Dawn – Owner of Rose Cottage Doggy Daycare & Luxury Dog Hotel part of DogLand Ltd.
I’m a Yorkshire lass originally from Sheffield. I was 13 when I began my journey working with dogs. Volunteering for free in our local kennels…I was given all the poo jobs literally!! However, from that early age I had a passion for dogs and knew I could revolutionise the way kennels are run, what I didn’t know was how I would achieve this. As a young girl I dreamt of owning the best kennels in the UK & guess what……We won Kennel of the year award 2021 in the whole of the UK!! Showing that dreams really can come true!
I have always had a positive outlook on life and been an entrepreneur at heart. Always the one to find a solution to the problem, which I love!
Growing up on a council estate, I came from very humble beginnings. I’m very grateful for my upbringing because it has given me a great start in life, although at the time I didn’t see this. At 15 I had to get a paid job, contributing to my family and unfortunately it wasn’t working with dogs!!
It wasn’t till later in life, 2010 in fact, that I started on my own journey with dogs. Then a major life event hit me like a tonne of bricks. I was told by my late Father a hardworking coal miner, plant worker, crane driver all round genuine man told me that he had just 6 months to live! Having always been an outside girl with my old man walking dogs, fixing cars & bikes, tending to the allotments, riding horses etc, we were very close & you can imagine the sharp pain I felt knowing I was losing him to cancer. In the 6 weeks he lasted after his diagnosis he taught me that ‘From small acorns grow mighty oaks’ and that I was the small acorn! He told me to stop messing about working for others doing jobs that just paid the bills and gave me no sense of passion or purpose… just as he had done all his life!
‘Dogs’ he said, go follow your heart and work with dogs now is the time!!
Reality check!! Life is too short!
With my young daughter in tow, I took a job in Leicester working in a boarding kennels. I learnt every aspect of the job and gained qualifications, skills and oodles of experience! I was living my best life…. BUT….something didn’t sit quite right… ethically I couldn’t carry on, what I saw back then on some occasions gives me goosebumps even now! I was and still am determined to change how kennels are run!! So, I left, heading back for my hometown with just a few possessions and my girl Lilly.
A single mum moving back to Sheffield with £500 savings in my pocket it was make or break time!! I bought a van with the little money I had, as you can imagine it wasn’t the best! Lilly and I painted the bonnet pink to stand out and because at the time, this was her favourite colour and is still part of my branding today. The van sounded like chitty chitty bang bang (a nickname I often called it) and was stood out because of the this along with the pink bonnet. Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, we built up our own dog walking business, Walkiz. I gained trust and soon built a loyal customer base. I never lost the determination to revolutionise how kennels were run, I didn’t know the full plan but everyday worked towards the goal!! I started to offer day care for my walking clients and that progressed to home boarding too.
Fast forward to 2017!
I met the most incredible guy that saw my passion for dogs, and he gave me the golden ticket. An opportunity I had only ever been dreaming of all my life! I moved into John’s home, Rose Cottage, set in 5.5 acres of grass paddocks and disused barns and my vision to create DogLand came instantly!!!!
Just like we take our kids to LEGOLAND, Disneyland, Flamingo Land etc. I wanted to create a space that had never existed before for dogs. So DogLand was born!!! Research, planning, hard work, long days and nights many tears, lots of laughs and everything in between but happy to say we got there!
As I have mentioned, my background before was mainly in ‘Traditional Kennels’ and I knew I wanted to make positive changes in the industry with my business. Revolutionising the way kennels are run using technology and innovation. I could see there was little or no stimulation for the dogs and many are kept in kennels for long periods throughout the day only being walked once a day.
That’s why at Rose Cottage we lead the pack in that we have created many paddocks each designed to stimulate your dog both mentally, physically emotionally and socially. We have various paddocks designed to keep all dogs onsite entertained, exercised and stimulated, including an agility paddock, play barn, puppy areas and the all-new Splash Zone! The movement in the water helps to work all the muscles without gravity pushing down on their joints.
We also have our Fields of Freedom, which can be hired for either 30 or 60 minutes, they are both enclosed and fully secure, so your dog can be safe running free off their lead. One even has agility equipment to give your dog a good exercise, mentally and physically.
There is also our new Suds Station, a self-wash doggy hut available to hire for you to clean your mucky pup using our facilities and products that smell divine!! For the owners, we have a comprehensive system in place that’s ever evolving with technology to store theirs and their poches details securely, which allows us to keep connections strong and have that personal touch, which our clients love! We don’t want to be big and corporate; we are staying small and personal and are aiming to be franchising very soon, allowing other doggies and owners to experience DogLand across the UK.
Remember, ‘From small acorns grow mighty oaks’ that has always stuck with me, thank you Dad! There’s still lots more to come, and I am constantly working on DogLand and so are my amazing team who have recently won accolades for their passion and determination, so watch this space!! The oak tree is not fully grown yet!!
I’m just one girl living her dream, literally! I don’t need an alarm clock my passion and drive gets me up! The 5 kids help too 😆
Remember whether your away on holiday or at work for the day, your furry pal is having the time of their life at DogLand. Why? Because we really do “love your dog as you do!”
Leading the pack always
Dawn 🐶
