If you’ve landed here looking for tips on how to keep a beige sofa pristine or how to teach your dog to wipe its paws, I’m afraid you’ve taken a wrong turn at the stile.
But, if you’re currently reading this while trying to scrub dried mud out of your hair or wondering why your hallway smells like wet wool, you’re in exactly the right place. Pull up a chair by the fire – just mind the cat; she’s feeling particularly judgmental today.
I’m Penny.
I am the writer behind Pardon My Pet.
In a previous life, I was “Miss Heath,” a secondary school teacher who spent years herding thirty teenagers through Shakespeare and algebra. I thought that was chaos. Then I moved into a drafty stone cottage in the Peak District and got a Spaniel.
I traded the classroom blazer for a permanent rotation of fleece and wellies, and now I spend my days freelance writing and documenting the absolute joy that is life with animals in the British countryside.
I’m not a “pet whisperer.” I’m just a woman who knows that most pet advice is a bit of a faff. You don’t need to know the Latin psychology of why your dog chases pheasants; you just need to know which whistle actually works when the wind is howling across the moors.
Meet The Board of Directors
I might do the typing, but let’s be honest – I’m not in charge. All editorial decisions at Pardon My Pet are heavily influenced by the management team:
- Buster (The Labrador): Head of Waste Management. Buster believes the world is edible until proven otherwise. He is a grounded soul, mostly because he is weighed down by the stolen contents of the kitchen bin. If I drop a crumb, it never hits the floorboards.
- Fern (The Spaniel): Director of Chaos. Fern is the reason I own waterproof trousers. She is high-energy, low-impulse control, and has dragged me through more hedges than I care to admit. If there is a bog within a three-mile radius, she will find it, and she will submerge.
- Margo (The Rescue Cat): The CEO. Margo rules the radiator. She views the dogs with deep suspicion and me with mild tolerance. She is the only one of us who actually understands the concept of “dignity.”
What You’ll Find Here
Pardon My Pet is about survival. It’s about what actually works when it’s raining sideways on a Tuesday morning and your treats have turned to mush in your pocket.
I write about:
- Gear that survives the British winter: No dodgy stitching or “fashion-first” coats. If it can’t handle a Peak District gale, it goes in the bin.
- Training for the real world: Practical advice for dogs that have selective hearing and cats that laugh at boundaries.
- The honest truth: I’ll be the first to admit when I’ve made a muddle of things. We’re all just doing our best not to trip over the lead.
I’m chuffed you’ve stopped by. Have a look around, leave a comment, and if you see a woman being towed up a hill by a blur of brown fur – give us a wave.
Cheers,
Penny