Spot On Dog Walks & Adventures in Hemel Hempstead named Dog Walking Service of The Year for second year running

It was almost five years ago when Amy Dobson-Smith took a risk, quit her office job and decided to set up her own dog walking service.

Since then, the 30-year-old’s business has been named Dog Walking Service of The Year in Hertfordshire twice, with her most recent win at Prestige Awards 2022 in Woking last month.

Amy explained how much of a shock it was to have her business awarded for the second time: “I never in a million years thought I'd ever be getting an award for it. It was never a plan.”

Spot On Dog Walks & Adventures, which Amy runs by herself, makes the most of Dacorum’s great outdoors and aims to keep dogs healthy and happy on their outings.

Her dog, Pie the Dalmatian, inspired the business name and now enjoys walks with her client’s dogs from in and around Hemel Hempstead.

Her clients, most of whom are regulars, can rest assured that their dogs will be stimulated mentally and physically after their walks.

Amy explained: “It's not so that they come out and then they are just let off and they just run around doing as they please, It's really structured, there’s almost like a routine to the walk.”

Before starting up Spot On, Amy had been working in an office and had grown tired of her nine-to-five routine.

She said: “I was okay at those jobs, but it just didn't get my juices flowing.”

Amy added: “I remember walking my family dog and thinking, ‘Right, enough with working in places that I just don't have any love for, didn't care about.’”

Amy started up her business and hasn’t looked back since.

While Spot On hasn’t always been an easy ride, Amy says creating her own business has been rewarding.

She said: “I love being outside and quite active. It was something I had no intention of setting up at all by myself. But I really found a love for it.”

For those wanting to create their own business, Amy says that there is never going to be the right time to do, but this shouldn’t deter anyone from pursuing their dreams.

Amy said: “Sometimes you've just got to take a leap. I think if you've been thinking about something for a long time, or you've got a dream, or there is something that you're very good at, then go for it. We've got to go for it.”

After her own success, Amy is giving aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to reach out to her for a chat and some helpful advice about going about the next chapter in their lives.

She said: “If you're thinking of doing the same thing, or, you're on the route of setting up your own business, and you want some advice about how I did things, let me know.”

People who are interested can reach out to Amy via email at [email protected]