Dog-friendly travel in the Scottish Borders just got an unusual local business twist. Hilltop Doggy Day Care, a large countryside dog daycare site just outside Hawick, is looking for a new owner after growing into one of Scotland’s bigger operations of its kind.
For visitors planning a Borders break with a dog, this matters because Hilltop already has scale, local pickup transport, and a spot opposite a major future tourism development. In plain English, that is a lot of potential packed into one very canine corner of southern Scotland, especially in a region where practical pet services can be harder to find than another postcard view.
The business was founded in 2023 by Jon and Mhairi MacLeod-Dunford and now has capacity for almost 10,000 dogs a year. That is not a tiny side hustle with a bowl of biscuits by the door. It is a serious rural setup, and one that fits neatly into the wider rise of dog-friendly UK breaks and pet-first trip planning.
Hilltop Doggy Day Care Near Hawick Is Looking For A Buyer
Jon and Mhairi MacLeod-Dunford are inviting expressions of interest for Hilltop Doggy Day Care, which sits just outside Hawick in the Scottish Borders.
The couple launched the business out of their love of dogs and built it into a sizeable operation over the past three years. They are now seeking someone who can take over and develop the site further.
That handover pitch is aimed at dog lovers, entrepreneurs, pet industry operators, and investors. So yes, you could read this as a local business sale. But it also says something bigger about how pet-friendly tourism and dog services keep growing well beyond Scotland’s obvious city hotspots, especially as more UK breaks revolve around bringing the dog instead of paying for kennels.
How Big Hilltop Doggy Day Care Has Become
The most eye-catching figure is its annual capacity. Hilltop says it can accommodate almost 10,000 dogs each year, putting it among the larger dog daycare operations in Scotland.
Day-to-day running is handled by a team of four experienced staff members. The business also uses doggy buses to collect and transport dogs from several towns in the surrounding area.
That pickup model matters. It suggests Hilltop is not just serving one village or a handful of nearby owners. It has built a wider catchment across the Borders, which is exactly the sort of detail buyers tend to notice. For travelers staying outside Hawick without a car, that kind of flexibility is not glamorous, but it is the sort of thing that saves an itinerary from turning into a logistical soap opera.
- Founded: 2023
- Location: Just outside Hawick, Scottish Borders
- Annual capacity: Almost 10,000 dogs
- Staff: Team of four
- Transport: Doggy bus pickups from several towns
What Facilities Are Included At The Scottish Borders Site
Hilltop operates from a purpose-built eight-acre countryside site. The business says dogs and puppies get a mix of exercise, enrichment, and play, which is the sort of phrase every dog owner hopes means their pet comes home happy and immediately falls asleep.
The facilities include a newly refurbished doggy activity barn and five secure dog-proof fields. There is also a sensory garden with bark and sand pits, plus a dog parkour area designed for different ages and abilities.
Those details matter because they show this is not just fenced grass and wishful thinking. The site has been built out with specific activity zones, which gives the next owner a ready-made operation rather than a blank canvas. For visitors already eyeing dog-friendly travel in Scotland, that makes Hilltop the sort of practical stop that can free up a day for museums, trails, or attractions that are less keen on four-legged guests.
Why The Center Parcs Location Could Matter
One of the biggest strategic details is the location. Hilltop sits directly opposite the new £450m Center Parcs development in the Scottish Borders.
That resort is expected to attract around 250,000 visitors a year when it opens in 2029. On its own, that does not guarantee anything for Hilltop. Tourist footfall is not the same thing as instant customer conversion. Still, being across from a major leisure development is the sort of positioning that could matter a lot over time.
For the Borders, it also points to a wider tourism story. More visitors usually mean stronger demand for nearby services, and pet-related businesses can benefit when travelers bring dogs on UK breaks or when local employment and housing patterns shift around a major resort opening. If the next owner has any ambition at all, the site could become a useful side-service for families trying to balance a holiday schedule with a dog that is not invited everywhere.
What This Means For Dog Owners Visiting The Scottish Borders
This is not a hotel opening or a train fare drop, so the travel angle is a bit niche. Still, it is relevant for people planning dog-friendly trips in the Borders, especially those staying in or around Hawick in future years.
If the business continues under new ownership, Hilltop already has the bones of something useful for visitors and locals alike:
- A large rural site with secure outdoor space
- Structured activity areas for different dogs
- Experienced staff already handling operations
- Pickup transport from multiple towns
- A location near a future major visitor draw
For budget-conscious travelers, dog logistics can make or break a trip. Anyone who has tried to plan a cheap UK getaway with a pet knows the drill: accommodation rules vary, transport can be awkward, and not every attraction welcomes muddy paws with open arms. A well-established daycare nearby can create more flexibility in an itinerary, and that can be the difference between a low-stress holiday and spending half the day negotiating with your own schedule.
That matters even more in rural areas, where alternatives may be limited and last-minute bookings are rarely the bargain move. Budget travelers are usually willing to compromise on fancy extras. Reliable dog care is not one of them.
Scottish Borders Pet Tourism Has Room To Grow
The Borders often sit in the shadow of Edinburgh, the Highlands, and the Isle of Skye in tourism chatter. That can be good news if you prefer quieter trips, easier parking, and fewer crowds. It also means local visitor infrastructure still has room to develop in practical ways.
Dog-friendly travel is one of those areas. More UK travelers now holiday with pets, and regional businesses that support that demand can become surprisingly important. A big daycare site near a future family resort is not the flashiest tourism headline of the year, but it is the kind of on-the-ground detail that shapes how easy a trip actually feels.
That same pattern is showing up elsewhere in the wider pet travel world too, from local day services to more specialized canine transport like specialist dog flights linked to conservation work. Different scale, obviously, but the direction of travel is the same: dogs are no longer an afterthought in travel planning.
In other words, this is not just about who buys a dog daycare. It is about whether the next owner sees the chance to build a stronger pet-friendly service hub in the Scottish Borders.
What The Founders Said About The Sale
Jon MacLeod-Dunford said he and Mhairi are proud of what they have built and want the next owner to share that same enthusiasm for the business and its future.
The couple said Hilltop was created as a place that dogs genuinely enjoy, and that serving dog owners across the Borders has been a privilege. They are now looking for someone to lead the next phase and unlock more of the site’s potential.
That language is pretty typical for a founder-led handover, but the underlying point is clear enough: this is an operating business with established facilities, staff, and customer reach, not a concept still scribbled on a napkin.
Key Facts About The Hilltop Doggy Day Care Sale
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Hilltop Doggy Day Care |
| Location | Just outside Hawick, Scottish Borders |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Capacity | Almost 10,000 dogs per year |
| Site Size | Eight acres |
| Facilities | Refurbished activity barn, five secure fields, sensory garden, bark and sand pits, dog parkour area |
| Operations | Run by four staff members with dog pickup buses serving several towns |
| Nearby Development | Opposite the new £450m Center Parcs resort due to open in 2029 |
What Happens Next
The immediate next step is simple. The owners are seeking expressions of interest from potential buyers.
How the business evolves after that will depend on who takes it on and what they want to do with the site. The foundations are already there, and the timing is notable with a major tourism project on the doorstep, even if that resort is still a few years away.
For now, the Scottish Borders has a large dog daycare up for grabs, a growing tourism backdrop, and one of those local stories that sounds niche until you remember how many trips, moves, and family days out are quietly planned around who is looking after the dog. For anyone sketching out a pet-friendly Borders itinerary, it is one more sign that this part of Scotland is getting better at the practical stuff, not just the scenic stuff. And yes, the practical stuff usually matters more once the dog is in the car.
