Our Story
When I was younger, I always hoped to one day work with animals, but my other great love, music, took priority and led me to 15 years of constant traveling. I spent over a decade working as a Musical Director in the cruise industry seeing the world, then lived and worked in both Las Vegas and Japan. So when my wife and I returned to the UK we were very much looking forward to settling down in the countryside and most of all, finally being able to have our own dog.
We had always loved Dachshunds, and just like many of my now clients, went to see a litter intending to get one, and ended up getting two, as Stanley & Ollie were like 2 peas in a pod and we just had to have them both. Trying to find somewhere for them to stay when we went on holiday led us to discover that many of the options available were just not suitable for our boys, as they were so used to having 24/7 human company and would get very anxious if left alone. We found a great home boarder who was always with them, and also understood dachshunds and their special needs, but the more active I became within the various dachshund groups on social media, and through making many friends within the dachshund community, it became clear there was a demand for a home boarding option who specialised in small dogs.
So I started taking on the occasional boarder, and a few walking clients too, and thought about making it more of a full time business. In the summer of 2012 I took on a full house of dogs to board, covering for a dog boarding friend while they went on their own holiday, and it was immediately clear that this was my future. I decided to experiment with making the new business exclusive to dachshunds, and even though most of my dog boarding friends thought there would not be enough demand within a single breed, it soon became obvious that there was a big market for sausage-only home boarding. Sausage Dog Hotel was born, and has continued to grow and thrive ever since, culminating in our most recent move to a brand new location in Weybridge, Surrey.
I absolutely love what I do, and hope you and your own sausage can come and visit us soon.
Phil
