We are fortunate to live in a semi-rural area in the foothills of the beautiful Waitakere ranges in Auckland, New Zealand. Our house is surrounded by lush native bush, only 15 minutes from the rugged and windswept West Coast at Te Henga/Bethells Beach. We have our own chickens, cats and dogs, and a long list of furry friends lodging with us regularly. PawsAway is where we can share our experience with you.
The story behind
We love animals and have had furry and feathered friends since we were little. Out of the grief of losing our dear Bruin, a gorgeous German Shepherd, Liz started fostering rescue dogs. Coincidentally, Pablo was finishing his master’s studies and had to present a business proposal for one of his papers. That is how the PawsAway concept emerged. It started from a mutual love for animals and Pablo’s passion for technology.
The original concept was to create a free online Pet sitting service funded by Ads. Like many, we didn’t like leaving our pets at the cattery and kennels and found it very expensive. Surely there was a better way.
While the idea, research and plan presented were good for academic purposes, the reality was that the online Pet sitting market already had a few strong incumbents, such as Pawshake, Rover and DogVacay. So, moving from an academic idea to an actual product didn’t look feasible. However, in the process, Liz joined Pawshake and started boarding pets at home.
Fortunately, PawsAway didn’t die completely. We kept the domain registration all these years. Then, after years of boarding pets, having pet-sitters taking care of our own pets and struggling to find places where we can take our dogs with us, we decided to start this website.
We hope you enjoy the website and find its content useful.
How to support PawsAway
Please help us keep this website running with minimum ads by visiting one of our sponsors, booking boarding with Liz via PawShake or purchasing one of her creations.
About Liz
I am lucky to have a home studio on our beautiful, large, peaceful property where I can create artwork while in the company of old and new furry friends. I’ve been surrounded by pets for as long as I can remember, and I find an endless source of beauty, inspiration, and humour in them all!!
My work includes an eclectic mix of whimsical pet-inspired humour and pieces that reflect my deep-rooted love of the stunning New Zealand landscape and our abundant flora & fauna.
You can find my work at ElizabethAnneDodd.com
About Pablo
I am a software engineer with 20+ years of experience across diverse industries. I’ve climbed the corporate leader over the years, which has its pros but means I moved away from my love for tinkering with technology. So to keep learning and stay in touch with my true passion, I build the odd website or application. PawsAway is one of many I have built over the years.
To find out more about my professional experience, visit PabloMatamoros.com