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\nMost of the business comes through Facebook, although its presence on Instagram is growing alongside pictures of the many dogs she and her team walk, and the clients are as varied as their dogs.<\/p>\n
THREE years after first putting up a dog walking services poster on an Armstrong Creek shopping centre bulletin board, now 16-year-old Milly Angleton employs 15 people to help her walk 32 dogs throughout the surrounding estates.<\/p>\n
What started as a source of extra pocket money has now grown into the registered business Armstrong Creek Dog Walks that services Sanctuary Estate, Ashbury Estate and Mt Duneed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been really good learning, because I do the books and pays and all that sort of stuff, so I\u2019ve learnt how to budget and do things myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
One of the keys to business, Ms Angleton has already discovered, is finding the right staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to interview all of them obviously to make sure that they are going to be able to handle all sized dogs or strength dogs, so finding people that are reliable and capable is quite hard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually always bring a dog with me when meeting so I can see how they interact with the dog and if they\u2019re well-spoken towards me, and confident\u2026 because they\u2019re dealing with people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those that pass the test join Ms Angleton\u2019s growing group of walkers.
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\nMost of the business comes through Facebook, although its presence on Instagram is growing alongside pictures of the many dogs she and her team walk, and the clients are as varied as their dogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal people, families, couples that live by themselves, anyone with a dog\u2026 busy people. Most are people who have jobs and kids and can\u2019t find enough time to get in all the walks so they just book a couple in for the week.\u201d<\/p>\n
The average walk is around 45 minutes, though that can be tailored according to the customer and dog\u2019s needs, but they\u2019re always on leads.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if they\u2019re good off lead, I don\u2019t want to risk it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Living in a growth area with more people and dogs all the time, Ms Angleton\u2019s sites are similarly expansive.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully in the near future I can branch out to new areas, like Torquay, Ocean Grove and I was thinking of doing accessories as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Already she\u2019s asked by owners what leads and harnesses work best for their dogs and she\u2019s now considering taking a behavioural course to expand her service.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the dogs aren\u2019t great with other dogs, so being able to understand and help them a bit as well while I\u2019m doing it is important.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THREE years after first putting up a dog walking services poster on an Armstrong Creek shopping centre bulletin board, now 16-year-old Milly Angleton employs 15 people to help her walk 32 dogs throughout the surrounding estates. What started as a source of extra pocket money has now grown into the registered business Armstrong Creek Dog […]<\/p>\n