My name’s Gemma and I’m a Dogoholic!
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My journey started back when I was at college, I studied at Brooksby Melton College where I completed a National Diploma followed by a Foundation Degree, both in Animal Management.
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Originally I wanted to work in a zoo but found that to get a job you needed tons of experience which you couldn’t get without a job or doing it voluntarily. Although I did spend some time out in South Africa and at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust back in 2011 it was nowhere near enough.
ABOUT ME
So after finishing uni I tried to find ANY job in the animal industry but struggled to find anything.
I eventually settled in retail, I spent 4/5 years working in a truckstop and worked my way up to assistant manager, a position I immediately regretted accepting! I missed seeing the regulars, I hated being stuck in an office & missed doing all the dirty work.
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It was then that I expressed an interest in Dog walking to a friend who pointed me in the direction of Lou’s Pet Services who I joined in 2016, mostly working in the Doggy day care field. Lou then went on to have 2 little girls and decided to take a break from her business, giving me the opportunity to take on some of her clients.
I was terrified, running my own business was never something I wanted, I was worried I wouldn’t be good at it. But I loved my job and didn’t want to risk losing it so I took the plunge, created Purrfect Gems in 2018 and haven’t looked back since!
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I’ve been going solo for a few years now and love getting to know the Dog’s and their individual quirks, I’m always learning something new and now want to use this knowledge to better my services and provide more than just a bog standard walk round the park.
Meet Some of the gang
