A woman from Scotland is making up to Rs 30,000 every single day after turning her love for dogs and weddings into a chaperone business. Originally hailing from Edinburgh, 24-year-old Oliva Thomson used to walk dogs for cash during her lunch breaks as an admin assistant. She then headed off to travel to South East Asia and Australia last November and there she realised her love for dogs and weddings.
When she came back she was figuring out what she wanted to do and discovered that she had an obsession with weddings and being around dogs made her happiest. The 24-year-old always wanted to be a wedding planner but due to her lack of expertise found it difficult to acquire a position in the business.
She accepted a position as an event sales assistant at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. It is there that she gained experience with weddings. Olivia decided to leave and launch her dog chaperone business, combining her obsession with weddings and love of dogs after three weeks of joining the position.
She said, “You could have dogs at the botanical gardens.” ‘Who is looking after the dogs?’ I wondered. “I realized that dogs bring me the most joy, and I adore weddings.”
Olivia named her dog chaperone business – the Dog Lady – and has now attended four weddings since June. She even walked a pup up the aisle.
She is on hand to walk the dog beforehand, help with capturing pet photos and provide care for the dog during the wedding day and charges around earning around £300 (around Rs 30,000) for the day and customises her service for each bride and groom.
Olivia meets with couples who are getting ready to get married before their big day to find out whatever she needs to know for instance see the dog’s behaviour, and understand their needs. Olivia has bookings until 2026 and enjoys seeing the brides in their wedding gowns and seeing the different sites.
“So far, every dog has been well-behaved. I’m looking forward to the day when they aren’t,” she remarked.
