MY STORY
It started with a dog called Stan.
I’m Phil. Stan was my first dog, and he changed the direction of my life. Tails of The Lake grew from that — and from wanting to give dogs a better kind of daycare day.
WHERE IT STARTED
Stan changed the plan.
Before Tails of The Lake, I had a corporate job that paid the bills but never felt like the right fit.
Becoming a first-time dog owner changed things. Stan made me realise how much I loved being around dogs — and that I wanted to work with them.
After I was made redundant, I bought a dog-walking company to learn the ropes. The plan was always to find a home with land and create a daycare of my own.
LEARNING AS WE GREW
I knew we had to do things differently.
The early days taught me a lot. Taking every dog was not right for the dogs, the team or the daycare I wanted to build. So I started making changes.
A place dogs could enjoy
I made the facilities more engaging, with more for the dogs to explore and do.
Learning from people who knew more
I worked with experienced daycare specialists and kept building my own knowledge.
A team that cared
I invested in training and looked for people who genuinely wanted to do the job well.
WHY TAILS IS DIFFERENT
I never wanted Tails to feel like every other daycare.
I didn’t want to run a cheap-and-cheerful daycare from a back garden. The place, the people and the care all had to be better.
I wanted owners to see their dogs flourish — and dogs to have a day that was enjoyable, engaging and right for them.
That is still what we work towards today. We get to know each dog, and they get to know us.
“I wanted to build a place where dogs could have a brilliant day — and where their owners could see the difference.”
PHIL · FOUNDER, TAILS OF THE LAKE
THINKING ABOUT DAYCARE?
Want to see if Tails is right for your dog?
Tell us a little about your dog. We’ll start by getting to know what they enjoy, how they socialise and what they need from their day.