Pawcentric started in July 2020 as 'Click Trick dog training & behaviour'. I had just left my previous full-time kennel job working for one of the biggest rescues in the UK as a result of having my first child. I had just finished my maternity leave and was very quickly realising sitting at home as a 'stay-at-home mum' was not for me. I knew I wanted to do this but had a huge amount of self-doubt. 

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I was asking myself - 'could I do this?' - 'Am I good enough?' - 'What if no one listens to me?'

I remember sitting at the bottom of my stairs and telling my husband at the time - 'shall I just offer some 1:1 training sessions and see how it goes?' 

So that's exactly what I did! I sorted out the insurance, advertised myself as a new local trainer on social media explaining my background... and just waited. 

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Within a few weeks I had regular clients. I had my own income again. I started running puppy classes and then agility classes. I was making connections with other local business owners for support. Suddenly... my whole life changed. And I absolutely LOVED it! I started doing lots more CPD and learning everything I could to make sure I was the best I possibly could be. Suddenly I had a career where I was in complete control and I was absolutely loving life. 

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For 2 years I built up 'Click Trick dog training & behaviour' into a well known, trusted dog training business in the Deal & Dover area. Then, in 2022 I fell pregnant with my 2nd child. I did not want to go on maternity leave - that's for sure! I loved my job too much. I was desperately trying to find someone I could fully trust to take over and look after my clients for the short maternity leave I was going to take. Sadly, this just wasn't easy. Trusting someone with your 'baby' is exceptionally hard. It got to July (baby was due in September) and I still had no idea what I was going to do. 

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In July 2022 I was then contacted by a previous client of mine. She was asking to shadow one of my workshops that I had planned in August (yes my baby was due in September and I was running workshops in August - yes, I know!!). She had started her own dog training journey as a result of the challenges with her dog. She had been one of my first early clients and had worked with me for a long time, we knew each other well even though we hadn't seen each other in a long time. Everything happens for a reason right? I remember saying something along the lines of 'oh my god, yes! I need someone to take over, you can shadow as much as you'd like up to September and then, if you'd like to, you can look after those clients whilst I'm on maternity?' Every now and then you have moments in your life that you just have no idea how significant they will be - but they end up being life-changing. This was one of them. 

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This was Lorraine. She did indeed take over and look after my clients. We very quickly realised that not only did we work extremely well together but we also had similar thoughts on pretty much everything. 6 weeks after having my 2nd son I couldn't really wait much longer - I started working again. Lorraine & I started running classes together - me with my baby strapped to me in a carrier! I ran all my classes like that for 6 months. My son was exclusively breastfed - I felt strongly that I was going to do everything I could do to make sure I stuck to that. And I did - I never used formula once. I wanted to prove to myself that I could carry on running a business, doing the job I loved and be the mum I wanted to be. I'm not going to say it was easy. But it was worth it. I could carry on doing the job I loved whilst raising my son exactly how I wanted to. 

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The more Lorraine & I worked together, the more our friendship & working relationship developed and the more ideas came. We both had similar ideas of exactly how we wanted the business to look. This job is hard - so hard. I've watched many trainers come into the profession and leave in even just the time I've been doing it. It can be a very lonely and isolating profession with a lot of emotions attached. Having each other not only proved to be hugely useful for the clients but also meant we could support each other through the tough parts too. We also had a lot of fun along the way - work was not work. We genuinely loved what we were doing. Being able to share everyday with someone who you get on so well with - that's something that should never ever be taken for granted. 

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In February 2025 sadly Lorraine had to step away from the business very suddenly due to a family crisis. This left me and the business in complete limbo. We had literally just set the company up as limited and become official business partners, the timing could not have been worse. All our hopes and dreams that we'd had together vanished before my eyes. There were many moments when I thought I'd have to leave this job I love so much. It was an extremely challenging time. 

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However - out the other side of that came a new business. We'd been planning on rebranding, suddenly I had to do that alone. But I did - and the business became Pawcentric Pathways in 2025. I tried things I had never tried before (such as the Reconnect walks) in a bid to save the business and they proved to be a huge success. I was always very open and honest with the challenges going on behind the scenes to all my clients. And every single client supported me, supported the business and stayed with me. It was thanks to them that the business survived. I also received a huge amount of support from other trainers and dog professionals who could see my struggles and reached out to offer help. The support was incredible and brought me to tears many times. It is thanks to all of them that I was able to keep going. In particular - Laura from Doherty dog services & Ve & Emma from Enve dog training. 

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I knew I couldn't do this alone though. I didn't want to. I had this amazing business, a job I truly loved and I've always wanted to share that with others. No one should ever be stuck in a job they don't enjoy. Once I came out the other side of all that chaos the pressure on me just kept growing. The demand for my help was huge - which was amazing - but also meant I just couldn't do it all. I felt like I was behind something huge and desperately needed further help. In September 2025 I took on 2 assistant trainers - Abbey & Debbie. This meant I could reduce the sheer amount I was doing and focus instead on where my energy would be most useful/ needed. This was a hugely exciting step and provided further opportunities for the business that would never have felt possible before. Yes - there were early teething issues as I had never done things before quite like this. Everything in 2025 was trial and error! But - for the most part - it all ended up proving to be hugely beneficial. In the end. 

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During 2025 Lorraine & I stayed friends. I know she missed this world and I always knew she'd be back. But it wasn't easy, what happened in Jan/ Feb 2025 hurt us both so much. We had a lot of healing to do. We spent many months doing that - little by little and very gradually. Until eventually she started taking on some of the walks for some of my client dogs in July and August. Without even trying, we gradually started working together more and more. It was bizarre really, neither of us were trying - it just sort of happened. Until finally, one day in September I got a very random phone call from her. She hadn't phoned me in many months, so this was extremely strange. It went something like this... 'Hi, how's your Friday going?' 'Urm, okay, urm are you okay?!' 'I've just handed my notice in, I wanted to phone you to let you know.' She'd handed in her notice at her part-time school job that she'd taken on during this challenging time. 

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From then on things moved fast. Lorraine started taking on more clients and catching up with all her old ones too. We were back revisiting all those plans we'd started but had to let go of in an instant. But this time - we could do it even better. Everything felt stronger & more resilient. The business was thriving better than ever before. 

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And now here we are. Pawcentric Pathways will always be 'Click Trick dog training' which I started whilst sitting at the bottom of my stairs one day. But I never wanted to do this alone. I am ever grateful to have such an incredible Pawcentric team around me which is helping the business grow and get better all the time. One thing that is hugely important to me and will never leave - I will always be fully open and honest. Life isn't easy. It likes to throw things at us. Which is why I share the story of Pawcentric, it certainly hasn't been a smooth ride. But... one thing is for sure... it has been worth it. And everything always works out as it is supposed to - in the end.