A health scare and scaling down the family business prompted a mum of four to realise her dream of opening her own dog kennels business.
Debbie Glowacki has set up Coneywood Kennels in Doddington at the former builder’s yard of her husband Ricky where they live alongside in a mobile home.
Debbie said: “I’ve been a mother of four children looking after my home, dogs and husbands business as well as bookwork, wages and invoicing.
“I’ve had German shepherds for 30 years, usually four to five and breeding the odd litter to replace our older dogs coming to the end of their lives.
“After a health scare in 2005, the children having all left home and husbands business being quiet, I felt the need to find an income doing something I loved - looking after dogs.”
She applied for planning permission at her home for boarding kennels which was subsequently refused after a long wait for planning consultants to put an application together, submit and get refused.
“It initially looked like the plans for kennels were not going to happen,” she said.
Then it was suggested that her husband’s now redundant builders yard could resolve the problem which was granted planning permission in December 2009.
“Next thing was to sell the family home which had crashed in value due to the recession, husband’s business was down from 52 workforce to six so things weren’t good,” she said.
However, after selling their home they moved into a mobile home at the yard while Ricky built the dog kennels which can take 20 dogs.
“I’ve had a really warm and friendly response from dog owners in the area. I feel lucky to be running a business doing something I love,” she said and thanked Tina Jermey of Iolanda kennels and Jos Markillie of Josdan kennels for being an inspiration to set up her own business.
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