Pets on the Green
Pets on the Green
What started with a growing collection of pets during lockdown has grown into a fully licensed animal handling business, a Level 3 AAT qualification, and a genuine mission to share the healing power of animals with everyone — especially those who need it most.
I'm sharing my story not for attention, but to show others that there's always a way out, no matter how challenging things may seem.
Hi, I'm Ciera — an animal enthusiast with years of hands-on experience breeding, handling, and caring for a genuinely diverse collection of animals. What started during lockdown with a growing collection of pets grew into a lifelong passion that took me through college, into work at a reptile specialist store, and eventually to launching Pets on the Green in July 2025.
I'm autistic, and I also have ADHD and ARFID (an eating disorder). I didn't receive my autism diagnosis until Year 9 — I've found that girls often get diagnosed later because we tend to mask our struggles until we reach a breaking point, which sadly happened to me. But being neurodiverse is my superpower. It helps me connect deeply with animals and gives me a unique understanding of the therapeutic benefits animal interactions can have, especially for other neurodiverse people. Every SEN session I run is shaped by that understanding.
I'm now 19, I hold an official Animal Activities Licence from Tandridge District Council, I hold an Enhanced DBS, and I've just passed my BSY Level 3 Animal Assisted Therapy Practitioner qualification. I visit special events and speak in front of groups of 50+ people about animals — something I never thought I could do.
I hope my story shows that you can overcome your challenges by finding your passion. It helps to have a supportive family and I'm very lucky to have my parents and brothers behind me every step of the way. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has attended Pets on the Green, and I look forward to meeting even more of you in the future.
During lockdown I really struggled and we started to increase our pet collection. A curiosity about animals that never switches off begins here.
I received my autism diagnosis in Year 9 — I also have ADHD, ARFID and severe anxiety. I was at Oasis Academy Coulsdon, a lovely school, but I just couldn't cope. After lockdown I developed a phobia of school that left me terrified to return, and unfortunately I couldn't go back. After a lengthy hospital stay I met a girl with very similar needs, which made me realise I'm not on my own.
I obtained an EHCP and NESCOT's 14–16 provision took over my school placement with a 1:1 SEND worker to support me. It was the fresh start I needed — a smaller, calmer environment where I could begin to find my feet again. I had all sorts of therapy treatments and saw many people to try and think about things differently and talk about how I was feeling, but I couldn't open up. The only thing that truly helped me was being amongst animals.
At 16, I moved into NESCOT's specialist unit with a 1:1 teacher. I struggled to cope in a classroom or even in small groups, but when I discovered animal management everything changed. I made a friend who encouraged me to join in, and with time I found myself attending classes for three years — graduating with distinction.
My dream job at a specialist reptile store, where I made fantastic friends. I handled every species, learnt the trade, and discovered a gift for helping nervous customers connect with animals they'd never normally encounter.
Fully booked within days. I was running 4–5 experiences a day through July and August. Animal Activity Licence approved by Tandridge Council.
I passed my Animal Assisted Therapy Practitioner qualification, opening the door to structured AAI programmes for SEN children, care homes, and EHCP-funded provision.
My neurodiversity isn't something I work around — it's central to everything I do. I understand sensory overload, demand avoidance, and the feeling of a world that wasn't designed for you, because I live it every day. That's why my sessions are structured the way they are — low-arousal, no pressure, and built around what actually works.
SEN families tell me regularly that their children respond to me in a way they rarely do with other adults. That connection isn't something you learn from a textbook — it comes from living it.
Book a SEND sessionEvery session backed by proper training, licensing and insurance.
My Volkswagen ID.Buzz is wrapped and ready — keeping my pets safe, comfortable and warm on every journey across Surrey. If you spot CR22 PET on the roads around Warlingham, give us a wave.
CR = Ciera Rose · 22 = her birthday · PET = obvious
Private sessions, birthday parties, SEN programmes, care home visits and after school club — all in Warlingham, Surrey.
By appointment only — book online
