"The pandemic changed my outlook on life": The Denton mum who started a business from her bathroom

Megan Montgomery found a new lease for life after starting Happy Houndz (Doggy Daycare & Dog Groomers) with her partner Nick Murray.

The 31-year-old said she had felt "trapped" in her 9-5 job, and the pandemic completely changed her outlook on life.

"I had a sort of breakdown during lockdown, where I just thought 'what do I really want to do with my life?' I was so unhappy in my job and it wasn't a healthy environment for me at all," Megan said.

After taking some time away from the role, her partner Nick had suggested working with dogs due to Megan's avid love for them.

"I told him I'm not clever enough to be a vet and dog walking didn't really appeal to me. But then a Facebook ad for a dog grooming course popped up on my feed and the penny dropped. I mentioned it to a few people in my life and none of them turned around saying 'are you sure?', none of them doubted me. I'd never even considered that as a career path but I spoke to the course, enrolled and haven't looked back since."

Megan said she felt like she'd found her calling in life.

She continued: "For my first ever session, I groomed three dogs at once for a friend and I just thought 'why haven't I done this since I left school?' I absolutely love it and it was a bonus that it took off like it did."

The pair, who have five dogs themselves, started Happy Houndz alongside their day jobs from the bathroom of their Reddish home using a second-hand table and hairdryer.

After being based there for six months, the property's landlord made the decision to sell the house and Megan was left at a loose end with nowhere to go.

The mum-of-one said she didn't believe in herself and couldn't see herself working from a shop. However, she began renting space in a Doggy Day Care and started the journey of upscaling the business.

In September 2023, the couple viewed a unit in Denton and quickly began renovating it

Over the course of three months, the former military storage facility had become a dog's dream and was able to open as the business' venue in January of this year.

Megan added: "It really was an empty shell. Nick was self-employed at the time doing kitchen design and he'd leave work at 2pm then be at the unit until late just to make sure it was all done and ready.

"He pretty much built it all from the ground up while I carried on with the dog grooming over the Christmas period, which is one of the busiest times of the year in this job."

She had also contacted The Prince's Trust, who gave her lots of help and guidance in regard to contractors and reading through all of the intricate documents.

More information about Happy Houndz can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/happyhoundzdenton?fbclid=IwAR2KXTvjF5W0EFbzCiwiB26cmkhS0XkqRrHw-FOymv7EXatMeDNOcpfypaU_aem_AcZpqxgzVlecEODEr2X0nOqtK6eWZovqg6gTRVaHFWyewo3ZU7fR5SU_EuCNQDAKm1xmdgrpogD7riw31VqZAGWG.