Soft play takes the lead thanks to booming dog economy

Peggy, the cockapoo, jumps up onto a trampoline, sits on command and high-fives her owner with both paws. One at a time.

Peggy has been running about all morning at the Dug and Bone, a dog soft play in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.

There are ball and sand pits, hoops, tunnels and jumps and, of course, other dogs to play with.

Her owner is Natalie Humphries, who took the lead on creating a child-style play space for dogs.

Natalie Humphries could not find anywhere to take her dog and have a coffee while she played so she created it

She said: "I was looking for somewhere indoors where I could take her and we could have a play and a hot drink, because when we go to cafes, she wants to speak to everyone.

"There was nothing really in the local area that had that, so I thought, let's try it".

Natalie is just one of a number of female-led businesses making up the so-called "pawconomy" - firms servicing the boom in dog ownership since the Covid pandemic.

A few miles away is Shonagh Donaghy.

A receptionist most of her working life, her dog treat business is run out of a spare room in the family home that has been converted into an industrial kitchen.

There, organic dog biscuits, cakes and treats are handmade, baked and packaged.

Shonagh Donaghy makes home-cooked treats for dogs after starting it as a hobby during lockdown

A receptionist most of her working life, her dog treat business is run out of a spare room in the family home that has been converted into an industrial kitchen.

There, organic dog biscuits, cakes and treats are handmade, baked and packaged.

Starting during the pandemic for fun, Shonagh turned it into a business two years ago and is now selling to shops, cafes and trade fairs.

"This is a complete surprise to me and I just love it," she said. "I've met some amazing people, it's just exciting, I never know what tomorrow is going to bring."

Through exhibiting at trade markets Shonagh has noticed that a lot of the businesses are run by women.

"The amount of women business owners is really obvious there's a lot of women out there who are branching out and doing things they are very passionate about," she added.

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She said the pandemic had highlighted the vital role pets play in our lives, offering companionship during tough times.

Not everyone likes animals or has time and space for a dog, but those that do are treating them like family members.

Shonagh, who has three miniature Daschunds, sums up how she feels about her dogs.

"They give you unconditional love, like no other.

"When I was wee, about a hundred years ago, dogs were dogs. They knew their place in the family and sometimes they were kept outside.

"Nowadays they're indoors. They're part of the family. They get their Christmas presents, Easter presents, birthday cakes, we have parties for them, it's just another world entirely and quite right too, because they're adorable and how can you not love them?"

Vet Ross Allan has seen an increase in dog ownership in the last four years

Pets at Home, one of the UK's biggest pet retailers, saw dog grooming services go up 4% in a year.

Dog advent calendars and its Christmas range sold 10% more than the previous year.

The Office for National Statistics says veterinary services were worth £6.9bn in 2022, up from £4.2bn in 2018.

That chimes with Ross Allan, clinical director at Pets'n'Vets in Glasgow.

He says there is a rise in dogs registered with the practice. But the pandemic has seen owners being more thorough when choosing care for their animals.

"Certainly with Covid and the rise in patient numbers, maybe clients taking on pets that they hadn't done before, I think that maybe has caused some changes both in clinical care and customer experience. "

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) agrees the pet economy is a growing trend.

Joanne brings her dog Macy to the dog soft play every other week to help with socialisation

Pearl Hamilton, who runs a pet supplies shop and pet-sitting business in Forres and is also a member of the FSB Scotland Policy Unit, said there had been an increase in demand, both for dog walking and in-home pet-sitting.

She said: "Post-pandemic, there's been a rise in the number of home-alone dogs - which can give rise to behaviour issues as the dogs are lacking socialisation.

"That, in turn, can lead to noise complaints from neighbours disturbed by constant barking. So it is an important and growing sector.

"Indeed, I have two former employees who, after training with me, have gone on to start their own dog walking businesses, one of which also does dog training."

She agrees women are leading a lot of these businesses.

"Anecdotally, within a 10-mile radius of where we are, I can think of 10 or so dog-walking or pet-sitting businesses - and 7 or 8 of them are female-led."

Dug and Bone started as a small business but has morphed into a place to meet and chat for owners too.

It has regulars, dogs and owners returning to meet up with friends they have made.

Peggy enjoys running around at the soft play

Natalie said: "A lot of dogs have made friends so we have a lot of regulars who now come, not just because it's wet or it's dry but because but their dogs have friends and they get to run around with them.

"I feel we've built a bit of a community. We even do birthday parties and they're really popular.

"Your dog is a really important part of your life, you know some people can't have children and that is their child".

Regulars Joanne and Margaret bring their dogs here every week. Margaret got her two Lowchen's as puppies and says socialising for young dogs is vital.

"The main thing we brought them for is socialisation. It's a safe environment for them, they can't escape, it was air conditioned in the hot weather and a dry place in the darker months, they absolutely love it, we come every other Wednesday now".

When Macy's owner Joanne first heard of a soft play for dogs opening she thought: "Yes, we're doing that. It's good when it starts getting dark, that you can come here during the day".