both dogs very carefully.
🏡 Extra caution should be taken in situations that your dog may struggle with, such as around visitors to the home.
🧒 But the greatest caution of all should be taken around up-close interactions in ALL dogs, especially those who live children.
Remember these basic safeguarding rules;
1. No faces near faces.
2. Let sleeping dogs lie.
3. Do not forcefully take resources (toys, food or anything the dog has found/picked up) off a dog.
Children should never take things off a dog.
4. Do not 'box dogs in' with your interaction.
- Always ensure they can easily move away by not blocking a dog's ability to move forward/away (for example, wrapping your arms around to hug a dog front on makes it near impossible for them to easily disengage).
- The safest way to interact is to invite a dog to come to you.
Alternatively, if you do approach then do so when they are awake and instead of swooping straight in with strokes- wait for them to signal to you they are keen for an interaction.
- Stop stroking after 2-3 seconds, and see if your dog communicates to you they would like more, or if they are done.
This is called the consent test, and it's something all children (and adults) should be aware of.
Most people who get bitten by a dog know the dog well, didn't think their dog would ever bite someone and didn't see the bite coming.
Most dog bites are on faces and hands of someone close to the dog, and this tells us a lot about what the person was LIKELY doing (Note, there are always exceptions).
As I always say to my clients ......
🗣️ Never take your dog's current level of tolerance for granted.
12/07/2025
09/07/2025
Well done to tonights puppy class participants; Darcy, Bella, Nell and Oakley 🐶 🏵️
They've all done so well, even a couple achieving their Good Companion Awards.
09/07/2025
✨MEET THE TEAM✨ - Helen
Helen brings warmth, wisdom, and a whole lot of experience to our team here at SPPOT🐶✨
With a BA in Education and Qualified Teacher Status, plus over 22 years of experience in primary schools (working with children aged 3–11, including those with additional learning needs), Helen now shares her knowledge with us 💛
At SPPOT, she:
📚 Supports our volunteers accredited training sessions with patience and care
🏫 Works with local schools, leading fun, hands-on sessions about how to care for dogs responsibly
🎨 Keeps things creative with brilliant crafting
😂 Brings laughter to the team and volunteers
🐕🦺 Is a firm favourite among our lovely dogs
Whether she’s running a training session, guiding a learner, or walking and training the dogs— Helen does it all with quiet confidence and a big heart.
When Helen’s not running around people and dogs at SPPOT, she is running around her 2 teenage sons at home! 😂
Every team needs a Helen and we are lucky that she’s ours♥️
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Send a message to SPPOT, A Community Interest Company:
SPPOT - Supporting People & Pets through Opportunity & Training
SPPOT is a unique social enterprise offering dogs and their human families, a highly affordable, award winning dog walking service across Pembrokeshire and high quality daycare for dogs.
We are able to embed positive reward based training into our dog walking and daycare services, because all our staff and volunteers are themselves qualified and accredited in dog care, training and welfare.
SPPOT is an Agored Cymru Recognised Centre, delivering accredited training courses in canine training and welfare for adults and young people who experience barriers to work and education. This enables trainees to become part of SPPOT’s team as Volunteer Dog Walkers who walk dogs all over Pembrokeshire and K9 Keyworkers who volunteer their time at our dedicated headquarters in Haverfordwest providing high quality daycare for dogs.
The dog walking & daycare are offered at a competitive rates for the general public with a significant concession for vulnerable people in the community. Thus we can bring together the needs of two people, through shared care of a dog, benefiting both people and the dog.
Dogs are scientifically proven to be of significant health and social benefit to people, therefore SPPOT’s progressive enterprise model will reduce dependence on health and social care services which are already under strain. People also have the capacity to reduce the suffering and neglect of dogs.
Society in the UK is still geared towards fully able people and it remains incredibly difficult for disabled people to find truly flexible, supportive employment. In order to claim government benefit, people with long term disabilities and illnesses must focus on what they cannot do, in order to qualify for money to live.
SPPOT focuses on what people can do, for example, we will focus on a person’s ability to work six hours a week for eight months of the year. The current mainstream system simply rejects people who cannot work 48 weeks of the year.
The SPPOT Team has enormous collective experience and wide ranging skills and fully understands the requirements of commercial business and also traditional health and social care services but believes there needs to be a fundamental shift in the UK’s attitude to people who have long term barriers to full employment, towards ‘can train’, ‘can learn’, ‘can work’ and ‘can help others’. The SPPOT Team are successfully demonstrating this every day, through delivery of robust, high quality, outcomes driven services for people and dogs.
