K9 Dogs Centre aiming to make Carlisle safer for canines and owners

Artur Kadja and his wife Ewa Walter-Kadja own the Carlisle-based business K9 Dogs Centre which offers a multitude of services from training, which ranges from puppy courses to advanced obedience classes, to dog behaviour sessions, and walking.

Artur and Ewa launched their business in 2014 after moving to Carlisle from Poland two years earlier, and the former explained his passion for dogs and how it eased the transition into Cumbrian life.

Artur Kadja (Image: Supplied)He said: "It started with my dog which I trained and it began turning from a hobby to an obsession. I wasn't training my dogs once per week, I was doing it more often and it was never enough for me.

"Moving to Carlisle was very complicated. I don't speak English perfectly and I definitely don't speak the Cumbrian language perfectly.

"I worked in a factory for some months but business is in my blood and this is our passion. We started our first school, started meeting in the parks and now here we are."

The pair, who met at a Polish dog show, went on to explain their experiences with training Carlisle dogs and how it is much more than just establishing control over the canine.

"What people want is to get a dog that is easy to live life with and this is exactly what we do with the dogs," Ewa said.

"It is not just about very high-level obedience or protection - most people just need to know how to work with the dog, build a bond with the dog, and have a sociable dog."

Artur added: "These are the basics. The dogs are not really necessary for the training, we are teaching the owners how to understand their dogs." 

For Artur and Ewa, this relationship between owner and dog is sacrosanct and this directly informed the creation of one of their more under-used services which focuses on helping locals pick a dog that will best suit their lifestyle and avoid incidents further down the line.

She said: "This is another thing we are trying to promote. We have a service that tries to help people choose a proper breed.

"If people want a dog to lie on the couch with them and watch Netflix they can have that. It is just about choosing the right dog for the right person.

"We can go to the kennel and help customers choose a puppy and this is a free service, but in the 12 years we have been in business, one person has asked us for this advice," Artur said.

"Any lead has two ends."