'Paw' your dog a pint at Golden Ball of Longton Pub with the help of Meera Puppins

Meera Jethwa aka the magical nanny for puppies, is the owner of Meera Puppins puppy training and socialisation services in Penwortham.

The 34-year-old business woman has also founded Socialisation Sundays to teach puppy owners puppy owners about proper puppy socialisation and has been working with the Golden Ball of Longton Pub - twice winners of the Lancashire Tourism Award for Dog Friendly Business of the Year.

Dressed as Meera Puppins, once a month, usually on the second Sunday, she takes 10 puppies up to 12 months' old on a fun walk with their owners to help interact them better with other furry friends alongside easing problems they may be experiencing such as anxiety.

As if all this wasn't a treat in itself, our fur-legged friends can also have their own roast dinners in the pub afterwards.

"I love training puppies. It's not just about letting puppies play with each other it's about familiarising them with real world environmental factors such as traffic and noise.

"During lockdown, puppies were not able to socialise, which has caused many of them to be anxious around other dogs and people and unsure of how to behave in different situations, including how to behave nicely in the pub."

What is the biggest general misconception when it comes to socialisation? "People think you have to wait until they are vaccinated and then put them with a load of others dogs to socialise but this isn't the case."

Meera, who also volunteers at a greyhound shelter and previously fostered one until they found their furever home, added: "With the weather warming up, there's never been a better time to visit a dog-friendly pub. By founding Socialisation Sundays, my aim is to help puppies, and their owners, to feel confident in real life situations, using positive training and socialisation techniques.

"We begin with a stimulating walk down to a nearby nature reserve, so the puppies can experience sensory and environmental socialisation.

"We play fun and positive games that help to keep the puppies calm, and safe, especially around the wildlife at the nature reserve. After the walk, we head back to the pub for a delicious lunch or a refreshing drink.

"Dogs are very welcome inside, and I set puppy owners up for a successful pub visit through my exclusive Pub Perfect Pooch guide which they can access at anytime.“I founded Socialisation Sundays because I wanted to provide a real-life socialisation opportunity, that would enable puppies to build their life and social skills, as well as bringing puppy owners from my local community together in an enjoyable way."

Although cute, Meera says people should resist the urge to give dogs a cuddle without asking their owner's permission first.

"People expect every single dog to be a social butterfly, but this isn't always the case. Therefore, you should ask the owner first if their dog is okay to pet as you wouldn't go around hugging people you don't know so why should it be any different?"

Puppies that have turned into "terror teens" (13-22 months) are also catered for, with the next class earmarked for Saturday, July 9, in Worden Park.

Booking for all classes is advised. For further information or to book a place CLICK HERE: