A pet owner who gave up her office job to work with canines is in the process of erecting a huge private enclosure for dog walkers to use.

Commercial dog walking business Happy Paws Pet Services hopes to open the 8,000 sq ft rentable facility on the Isle of Sheppey in July.

It will allow pets owners to interact with their canine companions in a safe and secure environment for 30 or 60 minute sessions.

As well as taking their dog for solo or group walks at the site in New Road, Sheerness, trainers will also be able to use the arena for classes.

Founder Tuesday Charlton, whose regular dog walking business Happy Paws starts today, says the opportunity to work with dogs was too good to turn down.

"I’ve gone from a normal 9-5 office job realising it wasn’t for me, to looking at the bond I have with my own dog who has been with me for six years, and falling in love with dogs everywhere," she explained.

“I offer normal dog walking visits and that’s launching today, with the field in the summer coming too which is really exciting.

“Not all dogs are sociable and have particularly good recall, so we wanted to create a safe, enclosed field for them to play, train and exercise in."

She hopes the business will cater to canines from both Sheerness and Sittingbourne.

And Ms Charlton, who turns 29 on Wednesday and who herself owns a cockapoo called Daisy, believes its design will make it a unique feature of the coastal town.

“There’s nothing like this in Sheerness that I’m aware of having done research, and I think that’s why we have had a lot of people reach out already," she added.

“That includes those enquiring for personal hire - so a normal house owner wanting to take their dog for a runabout - or people conducting dog classes, either one-to-one or in groups, so that’s been brilliant."

She added: “I think a lot of people got dogs around the pandemic as well, and some of those aren’t 100% able to exercise them if they’re older or struggling with their health.

“So we’re offering the field-for-hire for either a 30 minute or one hour slot, and we’re already quite equipped for it as well."

For more information, you can visit their website here.

Ms Charlton plans to erect two gates with new, wire-mesh fencing 1.5m high, as well as supplying agility equipment to be used for trainers running classes.

"The land is owned by my partner, and when the fields are up and running we are looking to launch dog meets for pets who are not as sociable as owners would like," she added.