October has been an incredibly busy month for Natalie and Stuart Thorpe.
The new owners of Inverness Dog Daycare took over the business on the first of the month and since then, they’ve hardly had a spare moment between them.
The hours have been swallowed up by a mass of paperwork, hard graft and wagging tails begging for their attention.
The venture comes on the back of an already crammed 2024, where the pair got married and moved home to the outskirts of Beauly.
Among that chaos, however, is a feeling that they are exactly where they want to be.
A year before the Thorpes took over the dog daycare business, Natalie was at a crossroads.
Her 12-year career as a chartered accountant had left her drained and feeling miserable.
But with a lot of encouragement from her partner – and now husband – Stuart, she decided to pursue something closer to her heart.
Natalie started up a dog-walking business and when the chance came to take over Playful Paws, the dog daycare firm that started up in Inverness’s Carse industrial estate in 2016, they took the plunge.
‘I’d rather we were happy’
“With my old job I did just think ‘you’ve got to do that grind and that’s what life is like’,” said Natalie, 35.
“But leaving it behind is the best thing I’ve ever done. I went up the ranks and was at a senior manager level but the stress was too much for me.
“I was in a bad place. But I’m so much happier now.”
Recognising she needed a change, Natalie cut back on her accountancy hours and started walking dogs two days a week.
Within a month, she’d quit her job and decided to give the dog-walking business a crack full-time.
It was a big drop in wages. But her husband’s job as a driver for D&E Coaches was enough to keep them going while they decided where to make cutbacks.
Natalie said: “It’s thanks to Stuart. I never would have done this if it wasn’t for him.
“He gave me the confidence to go for it.”
Stuart, 44, added: “Why worry about money? You can’t take it with you.
“We don’t live a life of luxury. But I’d rather we were happy.”
The hard graft of running your own business
Chucking a job that has been weighing you down is a fantasy that many people would like to fulfil.
But the Thorpes are quick to caution that it’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point.
They’re co-owners of the business but Stuart is still driving all over the UK full-time and spending his days off pitching in.
The pair is also regularly assisted by registered dog trainer Caroline Jessiman.
It’s open from 7.30am to 6pm every weekday and weekends are often taken up by deep cleaning and admin.
They’ve changed the name of the business and its new logo is a nod to the Thorpes’ three dogs – Sprocket, Lily and Jimmy.
The name was even chosen by Sprocket. Three contenders were written on tennis balls and the rambunctious Weimaraner-red Collie cross retrieved the one reading “Inverness Dog Daycare”.
The move was made possible through a loan from Highland Opportunity Investments – Highland Council’s business loan company – and another private loan.
Big plans for the dog daycare’s future
In the future, Natalie has big plans to expand what they can offer.
But the focus right now is getting the word out to dog owners that they’re there to help them if they’re at work or looking to give their pets a bit of fun and socialisation.
Dogs get a day session at the centre for £25.
Natalie said: “I saw this place come up for sale years back and let that opportunity pass me by.
“This time I thought ‘I can’t let that happen again’. I thought ‘let’s give it a go’ and here we are.
“It’s great getting to do this – but I know it’s not a big profit business. We’re doing it for love, not money.”
For more Inverness news and updates visit our dedicated page and join our local Facebook group.
Conversation