Poltics
Meet the marriage ceremony dog chaperone who makes cash by being a pooch’s plus one. Olivia Thompson, 24, walked dogs for extra money at some stage in her lunch break earlier than going travelling in November last year.
When she came back she was determining what she wanted to arrangement and came across being around dogs made her happiest and she had an obsession with weddings. Combining the two, she launched her dog chaperone enterprise – the Dog Lady – and has now attended four weddings as a pup’s plus one – even walking one up the aisle.
Olivia is on hand to walk the dog beforehand, assist with capturing pet photographs and provide care for the dog at some stage within the marriage ceremony day. She charges around £350 for the day and customises her provider for each bride and groom. Olivia is already getting bookings for subsequent year.
Olivia, from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: “I’m eager about anything to arrangement with a marriage ceremony. Everybody you believe to scrutinize after your dog is at the marriage ceremony. That’s the place I are available. It’s a dream job.”
Olivia was working as an admin assistant earlier than and she started her dog walking enterprise in June 2021 – spending her lunch breaks walking pets. She quit her job in November 2022 to travel South East Asia and Australia and determined she wanted to gain into occasion management when she returned in March 2023.
Olivia said: “I always wanted to be a marriage ceremony planner. However I came across it really hard to gain a job in that industry without expertise.”
Olivia managed to stable a job as an occasion sales assistant at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and got an insight into the weddings they held there. She labored there for three weeks earlier than deciding to quit and start her dog chaperone enterprise – realising she may combine her two passions.
Olivia said: “At the botanical gardens you may have dogs there. I believed ‘who’s looking after the dogs?’. I realised the dogs make me the happiest. I treasure weddings.”
Olivia launched in June 2023, starting her dog walking on the side to retain money rolling in, and has attended four weddings so far. Olivia has a meet-up with the bride and groom and their pooch earlier than the day and finds out what they want from her.
She said: “I always meet the client earlier than the marriage ceremony day – to search out out anything I have to know and search for the behaviour. It’s extra or less personalized to the bride or groom.
“A complete bunch of us e book me for the photographs. Some of us don’t want the dogs at the ceremony – typically they want them after. A lot of of us acquire it important to have their dog of their photographs.”
Olivia even walked up the aisle in one marriage ceremony with a dog in hand.
She said: “I felt apprehensive and it wasn’t even my marriage ceremony. That was my first marriage ceremony the place they wanted her for the ceremony. Each dog has been properly-behaved so far. I am dreading the day they are no longer.”
Olivia has already got bookings for subsequent year and even 2026.
She said: “I treasure seeing the varied venues. I treasure to search for the marriage ceremony costume.”
She and her partner, Conor, 29, an electrician, have accurate got their very bear 10-week-mature pet collectively – Ginny, a Hungarian Vizsla. Olivia hopes she shall be part of her bear marriage ceremony day – when the time comes.
She said: “I mediate she’ll be the ring-bearer. I have visions of her coming down the aisle with the bridesmaid or maid of honour. Here is that if Conor decides to pop the seek information from.”
Olivia is “proud” of her success and has proved doubters nefarious.
She said: “A lot of of us doubted me. I’m pleased with myself for going for it.”
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