Leeds woman to open £25k dog grooming and day care HQ in Headingley after success of lockdown business

A Leeds woman who founded a dog grooming and daycare business in her garage during lockdown is preparing to open state-of-the-art headquarters in Headingley.
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Melanie Sheard, the owner of Mrs B's Dogs, launched her business at the end of 2020 after being made redundant from her job in car sales during the pandemic.

After a stint working as a cleaner, Melanie's infectious love of dogs saw her make a bond with her customers' pooches and she was asked to take them out on walks while their owners were out at work.

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It inspired the idea for Mrs B's Dogs and Melanie took a qualification in dog grooming, before turning her garage in Adel into a grooming parlour.

Melanie Sheard launched Mrs B's Dogs at the end of 2020 after being made redundant from her job in car sales (Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe)Melanie Sheard launched Mrs B's Dogs at the end of 2020 after being made redundant from her job in car sales (Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Melanie Sheard launched Mrs B's Dogs at the end of 2020 after being made redundant from her job in car sales (Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
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More than 500 dogs have now been through its doors and the business will relocate to the Gough Building, off North Lane, in January - where Melanie has invested £25,000 into a dog daycare centre and state-of-the-art salon.

“My customers are so excited for me,” Melanie, 43, told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“A lot of them are local to Adel, Cookridge or Horsforth and I was a bit dubious to ask if they’d be willing to go that far.

The business will relocate to the Gough Building, off North Lane, in January - where Melanie has invested £25,000 into a dog daycare centre and state-of-the-art salonThe business will relocate to the Gough Building, off North Lane, in January - where Melanie has invested £25,000 into a dog daycare centre and state-of-the-art salon
The business will relocate to the Gough Building, off North Lane, in January - where Melanie has invested £25,000 into a dog daycare centre and state-of-the-art salon
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"But they have been so supportive. They know I absolutely love their dogs.”

Melanie has an ambitious five-year business plan including opening a further 10 premises in Yorkshire, as well as an academy to train dog groomers.

The Headingley HQ boasts capacity for 16 dogs in various rooms including quiet and agility areas, as well as a puppy daycare and the grooming salon upstairs.

Melanie with two of her staff - Dawn Majchrzak-Clarke and Molli Jones (Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe)Melanie with two of her staff - Dawn Majchrzak-Clarke and Molli Jones (Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Melanie with two of her staff - Dawn Majchrzak-Clarke and Molli Jones (Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
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Melanie said: “For the daycare, we were conscious that there weren’t too many dogs and the groups were small.

"There’s more staff than needed, but for me, I would want my dogs to have that care and attention.

“On a daily routine we’ll do agility, basic training and learning tricks. We’ll look at getting trainers in for anybody that’s struggling with their dogs.

"Because of the lockdown, there are a lot of dogs with anxiety about being left on their own. We’ve got a purpose-built quiet area where dogs can take themselves off to booths."

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A further investment of £25k is planned in the New Year including the development of a mobile app which will enable customers to log in to the day care's cameras to check on their dogs, as well as see where they are on walks via collar trackers.

“It means they can log in and see what their dog is up to live,” Melanie said.

“I’m terrible, my dogs are my babies. Customers want to see their dog is happy and is getting that interaction from other dogs and human beings. It makes it personal.”

“I just love dogs," she added.

"I love their cheeky personalities - even the ones that bite me - it’s them that gets me through the day.

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“And I build good relationships with my customers. They’ll text me if they’re worried about anything and every time I walk out the door I see someone I know.

“I wasn’t born and bred in Adel, so it’s been lovely for me to feel part of the community.”

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