‘Appy days!

Working full time as a veterinarian in Castlewellan, Dr Olivia Clark is well aware of the amount of harmful information even the best-intentioned dog owners can consume on the internet.

However, rather than simply despair at the way people take the words they read online as gospel, Dr Olivia, who owns a three-year-old dalmatian Mango, and an eight-year-old cross breed Dala, decided to fight back.

The Fife native set about producing an app full of evidence-based tips and activities designed to ensure your dog’s health is maintained throughout its life.

“More often than not the foolish advice dished out on the internet can be very harmful for your dog and the more I was seeing of it, the more frustrated I was getting,” said Dr Olivia.

“It is quite annoying to know there are well intentioned people out there reading this information and treating it as gospel, so I wanted to ensure they had the ability to get the correct information in their hands just as easily.

“That’s the main reason I decided to launch Pluto Pets. I want this app to be the place you can go if you are unsure about any aspect of your dog’s health and know you are getting quality advice.

“It is a trustworthy resource and provides users with a one stop shop for all their dog’s needs.

Pluto Pets is available now on Google Play and Apple’s app store. It allows users to store information about their dog including their weight and medical history.

It also provides expert diet advice approved by leading UK small animal nutritionists and behaviour guidance ‘Behavet’ an expert team of veterinarian animal behaviourists.

Users will also find helpful topics like travelling with your pet, pet insurance and even support groups you can contact to cope with their loss or any medical conditions they have.

While Dr Olivia invested her own money in the project to get the prototype off the ground, she soon realised she would need a loan to deliver the final build and was guided in the direction of the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.

The programme provides government-backed personal loans to individuals looking to start or grow a business in the UK.

In addition to finance, successful applicants receive 12 months of free mentoring and access to business resources to help them succeed. The loan is unsecured so there is no need to put forward any assets or guarantors to support an application.

All owners or partners in a business can individually apply for up to £20,000 each, with a maximum of £100,000 available per business.

Dr Olivia said: “I borrowed £15,000 from the Start Up Loans programme and I would really recommend it to anyone.

“It was organised through Enterprise NI. The team were incredibly easy to work with, they were very quick to respond and took the time to ask questions to really get to know my business and offer support where they could.

“Throughout the entire process I only spoke with two people. One person to discuss the application and the other for the entire application process.

“They followed up with me to find out how everything was going and were incredibly helpful throughout. It was never a case of me chasing them and I honestly couldn’t have asked for more support.”

While she will be satisfied if the minimum the app achieves is to give her clients, and others, a resource to help them look after their dogs, Dr Olivia remains eager to see the app grow.

“Pluto Pets is very much my side business, I started it for me and while I’m happy to have gotten this far, I’m delighted with the number of businesses that are already supporting the app.

“We have introduced a points system that you can use to reduce the price of products you buy from retailers including Hause of Hank, Spotty Paws NI and Woof Box.

“It is essentially a reward for ensuring your dog’s health is maintained. There are different tiers of discount, and you can treat your dog as a reward for keeping on top of their health needs.”

Enterprise NI CEO, Michael McQuillan said the organisation is delighted to be supporting Pluto Pets and will help Dr. Clark on every step of her entrepreneurial journey.

He said: At Enterprise NI, we're committed to supporting entrepreneurs like Dr. Olivia Clark, who are passionate about making a real difference in their communities.

“Alongside the Start Up Loan, Olivia can access mentoring and guidance through the programme. Pluto Pets is a fantastic example of how businesses in Northern Ireland can access our support to grow and thrive.

“We look forward to watching Pluto Pets grow and providing relevant support, guidance, and signposting to Olivia throughout her entrepreneurial journey. Enterprise NI are committed to providing the right support at the right time to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners.”

To find out more about how a Start Up Loan can help you realise your ambition of starting your own business visit www.startuploans.co.uk. To find out more about Pluto Pets and Olivia Clark’s story visit http://www.plutopets.co.uk