About Us

Julia & Octavia are friends and neighbours who in 2013 founded Paws & Claws as a result of their shared love for dogs and walking.  We have the privilege of living, walking and working in the beautiful Wealden countryside.  Paws & Claws has grown to fill our days with the company of your dogs which is a pleasure and a privilege, even when it's raining!

We are fully licenced and insured, including public liability and key holders insurance.


Julia McKenzie


I grew up in rural Hertfordshire where I longed for my parents to allow me to own a dog.  I partly satisfied my need by working for a pittance on a Saturday morning at the local boarding kennels, and also volunteered at the Blue Cross Rescue Centre walking long-term residents for miles on a Sunday afternoon with my Dad.  After bringing home plenty of candidates for a bowl of water and a biscuit at the end of our walk,  my Mum finally caved in to a  Beagle whom we named Jacko.  He spent his last 9 years happy and loved.


We had the pleasure of spending over 14 years with our loveable labrador, Milo.     He was our practise run at bringing up a new baby!  When Milo was 18 months old, we felt competent enough to bring our first daughter into the world!  After living as an expat for a large part of my adult life, I am now settled in Kent with Chris,  our two daughters,   but we all miss our best friend enormously!  I am very lucky to spend so much time with other families dogs and give them the love and care they would at home.  When the time is right, we'll welcome another set of 4 legs into our home.   


I love pulling on my boots, wrapping up warm, and striding out into the fresh air.  And the more tails that are wagging, the happier I am!  I would love to bring your furry friend along with me to join in the fun.

Octavia Freeborough


I was incredibly lucky to grow up in West Sussex at the foot of the South Downs surrounded by labradors, spaniels, horses, rabbits, chicken.


I moved to Kent in 2007 with my husband, Jim, and first daughter and immediately bought my first puppy, a cocker spaniel we called Twiglet (Twiggy Woo).    A couple of years later along with my second child, a one year old working cocker named Truffle joined our growing family.  Now with three children, Oreo the cat and her kitten, Crumpet, we throughly enjoy our rural life in the Kent countryside. 


I love animals; they give me the most enormous amount of pleasure.  There are two things I love most about owning dogs and that is the endless cuddles and curling up on the sofa together at the end of long day. The second is putting on my wellies and marching across the beautiful countryside on my doorstep, accompanied by lots of happy dogs...the more the merrier! 

Zachary Coe


I spent most of my childhood living in the countryside just outside Oxford, sharing my family home with Stanley, a black Labrador, a number of cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish and even two terrapins.  From a very early age my parents encouraged me to play and spend as much time outdoors as possible, and this fed my passion for the great outdoors, from my love of all animals, great and small, to plants, and nature in general.


My 20's were spent living in Cornwall, where I regularly had my parents' later two labradors and cats to stay. I love the sea, am a confident surfer and swimmer, and now residing in Kent can often be found roaming such places as Camber Sands with my  black labrador, Zazu.


Before moving to Kent, my partner Amy and I spent three years in East London, where I worked in a similar role, dog walking and helping out at a doggy day care centre.