Doggy hotel proving a hit for pampered pooches
Two young entrepreneurs are proving that a dog's life can lead to a very good business idea after launching a luxury hotel and daycare service.
Best friends Tom Haynes and Luke Bird created K9 Anytime in Higford, near Shifnal, just over nine months ago and have already looked after 1,000 different dogs and won plaudits from owners all over the county.
The duo are tapping into the demand for alternatives to 'walking' and kennels by creating an experience that allows parents to leave their 'pooches' safe in the knowledge they are enjoying lots of socialisation, exercise and relaxation in surroundings that wouldn't look out of place in a five star hotel.
"K9 Anytime was created as a result of our own struggles to find a place for our dogs to stay when we were away from home for extended periods," said Tom, who swapped the chance of studying for a PhD in canine cognition at Harvard University to launch the venture.
"There was nowhere in Staffordshire or Shropshire that met our expectations and when we started doing some feasibility studies we quickly realised there was a market for daycare when parents are at work or out celebrating a big family event.
"Dogs are now seen as very much part of the family and parents are prepared to spend that little bit extra to give them the right experience and an environment where they will have fun, will be well looked after and are safe. That's what we are trying to do and the response has been huge.
"We have already had to extend the daycare facility due to demand and are regularly over 80 per cent occupancy on the hotel side of things. There's been lots of challenges, but we are definitely having a positive first year."
K9 Anytime is tucked away in the Cotsbrook barn conversion in Shifnal, easily accessible from Bridgnorth, Telford and Wolverhampton.
It consists of two large and secure grassy outdoor areas with agility and play equipment and two further indoor daycare rooms complete with sofas, blankets, cushions and raised beds for downtime during the day.
The luxury hotel consists of an exclusive number of fully furnished, private luxury bedrooms, including memory foam beds, luxury blankets and fluffy cushions, sofas and armchairs, room service meals, 24-hour audio and video monitoring and Bluetooth speakers piping in reggae and classical music.
