Doggie Adventure Park idea.

TheBoyConor

you'll need planning permission

brenno1

TheBoyConor wrote: »

you'll need planning permission

Yes thanks. Well aware of same. Will tackle that once i figure out insurance. Have already booked in a preplanning meeting with Fingal.

I don't think anyone is going to pay 15-30 for their dog to run around for an hour.

brenno1

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I don't think anyone is going to pay 15-30 for their dog to run around for an hour.

Diagree my friend. Place is Wicklow (very remote) is booked out every slot every weekend in May. June slots arent even open yet so can you imagine when kids are off school. You can google them to see. They chage €15 to €65 per hour depending on number of dogs

TheBoyConor

I would tend to agree. I can't see enoug people willing to spend €15 per dog per hour to let the dog run around a few obstacles when their dog will get just as much exercise and fun running around a woodland or park or whatever. The obstacles thing is a very niche thing.

Will you get enough people paying €15 to pay back all the costs invovled and provide you with some sort of living out of it?

Maybe things are different up around Dublin, but down my side of the country it would never take off.

Segotias

You'd be surprised what dog people will spend on their dogs. Think doggie day care, grooming, vet fees, decent food.

My dogs have health insurance I don't!!

If its well maintained and provides good exercise and stimulation for the dogs I can see it being a runner. Pricing wise I'd offer incentives, 1st dog at a price, sliding scale for additional dogs, get 10th visit free type things.

Dog parks in public parks are busy at the best of times, especially with people who just want to let their dogs off lead but not trek around with them.

brenno1

TheBoyConor wrote: »

I would tend to agree. I can't see enoug people willing to spend €15 per dog per hour to let the dog run around a few obstacles when their dog will get just as much exercise and fun running around a woodland or park or whatever. The obstacles thing is a very niche thing.

Will you get enough people paying €15 to pay back all the costs invovled and provide you with some sort of living out of it?

Maybe things are different up around Dublin, but down my side of the country it would never take off.

Disgagree. See my post above re the crowd doing it in wicklow. And from my (albeit limited) market research so far has shown a very positive reaction.

People are crying out for things to do. And a private space to train or play with your dog with lots of considered enrichment experiences in a nice rural setting with a nice cup of coffee close to the city i feel is a good offering. For the record I think €15 for a family experience is reasonable.

Im not looking to make millions out of it anyway. A modest salary for myself and the enjoyment of running it are my motivations. I have the money to invest in it so i wont be stressed out paying loans back.

brenno1

Segotias wrote: »

You'd be surprised what dog people will spend on their dogs. Think doggie day care, grooming, vet fees, decent food.

My dogs have health insurance I don't!!

If its well maintained and provides good exercise and stimulation for the dogs I can see it being a runner. Pricing wise I'd offer incentives, 1st dog at a price, sliding scale for additional dogs, get 10th visit free type things.

Dog parks in public parks are busy at the best of times, especially with people who just want to let their dogs off lead but not trek around with them.

100% agree. The public dog parks are stressful for the dogs and owners. I was at one last night and it was packed. Facilities were awful.

And i would be more than happy to.offer discounts to buiild a loyal customer base. I dont want to rip anyone off thats for sure.

I've had a quick look at the Wonder paws site - they've currently 12 bookings in total for Monday to Friday next week - worst case that's 180 euro coming in for 5 days. And this is during a time when there's feck all to do and lots of people have extra cash in their pockets.

Maybe if you could focus on group bookings - where the dogs are friendly and you could have 4 or 5 people in per hour?

Also, if you have any ancillary stuff on-site, you're probably going to need a second person to help out at the very least.

I'd say it'd be more a labour of love than an actual viable business.

brenno1

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I've had a quick look at the Wonder paws site - they've currently 12 bookings in total for Monday to Friday next week - worst case that's 180 euro coming in for 5 days. And this is during a time when there's feck all to do and lots of people have extra cash in their pockets.

Maybe if you could focus on group bookings - where the dogs are friendly and you could have 4 or 5 people in per hour?

Also, if you have any ancillary stuff on-site, you're probably going to need a second person to help out at the very least.

I'd say it'd be more a labour of love than an actual viable business.

Hi thanks for reply. Yes wonder paws is what i have been keeping an eye on. You must remember that they have only recently been allowed reopen after then pandemic ( less than 2 weeks ago) and their May weekends are already fully booked. I would imagine june july and august will be full all the time. I am aware it will be mainly seasonal but thats the model i am after anyway.

And totally agree. Ancillary offerings will happen to bump income and grow with time.

Fair enough, I must have missed that they've just re-opened.

I'd say your best bet would be to try to have a chat with their owner - looking a little closer at their site they appear to have about 7 or 8 professional trainers on board, so maybe that's where the money is made and the park is the ancillary bit.

Anyway, best of luck!

brenno1

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Fair enough, I must have missed that they've just re-opened.

I'd say your best bet would be to try to have a chat with their owner - looking a little closer at their site they appear to have about 7 or 8 professional trainers on board, so maybe that's where the money is made and the park is the ancillary bit.

Anyway, best of luck!

Yeh u are right. I am going see if they can guide me a bit. Going to book in a session with my mutt in June.
I think your right i think ancillary bits will be key and having a bit of a novelty/niche for all the family to enjoy.

Alun

One of the selling points for Wonderpaws is that it's completely enclosed, and when you go there it's just you and your dog, nobody else and no other dogs. That's important for example for people who have highly reactive dogs. It gives them the opportunity to exercise them properly and work on their issues in a safe and stress free (for the owner) environment. It's also a great place for new dog owners to work with their dogs on recall for example without the worry that they'll run off and get lost.

I don't have a dog myself, but a friend of mine has used them a couple of times to get an idea of how his new dog will behave off the lead and he says it was money well spent.

As far as location goes, it's really not that rural. Its on a reasonably busy and well known road in these parts between Enniskerry and Kilternan. Not in the middle of nowhere at all really.

brenno1

Alun wrote: »

One of the selling points for Wonderpaws is that it's completely enclosed, and when you go there it's just you and your dog, nobody else and no other dogs. That's important for example for people who have highly reactive dogs. It gives them the opportunity to exercise them properly and work on their issues in a safe and stress free (for the owner) environment. It's also a great place for new dog owners to work with their dogs on recall for example without the worry that they'll run off and get lost.

I don't have a dog myself, but a friend of mine has used them a couple of times to get an idea of how his new dog will behave off the lead and he says it was money well spent.

As far as location goes, it's really not that rural. Its on a reasonably busy and well known road in these parts between Enniskerry and Kilternan. Not in the middle of nowhere at all really.

Hi Alun thanks for reply. Exactly why i think its a good idea. Its the privacy and safe enclosure to work on stuff with the dog. The pheonix park is great for letting dog off lead but i had a boxer who went missing in bushes years ago and luckily got him back after an hour of searching, it can be stressful in open public places.

Apologies re the rural inference. All i meant was the catchment area wouldnt be as big there as the likes of blanchardstown which as a rapidly growing young population where my location is. Rural was the wrong word.

Alun

brenno1 wrote: »

Apologies re the rural inference. All i meant was the catchment area wouldnt be as big there as the likes of blanchardstown which as a rapidly growing young population where my location is. Rural was the wrong word.

I'd imagine that the catchment area for Wonderpaws would be quite large too, South Dublin, Bray and Greystones would all be in easy reach.

brenno1

Alun wrote: »

I'd imagine that the catchment area for Wonderpaws would be quite large too, South Dublin, Bray and Greystones would all be in easy reach.

Fair enough

aceygray

Hi, I'm a dog owner in Dublin 15. I would love to use a place like this - but only if it were open to other dogs at the same time. My dog is very social, and loves playing, chasing etc with other dogs. Would you consider having some slots set aside for multiple bookings? I don't think I'd be bothered paying to take my dog for a walk on his own - I can go to any number of parks or beaches for that.

brenno1

aceygray wrote: »

Hi, I'm a dog owner in Dublin 15. I would love to use a place like this - but only if it were open to other dogs at the same time. My dog is very social, and loves playing, chasing etc with other dogs. Would you consider having some slots set aside for multiple bookings? I don't think I'd be bothered paying to take my dog for a walk on his own - I can go to any number of parks or beaches for that.

Hi there thanks for reply. Of course I would consider everything!!. Once i look into the insurance side of things, then the planning, i will do some thorough market research to see what would best serve the market. But i would be open to all sorts of suggestion. I know wonderpaws does allow group bookings up to 6 dogs at a time but you would need to know the other dogs etc. There would be too.much of a risk i think in strange dogs mixing like that. Your little fella might want to play but the other angry guy might want to kill..haha

silver2020

The population is certainly there and I would suspect that the key customers would be those with larger dogs that need a high level of exercise and ideally off leash.

But I think there are many extras you can add - breed specific doggy picnics on Saturday & Sunday afternoons. EG Bichon (and their cross breeds). Every bank holiday from Easter to Aug have agility contests / dog shows. These can be combined with "meet the vet" and fun activities for kids.

You can add in a resident dog trainer, grooming parlour etc.

I can't see any issue with planning as the main use would be recreational and planning is not required for additions that support a primary use.

EG a garden centre does not need planning for a cafe

ted1

Jeremy Beagle wrote: »

I don't think anyone is going to pay 15-30 for their dog to run around for an hour.

they do, especially if its restricted breed.

OP with all your out buildings you should look at boarding kennels. 20-40 euro per dog per night.

ted1

Deleted User wrote: »

Fair enough, I must have missed that they've just re-opened.

I'd say your best bet would be to try to have a chat with their owner - looking a little closer at their site they appear to have about 7 or 8 professional trainers on board, so maybe that's where the money is made and the park is the ancillary bit.

Anyway, best of luck!

these also use the space https://waggymamasagility.com/

Flibble

There's a dog park similar to what you describe opening up soon near Barberstown Cross in Celbridge- saw them posting on a local Facebook group, 'Paws Life Dog Adventure Park'.

I think it's a fab idea and it's something I absolutely would use.

More and more traditional dog walking spots are becoming too busy to let dogs off the lead, and it would be lovely to have a safe secure dog friendly area to go. Free dog parks are a nightmare sometimes, there's quite a few badly behaved dogs in them, I tend to steer clear unless I know it's quiet.

I can't see any major downsides to the venture. I can imagine any ancillary services might be a bit hit and miss, as you'll generally only have one opportunity per hour to make a sale depending on how you organise the park, but if you're content to read a book all day you'd probably be alright!

Best of luck with it 😊 I'll definitely visit.

MrGaryFox

Absolutely love this idea. I didn't know Wonderpaws existed before this and its right beside me.

You can definitely create lots of ancillary services like people mentioned already. Themed events around Christmas, Halloween etc would be incredibly popular.

Dog owners will spend a large amount of money ensuring their dogs have fun in a safe environment. If you do this well, I think it could be a great earner.

Either way, good luck with it and let us know how you get on.