Dad opens pet shop after dreaming of making better life for his family

James Casey, who lives in Orford, is a single dad-of-five and decided to take a leap of faith and start his own business.

After dreaming of opening his own pet shop for years, the 39-year-old began scrimping and saving to make that dream a reality.

“I’ve been a single parent for 10 years nearly and being on benefits wasn’t an ideal situation,” he said.

“It’s not what I wanted in life and obviously I wanted more for my kids, so I thought now’s the time to take the leap.”

James dreamt of making a better life for him and his family (Image: Supplied)

With the help of friends and family, James managed to save enough to start Pawfect 4 Dogs, a raw food pet shop in Woolston.

“It just shows that people are behind you no matter what,” he said.

“By having those people, it’s given me the opportunity to make a better life for me and my kids.”

Pawfect 4 Dogs, on Parksway in Woolston, opened for the first time last week, and James has been pleasantly surprised by the response from customers.

“I didn’t expect half the people to come that have,” said James.

“It’s done okay for its first week.”

The shop sells food and accessories (Image: Supplied)

The shop sells raw dog food and treats, leads, collars and toys.

James, who has his own beloved dog, hopes that the business can become an ‘all in one dog stop’, and expand the shop into a groomers and dog hotel.

A self-service dog grooming station will be installed in the shop, which customers can use to care for their pets while James is searching for an inhouse groomer.

Pawfect 4 Dogs is open 9am until 6pm Monday to Saturday, and from 10am until 4pm on Sundays.