Richard & Natalie M.
Richard & Natalie M.
Highlights
Pet care experience
Home from home family dog boarding.
Please read our full profile before booking Hello! We’re a family of three – Natalie, Richard and our 8-year-old son, Harley. We share our home with two much-loved dogs: Toby, our 11-year-old Lhasa Apso, and Buddy, who recently joined our family at the age of 4. Dogs have always been a huge part of our lives, and we truly consider them family members. After sadly losing our beloved Schnauzer in 2025, we weren’t quite ready to welcome another dog of our own straight away. Looking after dogs through Rover became a wonderful way for us to continue sharing our love of dogs while helping other owners feel confident their pets are in caring hands. We have experience caring for a wide variety of dogs, primarily small to medium breeds. We have also previously owned a German Shepherd before he went on to become a working security dog. At present, we don’t have the capacity to board larger dogs in our home. Toby and Buddy are both laid-back, affectionate lap dogs who enjoy the company of other friendly dogs. They are well-socialised and love having canine visitors stay with us. Our goal is to provide a true home-from-home experience. We do our best to maintain your dog’s usual routine, comforts, and preferences so they feel happy, relaxed, and settled throughout their stay. Every dog who stays with us becomes part of our family during their visit. To ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for all of our guests, we are unfortunately unable to accept reactive or aggressive dogs. If your dog struggles around other dogs or has a history of reactive behaviour, we may not be the right fit. This decision allows all dogs in our care to relax and move freely around our home. If you’re unsure whether your dog would be comfortable in a social boarding environment, a solo boarding arrangement may be a better option. We usually welcome 2–3 guest dogs at a time, which allows us to accommodate dog families and our lovely returning regulars. If you would prefer your dog to have a solo stay, please discuss this with us before booking. We advertise availability across Rover, Facebook, Instagram, and direct bookings, so our calendars may not always perfectly align. Availability shown on Rover may not always reflect our most up-to-date openings. We carefully limit the number of dogs we accept and consider each dog’s size, temperament, and individual needs to ensure a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable stay for everyone. While you’re away, we’ll keep you updated with regular photos and videos so you can relax knowing your dog is having a wonderful time. We also offer meet-and-greets to help ensure we’re the right fit for both you and your dog, giving everyone peace of mind before a stay. We prioritise meet-and-greets for confirmed bookings, although we also offer monthly meet-and-greet sessions for general enquiries. We’ve recently launched our Instagram page, Holme.andaway, to give owners a more personal insight into what we do and the dogs who stay with us. We’d love for you to take a look and get to know us better!
Qualifications
Ratings and reviews
Thank you so much for looking after Humphrey, he's absolutely shattered after his stay with you and on his best behaviour. Thanks for keeping us updated with lots of pictures, it's much appreciated. You're amazing for doing what you do looking after these doggos and would highly recommend you to anyone! Will definitely book with you again 🐕
First time leaving our dog we were nervous. Met Natalie with Coco 6 months before our hols and she put our minds at rest immediately. During our holiday we got lots of photos, videos and updates and infact we were convinced she wouldn’t want to come home as she was having a fantastic time- highly recommend to anyone even if your dog is shy, and will absolutely use again- FANTASTIC
Thank you Richard and Natalie. I had no worries leaving Kasia with you whilst we were on holiday. Will definitely use you again. She came home trim and happy.
Amazing service from the first message through the stay and at pick up. It was Alan’s first stay away from home and he couldn’t have been in better hands. His epilepsy and medication was managed and I received regular updates, pictures and videos of his adventures. It was clear he was part of the family while he was with Richard and Natalie (and a special mention to their son who took Alan under his wing from day one 💙) I would not hesitate to use Holme and Away again.
Very pleased with Richard and Natalie for looking after our two dogs. First this Natalie did was take them for a walk to help settle them down. We came back a little early and they were very accommodating to the late change. Highly recommend mend them and would use them again in the future.
Monty spent 10 days with Natalie, he had stayed for one night before and immediately settled with them, being treated just like one of the family. We received regular updates and photos and it was such a relief to know he was safe and being cared for while we were away.
Calendar and availability
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
Schedule
We both work opposite shifts, meaning someone is either at home, nearby and available. We do ask that dog guests are able to be left for 1-2 hours as we complete the school run, gym, shopping or appointments. We are flexible in what ever your needs may be, and aim to make your dogs stay with us a little holiday of their own. We strive to keep your dogs own routine, and home comforts, to ensure their stay with us is a happy and settle one.
Where your pet will stay
Home characteristics
Safety, trust & environment
Our house is surrounded by woodland and fields, which means we are never stuck for a nice place for a good walk. We have a fully enclosed, stone wall garden, allowing dogs to come and go freely outside, knowing they are safe. Please let us know if your dog is likely or has the ability to jump over 5ft walls. We are an active family and your dog will always be part of our adventures and come along with us for walks and active days out. If your dog is like ours, and slowing down, we can also offer chilled out days at home, where they can relax and be surrounded by our family.
Pets
A typical day
We are a flexible family, with one of us home during the day/night. We have a dog of our own who enjoy steady walks. Toby is slowing down so we tailor his exercise separate from our boarded dogs and their needs. We are able to do multiple walks each day, provide crate or relax time and offer separate areas of the house to them, if needed.
- 0 to 7 kg7 to 18 kgNo females in heatRichard & Natalie can host up to 3 pets per night
- We like to know if your dog has any specific needs on top of attention, care, fun, regular walks, treats and family time. Any dietary requirements or special requests and medication are good to know before the stay. We ask that you bring your dogs own food unless pre-agreed. We have dog beds spread across the house or you can bring there’s with them.