The Dogland website states that Dogland’s dog daycare and boarding are ‘the ultimate experience for you and your Dog!’ If you have ever used Dogland’s services, or even if, like me, you have simply spent a couple of hours at their Chesterfield facilities, you would whole-heartedly agree with this statement.
The birth of Dogland
Dogland was created by Dawn Brown back in 2017, originally under the name ‘Rose Cottage Doggy Hotel and Daycare’. Over time, the services provided by Dawn and her team have grown to include training and franchising and this required a more adaptable brand: Dogland was born.
A passion for driving cultural change across UK daycare and boarding provision
Dawn’s overriding passion – and she is very passionate about dogs and Dogland – is to drive cultural change across UK daycare and boarding provision.
‘Earlier in my career I worked in what could be described as ‘corporate kennels.’ I hated it. The emphasis was on hitting targets rather than ensuring the dogs were safe, well looked after and exercised. Sadly, I don’t think things have really changed that much in such kennels. A recent Dogland recruit who had previously worked in a large corporate kennels said, after her first day, that it was great not to have been bitten! I cannot remember the last time any member of my team was bitten by one of our guests.
The wellbeing of the dogs is at the heart of everything we do
When I started Rose Cottage, I was determined to put the wellbeing of the dogs at the heart of everything we do. All dogs we look after will have had a trial day or a trial board depending on the services required by their owners. We ask owners to complete a Dogland questionnaire, so we understand the traits and quirks of their pet.
The trial and the questionnaire allow us to tailor the care package to the needs of the individual dog. It is all about dog psychology. Our aim is to place each dog in a pack which suits their personality. Packs are particularly important to the socialisation aspect of the care we provide. Dogs are highly intelligent animals, so we also focus on activities that stimulate and engage.’
A feature of Dogland’s facilities is the two large ‘Fields of Freedom’ where dogs can let off steam. Rose Cottage also has two acres of farmland so dogs can be safely walked by the team in a safe and controlled environment. Dogland works on a ratio of one team member to eight dogs and has a capacity of fifty-five dogs at any one time.
Dogland Training Academy
As Rose Cottage grew and flourished, Dawn began her quest to revolutionise the way dog care services are perceived and delivered. This has led to the creation of the Dogland Training Academy and the development of the Dogland franchise model.
‘Since I started in 2017, I have learned a lot about the business aspects of running a successful daycare and boarding operation. It is so important to understand areas such as planning permissions, licensing and compliance, and insurances. Recruitment and staff training is also a huge learning curve for most new kennels operators. When I speak to others in the sector, we all agree that the main pain points are compliance and finding the right people.
Based on the experience I have gained, the Dogland Training Academy provides training to existing and prospective canine care business owners: welfare, compliance, policies, procedures, licensing, technology, pricing.’
Franchising the Dogland business model
Dawn is also looking to ‘franchise’ the Dogland business model:
‘For me, Dogland is all about quality of care. My approach to ‘franchising’ is to share this risk with the franchisee, in return for a degree of control. The franchise model is for Dogland to buy and own the land on which a Dogland franchise operates. The franchisee will pay rent for the land as well as typical franchise management fees. The goal is to build a network of Dogland daycare and boarder operations run by people who are passionate about dogs and want to build a profitable business.
The first franchise is about to open its doors to its first canine guests. I am extremely excited to see it in operation.’
Dogland's growing pains
Like all businesses, the Dogland success story has not been as smooth as it appears to those outside the business. At one point, as the business grew, Dawn found herself struggling to cope with the sheer volume of phone calls, invoicing, and administrative tasks she was faced with. A situation made more difficult by a couple of HR issues.
Dogland and Paperclip
‘I first became aware of Paperclip when I started Dogland in 2017. Anne had just moved Paperclip into its communications hub in Dronfield.
At a time when my admin issues were starting to overwhelm me, I met Anne’s colleague, Louise. Louise was a godsend and helped me every step of the way. She worked alongside me to develop SOPS – Standard Operating Procedures – for all admin tasks and I started using Paperclip’s call answering services to take bookings and accept payments.
I was really concerned about relinquishing control of bookings and payments, partly because of the complexity of our trial and questionnaire process. It is not as simple as booking a table at a restaurant. However, the SOPs were a major help in training the Paperclip team in the way we work, and I have been impressed with the way they have embraced our ethos and personality in the way they deal with calls.
I am profoundly grateful to Louise for all her help and support.
Whatever you need, whenever you need it
Like many businesses, Dog daycare and boarding has its seasonal peaks and troughs and, consequently, Dogland’s requirement for Paperclip’s services ebbs and flows in line with demand:
‘I like to describe Paperclip’s services as whatever you need, whenever you need it. For me, Paperclip has become a sort of welcome safety net, particularly during holiday periods when we are extremely busy.
The focus is the welfare of the dogs, not answering the phone
I am sure that as new franchisees come on board, we will extend Paperclip’s services to cover their operations as well. The focus is the welfare of the dogs, not answering the phone.’
Dogland is an amazing and uplifting place, the collective noun for a large group of happy and contented dogs high on freedom, enrichment, and socialisation!
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Hi, I’m Louise Bellwood, Director at Paperclip. I am responsible for delivering Paperclip’s customer service and growth strategies for 2024 and beyond, I am a crusader for the benefits call answering can deliver for organisations of all kinds; customer service, sales generation, customer retention and more. If you have a question about call answering – pricing, set-up, benefits – I would love to hear from you at louise@paperclip.co.uk or 01246 418 181.