WILTSHIRE businesswomen Hilary Coates has won the Wagging Tails Franchisee Of The Year Award for a second time, beating 19 other branches to the prize.

Hilary, who operates the Swindon branch of Wagging Tails, a dog boarding company offering owners in the SN postcode area an alternative to kennels, grew her business by more than 70 per cent in the last year and provided holidays to more than 400 dogs.

At Wagging Tails dogs stay in the family homes of dog carers who are checked by Hilary and subsequently inspected and licensed by their local councils.

Talking about how the business works and why she feels she has been so successful, Hilary said: “We put the welfare of the dogs we look after at the heart of our service and don’t do anything that will compromise this.

“We obtain as much information as possible about each dog from his or her owner to ensure that we match that dog to a suitable dog carer.

“If we don’t have the right carer for that specific dog we won’t take the booking.

“By doing this we ensure that the dogs get a wonderful holiday and our dog carers welcome dogs they are going to enjoy having.”

In addition to developing her business Hilary also found time to organise an event that raised more than £2,500 for the charity Hearing Dogs For Deaf People.

Take The Plunge saw volunteers raise money by being rescued from a lake at the South Cerney Outdoor water park by trained Newfoundland rescue dogs.

Jim Suswain, the director of Wagging Tails, said Hilary was fantastic to work with.

“Hilary is incredibly professional and always goes that extra mile to deliver the best service possible to dog owners and provide the very best support to her team of dog carers,” he said.

“The success Hilary has had in Wiltshire is just reward for the hard work and commitment that she has put into the business.”

Hilary is looking forward to the continued development of Wagging Tails in Wiltshire and in this capacity is always keen to welcome more dog carers to her team.

Hilary describes her Carers as, “Incredible! Our dogs' carers are the heart of our service. They are all dog lovers who for a variety reasons can’t or don’t feel that they can take on the responsibilities that go with owning a dog.

"As carers they still get to experience the benefits of having dogs around such as exercise and companionship as well as socialising with the owners.

"They even receive a small payment for providing the service.”

To find out more about how your dog could enjoy a holiday with Wagging Tails or to learn more about becoming a dog carer call 01793 874777 or email sn@waggingtailsuk.co.uk