Our story

We've come a long way since our first walk

We Love Pets was founded by husband and wife Jo and Ryan White. Nineteen years on, it's the UK's largest full-service pet care franchise, and it's still a close-knit, family-run business.

Meet the founders

Jo and Ryan still own We Love Pets, and both stay closely involved in the network. The standards they set for franchising, training and animal welfare continue to shape everything we do.

Co-founder and Director

Jo White

Jo worked as a project manager before co-founding We Love Pets. She holds degrees in business, law and animal science, is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme, and is an animal-welfare advocate and an established voice within UK franchising.

Her insistence on doing things properly is why there's no pack walking at We Love Pets, why every carer is trained and qualified, and why franchisees are supported long after launch.

Co-founder and Director

Ryan White

Ryan has trained police dogs, worked in dog training roles across Europe, and taught animal care at Wiltshire College and University before co-founding We Love Pets. Today he's a dog-behaviour specialist and a regular media contributor across national press, TV and podcasts.

That hands-on experience runs through the training every franchisee receives, and it's a big part of why the We Love Pets name is trusted by pet owners and journalists alike.

 

What we stand for

Doing things properly

From the beginning, We Love Pets has been built on a simple idea: success comes from doing things properly, even when there are quicker or cheaper ways.

  • Pets come first. No pack walking, no more than four dogs on a walk, and every carer trained and qualified.
  • Franchisees are never on their own. You're in business for yourself, but never by yourself.
  • Honesty over hype. Straight answers about the costs, the work and what's realistic.
  • Built to last. We'd rather grow steadily with the right people than quickly with the wrong ones.

We're still a family business at heart, run from our head office in Halesworth, Suffolk, with 115+ franchisees who are very much part of it.

We Love Pets franchisees laughing and chatting together at the annual conference
19

years of experience

115
+

franchisees running 180 branches

7

years in the Elite Franchise Top 100

50000
+

boarding enquiries a year across the network

As seen on

BBC Breakfast The Telegraph BBC Radio 2 Channel 4 Daily Mail Sky The Sun Steph's Packed Lunch

Become part of the story

Every one of our 115+ franchisees started with a conversation. Book a chat and find out whether your next chapter could be with We Love Pets.