Reputable nurseries aren’t in short supply in Stockton Heath, but one with a difference opened recently.
You won’t find it a suitable place to drop off your children for the day, but if your ‘children’ are the sort who communicate via a series of barks and have four legs, then it’s ideal.
The Dog Haus is Stockton Heath’s version of a dog crèche. Set up by Melissa Wavell in November, it’s described as a new breed of daycare for the contemporary dog.
‘I originally wanted to be a vet, but I went off to college to study fashion and textiles so the animal side of things soon disappeared,’ said Melissa, who before setting up The Dog Haus worked in Wilmslow as the manager of clothing store Jaeger. ‘However, last year I spotted a gap in the market for luxury doggy daycare so I decided to go for it and open my own business.’
The independent business woman, who lives in Cronton, scoured the Cheshire and Liverpool area to find the perfect location before settling on Stockton Heath. She thought that the affluent area would be a good place to start, especially as there seemed to be a high demand for dog care.
‘There’s nothing else like this nearby, and the contemporary and luxury service that we offer means some people are travelling from outside the area to leave their dogs with us. It’s been really popular since we opened, but we will have no more than 15 dogs in at one time.’
The crèche is set up in a similar fashion of one for children. Once you drop your four-legged friend off (£18 for the day, £12 for five hours), there are plenty of toys from beanbags and ball pools to keep them entertained and a large outside space – as well as healthy treats and herbal teas from luxury brand Woof and Brew.
‘Just because they’re dogs doesn’t mean that they can’t have luxury as well,’ explained the 30-year-old, who has her own dog, 18-month-old miniature schitzu Arabella. ‘We also have a in-house groomer, Eda Adams, who runs Woof and Ready, and we will soon be doing dog and puppy training classes with Rixton Dog School.’
‘People trust me to leave their dogs here, so I want to make the extra effort for both the clients and the dogs. I look after them as much as I would a child.’
