Paws & Tails
Enquire
Ben and Em at home with one of their dogsBen and Em at home with one of their dogs

Your place, or ours — your animals will feel at home.

We're Ben and Em. We've spent years fostering, boarding and thoroughly spoiling other people's dogs.

Enquire about dates Durban & surrounds
Placeholder image: a dog asleep on a rug in a patch of afternoon sunPlaceholder

Boarding with us

Your dog stays in our home as part of the household — on the sofa, in the garden, out on walks with us, asleep somewhere they shouldn't be. No kennel block, no run, no concrete.

Ask about boarding
Placeholder image: a dog sitting in an open doorway looking out at a gardenPlaceholder

Sitting at yours

We come to you instead. Your dog keeps their own bed, their own garden and their own routine, which for some dogs makes all the difference in the world.

Ask about sitting

Every dog who has stayed with us

We love our doggy family so much that we keep an ever-expanding montage of everyone who has stayed. It's our way of keeping them close, and we love looking back at all the characters we've had the pleasure of knowing.

Dex, who stayed with usDex
Reggie, who stayed with usReggie
Dexter, who stayed with usDexter
Dexter, who stayed with usDexter
Milo, who stayed with usMilo
George the Staffie, who stayed with usGeorge the Staffie
Reggie the Lab, who stayed with usReggie the Lab
Reggie the Frenchie, who stayed with usReggie the Frenchie
Uncle Darren (Grey hound Rescuer), who stayed with usUncle Darren (Grey hound Rescuer)
Lola, who stayed with usLola
Walter, who stayed with usWalter
Lucky, who stayed with usLucky
Lulu the Clumber Spaniel, who stayed with usLulu the Clumber Spaniel
Georgie the Staffie, who stayed with usGeorgie the Staffie
Poppy, who stayed with usPoppy
Dexter, who stayed with usDexter
George the Airedale, who stayed with usGeorge the Airedale
Ben and Em at home with one of their dogs
Ben, Em and the sofa inspector.

Ben and Em

We're two massive animal lovers who are delighted to welcome your four-legged family members into our home.

Ben was born in Wales and grew up in Rossendale. Em is originally from Cape Town and grew up all over the world. We both come from families who have had countless rescue dogs over the years, so this has been in our blood from a young age. We actually met in Vietnam.

We've spent years fostering for RRAR and have also worked with Digs 4 Dogs, and we've welcomed lots of holiday dogs into our lives along the way. Each one has brought their own personality and their own special place in our hearts.

Whether they're a big bundle of energy, a professional cuddler, a nervous soul or a complete couch potato, we love them all.

Come and meet us

What that actually looks like day to day

Someone is usually home

Em works from home all week and Ben works from home on Mondays and Fridays, so there's nearly always someone here for company, fuss and the occasional treat.

We're out most days

We're big lovers of nature and the outdoors and we're always off on walks and exploring new places. Having a four-legged pal along makes every adventure better.

Rates depend on your dog

Size, dates and which of the two arrangements suits you all change things, so we'd rather talk it through than post a number that turns out to be wrong. Just ask.

Tell us about your dog

Dates, breed, and anything we should know. We’ll come back to you with what we can do for your dates.

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What are you after?

No deposit, no account, no obligation. We’ll reply and take it from there.