Someone to watch over doggy
It’s a pet owner’s nightmare: you need to go out of town for sometime and your pet needs looking after. You can entrust someone close to take care of your pet, but what if your pet doesn’t get on with everyone? This is when a good pet hostelcomes to the rescue. “The Dog Lady’s House started nearly a decade ago in 2009. At inception it was only a Dog Hotel, called Haven – a Hotel for Dogs,” says Ashwini Aiyar. “I noticed a dearth of proper boarding facilities for dogsin Sri Lanka, and I
called each of the places that offered temporary lodgings for dogs and was greatly disappointed with what I found. These places took no account of the emotional welfare of the animal, and the dogs they housed were terribly unhappy,” adds Ashwini, who has a BA (Hons) in Canine Psychology (UK) and is the CEO & Founder of Aiyar & Co. (Pvt) Ltd.
Ashwini with her beloved friends
Even as a child, Ahwini was crazy about dogs. So much so, that her dream when she was growing up was to “live in a house with as many dogs as I could.” But life proceeded to happen as it does, and Ashwini, a straight-A student got into a ‘regular’ job like anyone else. The sudden death of her mother pushed Ashwini closer to her childhood faithfuls. “The affinity tothis particular species comes from a very tough start in life. My early years led to a disconnect with other humans and oftentimes people would struggle to understand me, thus the only time I could ever really be myself was around my dogs. In them I found gentle acceptance and unconditional love.They made me feel safe.” She admits that her nine dogs are like her children and she would die for them. “My single motivator is to make life better for all dogs in Sri Lanka and that is what services like ours do. They change perception regarding dogs, and they improve dog culture.”
Ashiwini says her job is neither a job, a passion or even an obsession, but a calling: “It is what I was set upon this earth to do.”
Currently her occupation leaves her little time for anything else, even grocery shopping. “When I first started I was actually working three jobs! I was full time in advertising, part time writing 1,200 words a day for travel websites and running the kennels on the side. I thought to myself, if the kennels bring in enough for one bill, it is enough.”
However, in six months the dog boarding boomed, and in 15 months Ashwini was able to focus on it full time. “About two years in, people started referring to me as that dog lady. I hung on to the name.”
Ashwini built three rudimentary spaces in her backyard and began what was heralded as Sri Lanka’s first dog hotel. About a year in she was contacted by a US-based company who had heard from one of her clients that The Dog Lady’s House was a ‘superb’ boarding place.
“They asked me if I would like to try my hand at Pet Relocation, which is the non-commercial import and export of one’s family pet and thus our Pet Relocation division ‘ Bon Pawyage’ was born.” With business and recognition picking up, Ashwini sought formal certification in canine behaviour and training to enhance her knowledge and to add behaviour modification therapy to her retinue of services. “I pursued a BA from a UK organization in Canine Behaviour and Training. I am now a member of a prestigious US-based network of trainers that are led by the number one dog behaviourist in the world, Brenda Aloff, and all our training
clients have access to advice directly from her.”
Ashwini and her team of seven, all dog owners themselves, moved on to offer innovative services like Doggie Day Care, DogSwimming in the only saltwater dog pool in the country, the retail of quality dog products, pet cremation and memorial services as well as in-house medical support. This year the team were honoured by the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce with an award for the Most Innovative Entrepreneur for 2017. “We also run an emotional support service dog program that is free of charge.» She points out that this has been a particular success with children that have autism or down’s syndrome.
The reception for The Dog Lady’s House services has been tremendous. “For dog owners, they often say we are a blessing, and for non dog owners it has been an educative experience. We have had clients that have been with us from day one and will literally cry if we are too full to take their dogs.”
At any given time, there is an average of 15-20 dogs in the house. “The most we have had is 28. We keep it small so we can focus more on each dog.” The team are currently constructing a facility of their own on a property in Rajagiriya. “
Learn more a:facebook.com/dogladyshouse