We met over 25 years ago at Vet School in South Africa.

We were probably the only vet students whose university room looked more like a mini rainforest and reptile house than student accommodation – with baby crocodiles, snakes, spiders, and plants all co-existing in one space.

How we managed not to get kicked out of vet school is still a miracle.

But even then, it was clear that we didn’t just want to “treat animals”. We wanted to:

• Explore the connection between animals, humans, and the environments they share.

• Question conventional ideas about health and healing.

• Create spaces where veterinary medicine, nature, and emotional wellbeing all meet.

Both of our fathers had different dreams for us, and both have since passed. Our mothers, however, always recognised the path we were meant to walk. Paws and Patrons is one of the ways we honour our parents’ legacies, and the strength and love our mothers still give us today.

Paws and Patrons is more than a pet hotel, more than a vet clinic, and more than a Bali retreat.

1. Healing is Shared

We believe true wellness is relational. When a dog relaxes, the human softens. When a human finally exhales and feels safe, their animal settles too. Our space, programs, and veterinary care are designed to support that two-way flow of healing.

2. Science + Soul

We are clinically trained veterinary doctors with decades of experience. We value diagnostics, evidence-based medicine, and professional standards.

But we also understand:

• The impact of stress, grief, and trauma on the body.

• The power of touch, presence, ritual, and environment in shifting a being’s state.

At Paws and Patrons, we combine modern veterinary medicine with holistic wellness – for both animals and humans.

3. Nature as a Co-Therapist

From our childhoods in South Africa to our life in Bali now, nature has always been the backdrop for transformation.

Our retreat is consciously designed around:

• Green spaces for grounding.

• Water elements to soothe and reset.

• Quiet corners and open areas where both humans and animals can just be.

We don’t just work in Bali. We work with Bali – its land, its culture, and its energy.

Our goal with Paws and Patrons is to create a Bali wellness sanctuary where:

• Your pets receive loving, expert veterinary care and safe, comfortable housing while you travel, rest, or join our programs.

• You, as their human, have access to wellness, reflection, and emotional reset – whether that’s through rest, community, gentle movement, or time in nature.

• You leave feeling more connected – to your animal, to yourself, and to the world around you.

We want to:

• Redefine what a “Pet Hotel in Bali” can be by centering wellbeing, not just convenience.

• Offer a retreat space where healing holidays in Bali include your animals, not separate you from them.

• Build a community of like-minded pet guardians, healers, and travellers who understand that animals are not “add-ons” to our lives – they are family, mirrors, and teachers.

At its heart, Paws and Patrons is:

• A vet clinic in Bali you can trust.

• A pet boarding and hotel space that feels like a second home.

• A wellness retreat for humans and animals, rooted in nature, compassion, and connection.

It’s the centre we always wished existed when we were children rescuing seals and tortoises, when we were vet students sneaking reptiles into dorm rooms, and when we were young veterinarians watching humans and animals walk through our clinic doors carrying much more than just physical symptoms.

Now, we get to welcome you and your companions into this shared dream.