Among the myriad of things we carry, there are 8 items that are always with us:

1. Poo bags: There's our daily supply and our back up supply and the back up of our back up supply. Dozens of the things, in fact. You can never have too many poo bags.

2. Roll Top Pvc Bag: These can be found cheaply on eBay and are otherwise known as "dry bags". They're commonly used by people engaging in water sports for keeping their valuables dry but they're perfect for storing used poo bags in. Once you've closed them properley, all offending odours are contained until you can find a bin to deposit them in.

3. Treats: When you carry treats and you give them out liberally, the dogs you walk tend to come back that bit quicker when you need them to because, as everybody knows, dogs are food-driven creatures. Carrying a plentiful supply is a no-brainer really.

4. Tick Remover: We've carried them for years and never had cause to use them and then summer 2023 saw them prove their worth on no less than 3 occasions. Warm weather would appear to be to blame for their increased prevalance.

5. Water: A bottle of water with a fold-down receptacle for the dogs to drink from is an essential throughout the year. In summer more than one is more often necessary. In cooler weather you don't often need it but it's always good to know it's there.

6. Spare Leads: When you're walking up to 8 dogs between 2 people, it's very easy to lose a lead. That's one reason why we always use our own leads on the dogs we walk but also the reason why we always have at least one spare in our bags. There have also been several occasions over the years when we've come across dogs that have obviously become separated from their owners/walkers and we've needed to tether them while calling the numbers on their tags.

7. Balls: Group dynamics on any given day will often dictate whether ball play is appropriate or not, as will the weather to a large extent but having at least one in your bag and knowing that if the circumstances are right you can pull it out and instantly inject some fun into the walk, is always better than wishing you'd packed one.

8. Pet First Aid Kit: You always assume (and hope) you won't have to use it but knowing it's there and you could if you had to is very reassuring.

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