Ross and Jade Mansell have been amazed by the growth of their business in its first five months. Photo / Bevan Conley
Ross and Jade Mansell have been amazed by the growth of their business in its first five months. Photo / Bevan Conley
A Whanganui dog day-care business has gone from strength to strength in five months.
Ross and Jade Mansell launched Duke's Dog Daycare in July, taking over the former animal pound in Ridgway St.
The business is named after the couple's eldest dog, who used various day-cares, which helped the coupleplan what their new venture would look like.
They had been looking for a suitable space for the past few years, and when the former pound came on the market, their dream became a reality.
"We had looked at a couple of different properties and nothing really fit the bill. By chance, Ross was driving past and saw the for-lease sign in the window," Jade said.
"We set all these goals we wanted to do in our first year or two and we have completely smashed them all. We have been blown away by all the support," Ross said.
To keep up with the demand, they've employed four additional staff since opening.
"Our model is quite strict: it is one human to 10-15 dogs."
Each dog undergoes a pre-play assessment before being put into groups based on temperament and size.
"Dogs are individuals, and we need to make sure they are getting the most out of it," Jade said. "They have personalities, just like us. Sometimes we don't like some of the people we're around, and the same goes for them.
"We would have hated it if someone had just thrown Duke in with a bunch of other dogs with no thought behind it, so that's a big thing for us."
Jade said their focus was to provide a fun and enjoyable environment that gave dogs the space to socialise in a safe, controlled way.
Duke's has partnered with fellow NZ brand Scoop Dog, specialists in ice cream for furry friends. Photo / Bevan Conley
As well as offering day-care services, the Mansells have partnered with fellow New Zealand brands Gourmate, Fur Love and Scoop Dog which offer, respectively, a range of treats, shampoo, ice creams and more.
"We wanted to offer stuff that others aren't offering, and we try to be as environmentally friendly as we can. We wanted to reflect that with the people we partnered with," Jade said.
"Ice cream for dogs – who wouldn't want that?"
She said people's mindsets had changed over the years and, rather than having dogs chained outside or left in a kennel, they were beginning to treat their dogs like members of the family.
"I saw a meme recently and it just struck a chord with me. It said, 'Dogs are the new kids and plants are the new dogs'.
"A lot of our customers compare it to a kids' day-care; they drop the kids off and then they drop the dog off."
