£100,000 birthday present for Shropshire doggy daycare
Two entrepreneurs are proving dogs really are man’s best friend after they celebrated their firm's fourth birthday with the completion of a £100,000 investment drive and a prestigious award.
K9 Anytime owners Tom Haynes and Luke Bird have transformed Cotsbrook Farm in Shifnal into a doggy daycare and luxury dog hotel.
It has responded to a rise in demand for its services since lockdown eased by creating eight new jobs, extending the offer to include an online store and launching a luxurious dog grooming salon.
The latter cost £30,000 to create - providing access to ‘walk-in’ forest green Indian marble baths, soft flow shower heads and exclusive use of industry leading products from the makers of internationally-renowned hairdressing products.
A year of growth has been capped with the facility becoming the first in the county to receive a five-star rating by Shropshire Council across all services following annual licensing inspections.
“The rating is equivalent to what a hotel would receive and confirms we are the very best in our field, offering exceptional service and exceptional facilities with exceptional health and safety,” said Tom.
“It’s an esteemed acknowledgement to achieve and one which we are, quite frankly, extremely proud of considering our relatively early years as a business.
"When we started K9 Anytime, we wanted to create something truly unique that put dogs first and gave their owners peace of mind that they would be treated like they are at home.
“In the beginning, people thought the idea of K9 Anytime was crazy and now they think the level of investment is crazy, but anything less than the very best is simply not an option.”
K9 Anytime Doggy Daycare consists of two large and secure outdoor paddocks with agility and play equipment and an indoor play barn, as well as indoor daycare rooms complete with sofas and raised beds for downtime during the day.
The luxury dog hotel has five 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 – scientifically proven to have a relaxing effect on pups.
Luke added: “We’ve come a long way in four years and now have a team of 11 looking after our dogs, running our online shop for natural dog food and treats and making the dogs look their very best with our pampering experience.”
K9 Anytime remained operational throughout the pandemic, providing essential services for key workers and extending opening hours to accommodate different shift patterns.
As Covid-19 has caused the postponement of its annual doggy Christmas market for a second year running, the company is rolling out its largest ever Christmas raffle with ten prizes totalling £30,000 in value.
This ranges from a free year of daycare to luxury hampers and more. Tickets are available via its online shop at k9anytime.com/thepantry for the grand draw on Friday.
