It's no longer a dog's life as a pooch hotel in Hawick gets the go-ahead

Members of Scottish Borders Council’s planning and building standards committee have approved an application to allow for an overnight dog boarding service, the erection of insulated kennels and siting of a cabin for staff on land north east of Newlands Farm Cottage, situated off the B6357, between Lilliesleaf and Denholm.

The successful applicant is Laura Glover and the new development will be on the site of her existing business, TweedDogs Day Care Centre, which comprises of a secure outdoor exercise area for dogs, day care centre building, car park and access.

Seven letters of objection to the plan were received, citing noise nuisance and odour issues, among other concerns.

One of the objectors, Thomas Pyemont, of The Waiting Room, Hassendean Station, Hawick, wrote: “The proposal to house dogs overnight, thus requiring overnight accommodation is not only ‘the thin end of the wedge’ as it will lead to permanent residence.

“Loud barking dogs can be heard throughout the day, this will only increase at night - thus creating a 24 hour disturbance.”

But the application also received messages of support, including one from Simon and Susan Clew, of West Lodge, Minto, Hawick, who wrote: “The business is a fine example of a sustainable project run by dedicated trained experts in their fields and all for the good of others. As pointed out in a the application, during the pandemic TweedDogs managed to remain open on a limited basis to support key workers so they were able to continue their jobs. Working above and beyond as ever!

“The training and socialisation they offer to our four legged friends is invaluable. There’s a great deal of care over which dogs are able to attend and each dog goes through an assessment prior to acceptance into the facility.

“It is a natural extension to offer overnight facilities and it is a logical that the (up to six) dogs over-nighting will already be well known to the staff prior to doing so.”

When TweedDogs Day Care Centre opened early in 2016 at Newlands Farm it was the only such facility in the Borders. Pre-pandemic the centre was accepting between 35 to 40 dogs a day.