Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘It never crossed my mind to set up this business before but I love it’: From redundancy at Evri to booming Elgin dog grooming business

The Pooch Pod owner Alison Tewnion is pictured with client 'Saskia' inside her new premises at Moycroft House, Elgin.
Image: Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson
The Pooch Pod owner Alison Tewnion is pictured with client 'Saskia' inside her new premises at Moycroft House, Elgin. Image: Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson

From parcel courier to dog groomer isn’t an obvious career move.

But one Elgin woman is making such a success of the switch that she is opening new premises in the town.

Pooch Pod owner Alison Tewnion opened up her business in December 2020 in her garden shed after being made redundant at Evri.

Since then her business has been a hit. It is now fully booked for the next three months.

The Pooch Pod owner Alison Tewnion is pictured with Dug. Image: Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson

Alison said: “I was made redundant in August 2020 which was a big shocked to me.

“It never crossed my mind to set up this business as I was so used to my job at the delivery firm.

“However I love it and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I saw there is a major demand for dog grooming in Moray and it all started in my garden shed.”

Pooch Pod owner Alison Tewnion and Soggy Doggy owner Emily Hayter who rents a desk in the premises.

Mrs Tewnion spent around £3,000 to go through training at the Pampers Grooming Academy in Stirling.

She added: “I went through all the training in Stirling and was staying in hotels.

“It has been well worth it.

“My attitude has been just do it and I am not scared of failing.

“Now I have been doing it for two years and haven’t looked back.”

New home for her business

Just recently she has moved her business into Moycroft House in Elgin.

The building used to be home to the offices to the old Elgin Roof Truss Company.

We previously highlights the plans in our weekly planning round-up.

The Pooch Pod is now at Moycroft House, Elgin. Image: Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson

Rooms have been redesigned, with the installation of a washing area.

She added: “I was previously at a unit at Pinefield Parade.

“When Moycroft House came up it was a good size of premises and what I need as the business grows.

“It is more suitable for the needs and I’m really excited for the future.”

Dog ‘Dug’ being washed.<br />Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Going forward she is keen to pass on her knowledge to new dog grooming businesses.

She added: “I want to help other dog grooming businesses starting out and guide them if I can.

“It is important to help other.”

New businesses Soggy Doggy, Zoomyloonies Pet Care and Paws On The Shore will also operate in these premises.

:

Conversation