Who we are.

Trail & fell is run by me, Tom Hodgkiss (and my Blue Heeler - Sprout). Like the cliche often heard - I have always loved & been around dogs, but unlike the average person with pet dogs, I have a passion and knowledge of working dogs, this gives me a much better position for working with pet dogs! I understand dog body language, their drives, how to behave with them and how they behave (or should behave) both with other dogs and with humans, I train working dogs from gun dogs to scent detection dogs. I am always learning and trying to develop my skills and knowledge, it truly is a passion and a bit obsessive! I have worked with many trainers from different disciplines and have an in depth understanding of various training modalities.

I initially set up my dog walking business in 2015 and ran this for 2 years before moving to the other side of the world for a few years! When returning home, I decided to build my company back up. I love the outdoors (I could never work in an office) and needed to get back around the dogs. In 2022 Trail & Fell was born, I initially started back up with just the dog walking. I was trusted with my first client the first day I set up and it snowballed from there, largely from word of mouth as people see the dedication, handling skills and knowledge I have with the dogs. I am DBS checked, fully insured and canine first aid trained.

After the first year we then added an addition to our services provided, the wedding chaperone. This was after having Sprout to my own wedding in 2023. We couldn’t imagine the day without her playing a part - one of the flower girls! during the planning we also realised that the people we would usually trust to look after her while we were away, would be celebrating the day with us. After seeing the service at ours, we soon had one of our dog walking clients ask if we could chaperone their dog at their wedding… When a dog is as much a part of the family as they are, they should be there! It also puts the mind at ease on the day, knowing they’re having the best day out when you’re handling the big stuff! We can tailor our service for your wedding day to allow your dog to play as much a part of the day as you would like. The safety and wellbeing of the dog’s in our care is always the highest priority, and this is why we brand ourselves as a responsible dog walking service. We help a dog to walk politely around others on lead, and to have time off-lead only if they have recall good manners. We want our service to compliment a dog’s training, to make life at home easier.

Dog services is a largely unregulated sector - anybody can set up a business and start dog walking or chaperone. We provide a different walking service, we walk smaller packs, and in a way to compliment a dog’s training and behaviour. We have trained many dogs to walk nicely to heel on a lead around other dogs without feeling the need to interact. We do let the dog’s off-lead that have recall and know how to behave.

We are very excited to have recently started working with Mia from VooDoo K9 Academy in Durham too, Mia is an ex military working dog handler, she is a brilliant compliment to the team, she offers exceptional training, and hydrotherapy through her own company too (VooDoo K9 Academy).

If you want to get to know me and my business better, follow Trail & Fell on Instagram & Facebook!