It’s a dog’s life!
When Honley woman Dena Forbes decided to take voluntary redundancy after 19 years in employment it was the chance to realise a dream of running her own business.
Now she has set up dog grooming and doggie boutique business Pooch Perfections at New Mill Road, Honley – and after just a few weeks of trading has taken on an apprentice to help meet demand.
Dena said: “When I took voluntary redundancy, I was offered retraining as well. I had already done a bit of dog grooming for friends and family. I attended a grooming academy in Manchester and gained my City & Guilds levels two and three in dog grooming and also trained to microchip dogs.
Dena has also recruited Victoria Hallas, of Newsome, as an apprentice, under a government scheme.
“It is going great” she said. “I have been open only four weeks, but I haven’t yet had a vacant slot.”
While dog grooming salons are not unusual, Dena admits she has taken more of a gamble by also opening a dog boutique. “It has been quite scary,” she said.
“The boutique side is quite unique to Yorkshire and probably a bit of a gamble. I travelled to London on many occasions to visit designer stockists and see what they do down there.”
The boutique stocks practical clothing for walking Fido in foul weather, But it also sells “fashion” items such as doggie carruiers, jackets, leads and collars from canine designer brands such as Pet London, Puppia, Touchdog and FabuLeash.
Dena, who owns a cocker spaniel called Fudge, said the idea of decking out your dog in “bling” might seem more “Essex than Yorkshire” but had generated a lot of interest, particularly among female dog owners.
