About the Client
Doodley Dogs was a first of it’s kind dog day care creche based in West Sussex, offering owners a place where their dogs could spend the day, socialise and exercise under the care of an experienced team. Amy & Jane Hatcher envisaged a franchising model which operated in four locations across Sussex.
The approach centred on helping each dog feel comfortable and confident. Dogs were introduced gradually to the surroundings and to one another, giving them time to settle before joining the wider group in the main arena.
Tektonic first worked with Doodley Dogs as a startup in 2009, designing its original branding and website. The business became part of the Pets Corner Group in 2014 and continued operating until its closure in April 2025.
What the Client Needed
When Doodley Dogs first came to Tektonic, they needed help giving a new business its identity. The branding and website needed to introduce the service, explain how the day care centre worked and give owners confidence in the people looking after their dogs. We worked with the team to bring those elements together, creating a foundation for the business as it launched in 2009.
As the business developed, the requirements extended beyond its public-facing website. Running day care across several branches meant staff needed a practical way to manage bookings, maintain records for the dogs in their care and keep track of pass purchases and payments.
We designed and built a bespoke dog reference and booking system around those day-to-day needs. It gave staff a straightforward way to enter, securely store and retrieve information, with an emphasis on keeping administration to a minimum and leaving more time for the dogs and their owners.
The management team also needed to make use of the information being recorded. We incorporated bespoke reports into the system, allowing company data to be accessed and analysed when required, supporting oversight of the business across its branches.
From the original branding and website to the systems supporting daily operations, Doodley Dogs needed technology that fitted the way the business worked. Our role was to understand the practical requirements and turn them into tools that staff could use confidently as the business grew.
From design to maintenance, Tektonic have held our hands! We first met Karen and Tim when we enlisted their skills to build our website. A few years later we contacted them with a complicated challenge… a bespoke database system that could be used by anyone, with any level of technical skills! They created the dream system! They listened and they worked with us and we now have a system that our business relies on. We are able to "check in" customers daily (with a visit timer letting us know the amount chargeable), access historic records and contact information and run a variety of reports. The system also has credit information and lets us know when a customer is running low! Thanks to their creation we have been able to grow our business in and the technology in the background has kept up! If we ever have any problems or a new idea they are at the end of the phone, on email or "pop in" (which involves a 2 hour drive!). We can't imagine working with anyone else for our systems and would recommend them a thousands times over!