MEET ANDREW & Kona
Hi I'm Andy!
After 20 years of working for the NHS, the opportunity to take redundancy presented itself and I went for it.
It was a big, scary decision to leave my guaranteed wage, but ultimately you only get one life and it was time for me to take a chance and do something I'm genuinely passionate about. I'm at my happiest when I'm out in the countryside with my team - my wife Alex and my dog Kona.
If it's not already alarmingly obvious, I'm an 80's child and a huge fan of superhero comics/films/cartoons especially those Ninjas that are into pepperoni and cheese. If you follow my socials, be prepared to hear a lot of 80's synth pop in the reels.
I've always had animals in my life, from family cats growing up to our two rescue cats (Tigra and Cheetara - yes - the Thundercats). Tigra was my shadow and followed me everywhere, sleeping on my belly every night. We lost her a few years ago, my first tattoo was in memory of her (this was the start of a trend). We recently lost Cheetara at the ripe old age of 19 too - so cat visits to the front of the queue please!
We always wanted a dog but it just wasn't practical, which led to us we signing with the Cinnamon Trust, a charity which helps elderly and terminally ill people with their pets. Through the trust we walked a lovely black and white Collie named Casper, which set a trend for black and white dogs in our household.
We were living in a city centre flat during lockdown when we started walking my mum’s Cockapoo, Boston, every week. It quickly became the highlight of our week, and really where my love of walking and being outdoors began.
Eventually we moved into a bigger house in North Leeds and immediately got our first dog — an absolute legend by the name of Indiana Bones. We quickly realised how lucky we were to live in such a beautiful area, and every weekend led to new adventures and unexplored paths.
Sadly, we lost Indy just shy of his second birthday. He was born with liver complications, and we always knew there was a very small chance he’d ever reach adulthood.
Indy taught us a lot. Not just about monitoring everything he ate like a hawk — he couldn’t process most proteins and lived on a carefully managed vegetarian diet — but about slowing down and appreciating the time you have. He absolutely loved rice pudding and custard, and if you’ve never seen an Australian Shepherd wolfing down a bowl of Ambrosia, you’re missing out. More than anything, he taught us that stopping to smell the wild garlic was not a moment wasted.
We got Kona a couple of months after losing Indy. He's my spirit dog, simply put. He can be a handful and keeps me on my toes, but I love every minute. He's a medium to big dog at 30kg and I have had plenty of experience managing reactive dogs - from both sides of the fence. For me, part of being a responsible dog owner is about identifying any behavioural issues or peccadillos your pet has and advocating for them. Whether that be spoon feeding a fussy dog who won't eat, understanding when a reactive dog is feeling overwhelmed, or recognising that some dogs simply need a calmer, quieter approach to feel safe and confident. Every animal is different, and taking the time to understand what works best for them is something I care deeply about.