Decadent dog's life at Waglands

Wellington canines can have their own holiday while owners are away. At hilltop Waglands Dogs' Holiday Retreat in Belmont, dogs are "guests", fed gourmet food and given special areas for afternoon naps, a sandpit to play in and grass to run around on.

Couple Ben Adams and Arlene Hawkyard, previously an engineer and financial services analyst respectively, bought the property three years ago for a lifestyle change after eight months travelling the world. They have turned it into the envy of dog accommodation establishments nationwide.

Waglands was recently awarded Best Small Business at the 2012 Westpac Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.

"We were looking for lifestyle properties on TradeMe and this one just popped up. We loved the property and the area," said Hawkyard, who once swore she would never work with dogs after growing up surrounded by the animals with a father who bred siberian huskies and border collies, and who was also a New Zealand canine competitive obedience judge. MORE>>

Good on them for following their dreams... we don't all do this, so cheers!!