Thread: Dog businesses - grooming, training, boarding. Can we move to Spain to set up?

Hi All

We are looking at moving from the UK to Spain. In the UK, we are self employed dog groomers, trainers and we have dogs board with us.

We would love to do the same along the Costa del Sol and recently have been offered properties to rent in Casares and near Fuengirola.

Would this be a sensible thing to do under the current financial climate?

We think we have discovered enough information to say that grooming in Spain is a wanted service, but please do say if you disagree.

We would also appreciate anyone that is familiar with those areas to give feedback for the need for Dog services there. So far our research has given mixed results, some people saying that we would do well, others saying that the situation in dire at the moment and it would be advisable not to consider such a venture.

Look forward to hearing your opinions

Thanks

Hello dizwiz and welcome to the forums.
I can only speak for where I am but there has been a noticeable drop off at my vets on the grooming side, it used to be very busy but it's a lot quiter now. Then again 99.9% of the customers are Spanish!

Dogs here are just not "groomed" they do scruffy just as Compo used to. Most Spanish don't have dogs as pets but to bark their heads off at any intruders and, if they get chance take a good bite out of them! In the current climate I think you are wasting your time and money unless you can find an urbanisation loaded with Yanks, millionaires or others with more money than sense.

We are much further north of where you are planning to go. In the local town there is a groomer who works froma pet shop and seems to do reasonable trade. Any time we take our dog there we have to book at least one day in advance. Also there is an English lady who does grooming and works it as a mobile service.
As for boarding kennels, we use one that is very good but quite a distance away
We are near Cocentaina and the kennel is at Barxetaand that is a 40 minute drive each way. The couple who run the place have just recently arranged with friends to build a new house for the friends, who will start up a cattery as an extra part to the pet service that they work at.

Nearer Alicante there is a very large boarding kennel (we have not used this one) and they offer training, pet supplies and several other services. This is a very slick and well funded operation.

There are other kennels around, but they are nowhere like the two I have mentioned, and some have a bad reputation.

Willie