2 years have passed since I said my final farewell to Lily.
Anyone who has loved a dog and then lost one will realise that some goodbyes leave a kind of gap that cannot be fully explained. Lily was not just a dog that shared my home; she was a part of my life, a part of my adventures and, in many ways, a part of the story of MyPAWfectPlace.
I thought I could never replace my faithful friend, but time heals, and slowly things change
Now four little paws are running around my life again.
Meet Mazie, my new Cavapoo puppy, born in Yorkshire on 2nd June 2026.
She is tiny, curious, full of character and already making her presence known.
And while she could never replace Lily — nor would I want her to — Mazie is helping me discover this next chapter of life with a dog.
A new dog. A new story.
Bringing another dog into your life after losing one can be complicated.
Excitement and sadness can sit side by side.
You can find yourself smiling at something your new puppy does, only to remember the dog who came before her.
You notice the differences.
You notice the similarities.
And sometimes you catch yourself thinking, “Lily would have loved this.”
I’m sure there will be plenty of moments like that with Mazie.
But Mazie is Mazie.
She has her own personality, her own quirks and her own journey to discover. I’m not looking for another Lily.
I’m looking forward to getting to know her.
And perhaps that’s one of the nicest things about sharing your life with a dog. Every dog teaches you something different.
From little paws to big adventures
Right now, Mazie’s world is still fairly small.
She’s learning about her new home, getting used to new experiences and discovering all the fascinating things that puppies seem to find interesting.
Some of those things are probably not quite as fascinating to me.
Shoes, for example.
But that’s puppy life.
There is plenty of time for adventures later.
Once Mazie has completed her vaccinations and our vet is happy for her to start exploring outside, she’ll begin joining me on dog-friendly adventures around the UK.
Then her role within MyPAWfectPlace will really begin.
Mazie, MyPAWfectPlace explorer
One of the things I’m most looking forward to is having Mazie help me validate dog-friendly places.
Because there’s a big difference between somewhere saying it’s dog-friendly and somewhere actually feeling dog-friendly when you arrive with your dog.
Over time, Mazie and I will be visiting places across the UK and seeing them from a dog owner’s perspective.
We’ll be looking at what really matters when you’re planning a day out with your dog.
Is your dog genuinely welcome?
Is there somewhere comfortable to sit?
Are there good places to walk nearby?
Are there practical things you need to know before you visit?
Does the experience work for both the human and the dog?
And would we go back?
These real-world experiences will help us keep building MyPAWfectPlace around something I have always believed matters most:
helping people find places where they can enjoy life with their dogs.
Behind MyPAWfectPlace are real people — and real dogs
It’s easy to forget that when you’re using a website or an app.
You see a map.
You search for a place.
You read some information.
You could save somewhere for a future day out.
But behind MyPAWfectPlace are real people who love dogs, go places with them and understand the questions dog owners ask before heading somewhere new.
That’s important to me.
I don’t want MyPAWfectPlace to become just another anonymous directory of businesses and locations.
I want it to feel human.
Because being a dog owner is personal.
When we look for somewhere to visit, we’re not simply looking for a pin on a map. We’re looking for somewhere that will make the day enjoyable for us and our dog.
Mazie will help bring even more real-life experience into MyPAWfectPlace.
She’ll be getting her paws on the ground and helping me discover what these places are really like.
Of course, she won’t be writing the reviews.
Not yet, anyway.
Her contribution will probably involve sniffing, exploring, looking cute and occasionally demanding a biscuit.
But I’ll be doing the serious work.
Following Mazie’s journey
I will not be creating a Mazie account, but you will naturally see her develop as we visit places.
You’ll see her grow.
You’ll see her learn.
You’ll see her experience her first adventures.
There will be exciting days, funny moments and probably a fair amount of puppy chaos along the way.
And eventually, there will be beaches, countryside walks, dog-friendly cafes, pubs, attractions, towns, villages and all those wonderful places around the UK that make having a dog such an adventure.
We’ll discover some favourites.
We’ll probably find a few places that don’t quite live up to expectations too.
And that’s useful information as well.
Because real experiences are what make MyPAWfectPlace useful.
Lily will always be part of the story
Although this is a new chapter, I don’t want it to feel as though we’re closing the book on Lily.
She will always be part of the MyPAWfectPlace story.
The memories we made, the places we visited and the things she taught me about sharing life with a dog helped shape what MyPAWfectPlace is today.
Mazie isn’t taking her place.
She’s simply joining the story.
And that’s the lovely thing about dogs. They leave paw prints in our lives that don’t disappear when they leave us.
Sometimes, those paw prints lead us towards something new.
For me, one of those new paths has led to a little Cavapoo puppy from Yorkshire.
Welcome to the family, Mazie ❤️
I can’t wait to see where those little paws take us.
