About Absolutely Barkers Grantham
What We Do
We are a small business with head office based in Grantham Lincolnshire where we provide the highest quality pet care for affordable prices.
We pride ourselves on both knowledge based training and qualified training to help improve the quality of our customers relationships with their dogs by providing a variety of training methods, in home help with basic training, rules and boundaries alongside our pet care services to help with mental and physical stimulation.
We also provide a fun, calm environment for dogs to grow, learn and play in whilst in a home setting.
Home Boarding licence number: A32312
Doggy daycare licence number: A31048
Business development from 1st July 2017 to present
Our Story
Working in the pet care industry over the years from kennel assistant to sales assistant at pet shops I would always be thinking - "if I had a dog myself where would I send them when on holiday or at work"? "where could my dog go that would fulfil her needs and they would treat her like we do"? At the time there wasn't anywhere so I began planning and brainstorming ideas for what could be done. I'd always hear customers at the pet shop complaining of the state of their dogs when coming home from holidays or that their health was poor when collecting their dogs so I knew there was something I could do to help.
After 2 years of planning, speaking to the local council in various departments as well as customer research we had built our cabin play area and were granted our daycare licence after passing inspections with flying colours and praised for bringing something new to the table with a new type of dog care service. (To this day we have been told by the local authorities we set the standard for care in our area).
6 months down the line we applied for our home boarding licence and was granted it within 2 weeks of the application being put it, this is where the business really took off.
Due to such amazing reviews by customers, and a great support network we were able to renovate and expand the business departments that were being requested from members of the public, the daycare and boarding facilities received major renovations throughout covid including facilities, routines, basic training programs and much more! This is where we really stood out and became well known in the area. with our monthly and seasonal changing routines and play areas, dogs are stimulated, trained, relaxed and having fun on a daily basis.
We opened our pet care and dog walking department in 2020 which became a huge success due to popular request by the community!
Fast forward to 2022 where we have opened Absolutely Barkers Online Shop which provides the local community with very competitive prices and help to save money with the cost of living ever increasing. This also allows dogs with high quality food or special dietary requirements to still get what they need without breaking the bank, in 2023 we added our subscription box service which is the only one in the area that provides your dog with monthly treat and toy selections to keep them entertained, we can also customise each box type we offer for dogs with allergies to accommodate for all dog types.
In 2023 we not only accepted several new members to the team at Absolutely Barkers but we also opened a new dog walking department based out in Belvoir to provide training, walks and pet care services to those in the area that we couldn't get to before.
In 2023 we also added some amazing new items to our in home daycare setup to provide new forms of mental and physical stimulation for the dogs, this included and indoor softplay area, giant ball pit, outdoor tyre agility mountain, sand pit, splash matts and paddling pools.
We have many more plans for the future that we cannot wait to share with you all!
Handlers At Absolutely Barkers
Please note, each handler will be in our black or Green uniform with the business logo on for easy identification.
In winter handlers may be seen with high viz vets on for health and safety which also has our logo on the back, dogs will also be fitted with LED light up collars for our be safe be seen protocols.
Please be aware that some dogs may be fitted with yellow dog walking equipment on a daily basis to warn others of reactive tendencies or training, we ask that members of the public keep their dogs under control if they see handlers with yellow dog walking equipment fitted for health and safety.
Marie Barker
Marie Barker is the founder of Absolutely Barkers and the Head of the daycare and overnight boarding department as well as managing the Absolutely Barkers Grantham online pet shop and overseeing all departments.
Nala is Marie's dog and is the resident dog at the daycare and boarding facility, she can often be seen out and about with the dog walkers as well.
Qualifications include:
Natures menu raw nutrition level 2
food and hygiene level 2
Level 3 diploma in dog care and boarding (requirement from DEFRA guidance in order to obtain the licences for the daycare and boarding services)
Canine first aid Trained
DBS Checked
Lifetime member of The Dog Training College
Jake Fairhurst
Jake is based in the manthorpe and alma park area of Grantham providing basic lead training and handling work to both daycare and boarding customers but also can be found out and about dog walking during the week.
Jake has owned multiple reactive rescue dogs over the years which he has helped rehabilitate for adoption to their forever homes with issues such as food aggression and dog reactivity.
Jake is also in the process of becoming a qualified dog trainer to eventually offer 1 to 1 dog training classes and gundog training for the local community.
Lifetime Member Of The Dog Training College
Canine first aid trained level 2
DBS Checked
Jasmine Emerson
Jasmine is based on the manthorpe estate local to head office her primary roles is to provide dog walking services in the local area and is also the dog assistant to the daycare and boarding dogs at head office on rushcliffe road.
From January 2025 Jasmine also offer house sitting services, daycare collection and drop off alongside the local shop delivery service.
All training is provided by the heads of company Marie Barker and Judi Brooks to ensure all dog handling, health and safety and DEFRA guidance for animal welfare is followed.
Lifetime Member of The Dog Training College
Canine first aid trained level 2
DBS checked
Absolutely Barkers Volunteer Team Members
Gail + Robin Barker - Pet transport drivers for the company, including emergency veterinary care travel for all departments, Fully insured.
Martin - Property maintenance man at head office in Grantham.
If you are interested in a long term career for pet care and have a high passion for pet care and not afraid of a little hard work and happy to work in all weathers, please get in contact to join our volunteer program.
If selected for our volunteer program and the candidate show's great initiative and growth during the volunteer period the candidate may be offered a contract with the company with discussions for further career options within Absolutely Barkers Grantham.
