THE owner of a Basingstoke dog walking business is celebrating two years of success.
Megan Hutchings launched Walkies on Sunshine in March 2020 after she decided that she didn’t want to go into the corporate world.
Megan has seen the venture grow through lockdown and now is able to do the business as her full-time job.
The 25-year-old said: “I decided to not work in the corporate office world, I wanted to do something a bit more practical. So, I had a few ideas, and I decided I wanted to this.
“I’ve had about 20 dogs in the mix at different times, different stages, different amounts at different times, but for the first six months to a year I only had two dogs, so it was very difficult with the pandemic and everything to keep going, but I’ve grown it up, and now I’ve got a very regular amount of dogs and I do it full time and it’s really great now.”
To mark two years, Megan is launching new package offers for customers at the end of August. This will give dog owners the chance to experience varying benefits.
Megan explained: “Clients will still pay per walk, but included in that we do things like, for our higher-range package and our mid-range package we do face-to-face catchups.
“A lot of the time I like to do things with the dogs on their walks to help them progress and settle in, help them handle life a bit better.
“So, if I can speak to owners and work together on that, if they have any goals that they want with it, we can discuss it together and there’s no miscommunication.”
SEE ALSO: Rail workers picket outside Basingstoke train station as strikes resume
Other benefits will include full body tick and health checks, discounted prices on Doggy Do-dahs dog treats, and free “Sunday Adventures” for higher tier packages.
Sunday Adventures are a longer walking slot for the dogs with some added bonuses. Megan said: “We take them out and then at the end they have a little doggy picnic. So, it’s a full experience for them.
“They can come back home fully sorted out, they’ve had some snacks, they’ve had a real good sniff, we’ve played around, and then they should be absolutely exhausted for the rest of the day for their owners, which is always lovely.”
More information about Walkies on Sunshine can be found on its Facebook page facebook.com/walkiesonsunshine1.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here