Reptile, bird and ‘small furries’ owners no longer have to worry about find pet babysitters when they next go away. 

Wags and Whiskers has opened its doors in Colne, after moving from Barrowford and undergoing a rebrand from its previous name of Barrowford Pet Store. 

Its local customers have followed suit, with those living in Preston, Clitheroe and Keighley travelling to Colne to book their beloved pets in for a hotel stay. 

As well as the pet hotel, Wags and Whiskers – which is owned by Alison – sells everything you can think of for pets, and stocks specialist food brands such as Symply, Canagan, Acana and CSJ. Customers have been known to travel from Harrogate to stock up. 

It may only be a short move from Barrowford into Colne, but Alison explains it has made the world of difference. 

“We started looking for an alternative premises in January and Albert Road seemed a great location for a pet shop, with parking outside our door and lots of passing trade in cars and by foot. 

“Colne is definitely a town which looks after its businesses, and we were excited to become part of a bustling community, especially on the special days held throughout the year. It also gave us the chance to be part of Colne BID, which hosts great family events in the town. We wanted to be part of that community, as well as become a part of a great variety of shops and businesses.” 

As well as the pet hotel, Wags and Whiskers offers nail clipping and grooming for guinea pigs and rabbits. It complements the dog grooming at nearby business Pet Angels – with the two female-led businesses both sharing the same unit in Barrowford and moving to Colne’s Albert 

Road at a similar time. And for those with cats, Alison and her team can do home visits too when owners are away. 

“Now they are just down the road, we continue to recommend them and vice versa,” Alison adds. 

Wedding dresses, cakes and tattoos(!) 

Aside from being back close to Pet Angels and a location with busy footfall and parking, Alison is pleased for another reason – tattoos! 

“I love going to Chosen by Jessica for special gifts and a cheeky cake and coffee. Saintz and Dragonz is full of so many things to catch the eye. I bought my wedding dress from Emma Hartley Bridalwear, the ladies in there are so lovely. Blood Sweat and Tattoos have become our family tattooist!” she laughs. 

“My pets are registered with Stanley House and we get a lot of people bringing their dogs down for a treat after their appointment. I’m proud that we serve ‘stinky treats’ aka natural ones. We are also very excited that Blondie Brownie have teamed up with Turners, I just need to find time to go for my favourite treat.”