Doggy day care indoor space

Alicia’s House of Paws aims to help more dogs live their best lives!

This year we opened a small doggy day care service that can accommodate nervous and reactive dogs, we take only up to 20 dogs per day compared to most doggy day care centres taking 50-100 dogs per day!

We take fewer dogs so we can help those dogs who aren’t confident, who struggle with meeting new dogs, who are maybe a bit fearful and reactive. We absolutely love seeing these dogs grow and improve, our whole team but their heart into each dogs care and we have grown so much in the 22 months we have existed!

But this also means we don’t make as much profit as bigger day care centres. We do our best to source free or cheap second hand equipment, such as the sofa we just got delivered this month! Free, only had to pay for a man and van to collect and deliver it. A fantastic big sofa bed where we can pile on with the dogs and get lots of love!

The indoor space is nearly ready now, the plumbing and electrics are nearly done, the base coat of paint done and lights are in, courtesy of the landlord.

But the concrete floor, whilst hard-wearing and washable, does not make for a nice cosy environment.

We wish to put down vinyl flooring with a grass pattern with daises! Coupled with fantastic paint work on the walls by one of our excellent staff members we aim to create a space that will keep spirits up in the cold winter months and provide a beautiful environment for our dogs to be comfortable and safe in. we are thinking flowers, trees and colourful pawprints all over the walls, really being the outside in.

It is a large space though, 120m2 and for that amount of vinyl flooring the cost is going to be at least £3000 plus the glue and we hope to be able to fit the flooring ourself to avoid installation costs.

We have loans from our wonderful clients already, to purchase the van and custom crates, to have the garden cleared of debris and made into the wonderful doggy adventure park that it is now, we can’t afford another loan just now. So, I am asking for help. Help to make our dream a reality, to help more dogs and help us provide a wonderful space for the dogs of Edinburgh that are refused at other day care centres. The dogs who need more understanding and care.

I have never asked for donations before. I am running fun agility classes to raise funds, doing dog sitting work and anything else I can think of. But I don’t think we can raise the money in time for Christmas, when the weather really takes a turn.

If you have ever felt your dog was misunderstood, or appreciated a kind word from someone who actually understood dogs and didn’t panic at the slightest growl, you’re one of us! We want dogs to be dogs, learn from each other, we help when required, and help us provide a wonderful space for the dogs of Edinburgh to grow and live their best life! ❤️