Whether you’re looking for a companion or want to be part of a community in a city, being a dog or cat owner can bring a whole new dimension to your life.
Dubai has never been more pet friendly with many eateries and even beaches allowing dogs into their facilities, but pet abandonment is still common so you have to know exactly what you’re getting into if you want to bring in a new member into the family.

Paw Pals are here to help you navigate. What started as a dog walking and pet sitting company is now a training facility that offers pet taxiing and relocation services. Founder Kate Lindley shares with us how she built a business after redundancy.
What was yourfavouritesubject at school?
It was History as I had an amazing teacher who brought things to life, so much so that I did a History degree at London University.
What was your first job?

My first holiday job was helping in my grandfather’s sheet metal design company
What inspired you to launch Paw Pals?
I have always had cats and dogs as a child. To me, a house is not a home without some paws, feathers or scales! About 10 years ago I got involved in fostering cats, and then dogs, and trying to find them homes, and thenrealisedI had also found my passion.  I started slowly by pet-sitting for some friends and then through word of mouth I gained some more clients. I was made redundant from my office job in August 2015 and decided that this was the opportunity I needed to start my own business.  Initially it was just me but in time I took on some staff and have an amazing team of women looking after lots of pets across Dubai.  In the last year we have expanded and now offer force-free dog training and pet relocations.
What are the key elements of your role?
My role has developed over time and I have had to stop being so much of a control freak. I wanted to do everything myself but as we have grown, I have had to take on people to help with some of the work running the business as I don’t have the time to do it all, such as managing schedules. I am still very hands on and do some pet visits myself as it truly the best part of the job and I get excited to see pets I haven’t seen for a while.
I like to oversee all aspects as Paw Pals is very personal to me and while I have no option but to do a lot of the admin type work I initially thought I could get away from, I accept that is part and parcel of a growing business.
Talk us through your daily routine.
I usually wake up quite early, around 5 am, let the dogs out into the garden and put the coffee on. I usually spend the next hour or so replying to emails and social media messages and then it is time to start my walking my clients’ dogs and then come home and walk my own dogs.  After this I will do our daily social media posts and admin work again until its time for my lunchtime client visits.
I think its super important that I also meet my human clients myself as I want to have that personal relationship with all my clients, human and pet. If I have any new client meetings will usually try and do them around my lunchtime visits.  On a good day I get to be home to relax with my dogs and cats for a few hours and if I don’t have any evening walks, I will try and take one of my dogs to our group training classes. You really can teach dogs new tricks and its great to see how our clients are improving and building a solid relationship with their own dogs.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Follow your dreams, believe in what you are doing and do it to the best of your ability. The most important resources you have are your integrity and the team you have around you. Treat your staff as well as you can as happy and valued employees are invaluable.
Which fashion brands can we find in your work wardrobe?
I work with animals so you will largely find me in sports wear, a company T-shirt and a trusted pair of Birkenstocks! But I do have a great weakness for pretty shoes. My prized fashion item is a very glittery and girly pair of Jimmy Choo’s but they are definitely not dog walking shoes.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Believe in yourself, work hard, and everything will always work out in the end.
And what is the worst?
You will never be able to make a living from pet sitting. Thankfully this has been proved wrong.
What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
The biggest struggle initially was getting my trade license. In 2015 it was much more challenging than it is now and as I was doing something a little out of the box it was quite hard to explain what I was doing.  Thankfully I now have the most amazing PRO, a great woman who sorts out those kinds of problems for me.
That said, I think the next few months are going to be very challenging for a lot of small businesses. We really need to be thinking on our feet and finding a new way forward in these unprecedented times. We have already started this by offering our clients the options of using Zoom for our dog training sessions and developing a 21-day distance trainingprogrammefor both children and adults.
Dealing with people and their beloved pets can sometimes be a challenge in various ways but I love what I do and wouldn’t change a thing.
– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Images: Instagram, main image Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash More

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HE managed to lure in millions of viewers online just by being himself.
Now Joe Sugg will be hoping to do the same by playing someone else, after landing his first major TV acting role.

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YouTuber Joe Sugg has landed an acting job in the BBC’s drama The SyndicateCredit: PA:Press Association
The YouTuber and Strictly finalist has been cast in the new series of KAY MELLOR’s lottery drama The Syndicate, which is set to start filming this month.
Joe will play an aspiring musician named Sam, who is struggling to commit to on-off girlfriend Roxy, played by Stella actress Taj Atwal.
A TV insider said: “Joe has always been passionate about making the leap from YouTube sensation to TV personality.
“His Strictly success demonstrated that his popularity isn’t limited to online, and opened up a host of new opportunities for him, including the chance to act.

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In 2018 Joe Sugg finished in second place with Dianne Buswell in StrictlyCredit: PA
“He knows he has a lot to prove and is taking this latest career turn very seriously.
“Just like when he was written off as a mere YouTuber on Strictly, he is looking forward to showing everyone what he is capable of.”
Joe will join former Corrie stars Kym Marsh and Katie McGlynn in the upcoming fourth series of the BBC drama.
I can also reveal that Neil Morrissey will be part of the cast, playing a newsagent with aspirations of living the high life.

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Joe Sugg is the brother of fellow YouTube sensation ZoellaCredit: Getty – Contributor
Emmerdale actress Gaynor Faye — who is writer Kay’s daughter — stars as his long-suffering partner.
Joe had a brief spell in West End stage musical Waitress last year, but The Syndicate will be his biggest acting job to date.
Lenny Henry, Timothy Spall and Gavin & Stacey’s Alison Steadman are among the big names who have starred in previous series.
So it looks like Joe has hit the jackpot with this gig.

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The Syndicate has previously featured stars including Siobhan Finneran and Alison SteadmanCredit: BBC
Danny sticks with Shirley
Keep dancing? Strictly judge Shirley Ballas can barely keep walking.
The ballroom pro gave fans an update on her recovery after breaking her ankle back in July.

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Shirley Ballas is currently in recovery after breaking her ankle in July
She said on Instagram: “I can’t put weight on this foot otherwise it’s not going to heal, so I have learnt to use crutches.”
But help was at hand. The dented diva hopped on the back of actor boyfriend Danny Taylor after coming down with “jelly legs”.
She added: “Take a look at his face, lol.”
Shirley may be a long way off hitting the dancefloor, but that hasn’t stopped her getting lifts from her partner.

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The diva was helped out by toyboy boyfriend Danny Taylor
Doctor Who II for Chris
Christopher Eccleston is reprising his role as Doctor Who after 15 years in a move sure to delight a whole new generation of fans.
The actor, who left the iconic show after just one series in 2005, will star in a new 12-part audio series.

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Christopher Eccleston is set to reprise his role as Docot Who after 15 yearsCredit: Getty – Contributor
His return as the ninth doctor will be released as four CD, download and vinyl boxsets starting in May 2021.
Christopher was the Doctor in the show’s comeback series in 2005 after it took a 16-year hiatus.
He later claimed working on the BBC hit “damaged” him and his career.
Announcing his return, he said: “It will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing.”
Lin pigs out in balloon
US actor Lin-Manuel Miranda credits his friendship with Fleabag’s Andrew Scott – a co-star in His Dark Materials – for boosting his sex appeal.
Hamilton mastermind Lin, who plays aeronaut Lee Scoresby in the BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman’s books, said: “You have no idea what it’s like to be cooped up in a hot air balloon while Fleabag is peaking in the US.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda credits Andrew Scott for boosting his sex appealCredit: PA:Press Association
“I had texts from women I haven’t talked to in years when the announcement went out, saying, ‘You’re in a balloon with the Hot Priest!’”
Andrew – John Parry in the drama – also revealed Marks & Spencer’s role in their friendship: “I introduced Lin to a very British snack called Percy Pigs, so our cultures connected in that balloon – the foundation of a strong friendship.”
Just wait until Lin discovers Colin the Caterpillar.

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Andrew Scott starred alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in His Dark MaterialsCredit: PA:Press Association

bizbit

Will and Grace star Debra Messing thinks she was “way too skinny” during the show’s original run.
She told Jameela Jamils’s I Weigh podcast: “I thought, ‘My life would be so much easier if I just lost weight’.”

Jamie’s Taylor made
It’s not just Bafta judges who are fans of cult Channel 4 comedy Stath Lets Flats.
The show’s creator and star Jamie Demetriou, who landed the Scripted Comedy and Male Comedy Performance awards last week, has struck up an unlikely friendship with Taylor Swift.

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Jamie Demetrioue has struck up an unlikely friendship with Taylor SwiftCredit: Channel 4 Picture Public
A source said: “Jamie and Taylor were introduced to each other by her actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn back at the NME Awards in February.
“She’d spent the night mingling with A-list musicians, so it was jarring to see them hanging out, but they got along famously.
“Jamie also starred in Fleabag, which Taylor is a massive fan of, so perhaps the gushing wasn’t as one-sided as you’d expect.”
Still, I won’t hold out hope of a cameo in the next series.

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Taylor was introduced to to Jamie by her actor boyfriendCredit: Getty Images

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