Van Progress..

So here it is... finally!! Now as I have said in the previous blogs, this took some getting and for me it is perfect and was well worth the wait! It has taken many weekends and changes in my schedule to get this to a working van, thanks to my partner who has spent much more time doing the work on it than I have really - I was there doing the odd bits and bobs where I could but without him there is no way I could have had the van the way I imagined it to be. So big shout out to him for the work and the weekends and the stress! 

We bought the van and went straight to my partners unit, we started straight away painting the sides and putting some carpet down just to make it look a bit nicer - the van was an old painters van so had paint all over it so it needed it for sure. This is how it has been since we started until we could really decide on the layout and how I wanted it. I also did a lot of research for what the van needed to be secure and safe but also follow all the laws when traveling with dogs - this was a mind field!! But we finally decided on a plan and we got to it.. 

When we saw the van, I loved the idea of having the dogs separate to the front because if any of the dogs were like Ruby she hates being able to see you and not get to you so I thought it would work really well. This turned out to be a pain in the ... anyway, to get the van ventilated thoroughly I of course needed to buy a vent, not an issue - found one I thought would be good, got someone to check it and got it ordered.. we waited patiently for this to come and then cracked straight on when it arrived. This was our first small issue we had, we was unable to fit the vent because of how the van roof is, it would have meant cutting a hole in the roof and hoping we could secure it properly with no leaks etc, not a risk I wanted to take so instead I decided what we will do is remove the board that sections the back and the front and use the front as a natural vent.. it would allow the AC to get through the whole van and also allow any warmth to go to the back on the real cold days. This would be done by having the front and back of the cages would have mesh on, good ventilation and also I could see the dogs are safe in the back. Also which is a bonus would be removing any wet dog smell from the van nice and quickly. (You will notice this has not been removed yet but that is being done very soon before I use the van for group walks, for now it is still back to solo). 

We did a B&Q run, bought all the materials and started getting the shape of the van and putting our plan together. My partner worked so hard and some things needed adjusting but we got there. We spent the weekend building it all and putting it all together. Then we realised we had forgot a very important item that needed to be put on before it was used - locks for the doors! We called it a day as we was tired and went home, my partner went to get the locks the following day. We then had plans for the weekend which meant it had to be put on hold so it hasn't been in use for the most part. 

Finally this weekend we finished it (almost)- during the wait we actually lost 2 of the bolts for the cage doors!! but he managed to make a latch which I like to say makes it look like it's a giant rabbit hut haha. We got the doors on and the meshing on which finalised it all. It looks so good and I am so so proud of my partner for making my vision come to life. We need to remove the panel from the front of the van then we are good to go!!! 

Next stages just to make it a bit more homely is some paint on the cages, add some liner to the bottom of the cages to avoid bad odour and easy clean up, if the dogs happen to go toilet in there, this will go under some sheets/bedding so the dogs are comfortable in the van when travelling. I have also got water bottles that connect onto the cages, which will make it look even more like a massive rabbit hutch, this will mean the doggos will always have water close even if only traveling a very short distance. The van eventually will allow me to offer more group walks and interaction with other dogs for them all to be socialised well. Also, means they will be able to go and visit new places more to get them experiencing new things, I am so excited for it all to come completely together! 

I am considering having the van sign written but I am still unsure as of yet - right now I am so busy that the extra advertising does not seem necessary but maybe I will do when my book becomes more free from offering group walks, still very unsure but feeling very very thankful that I have this decision to make in the first place. I could not be doing any of this without the trust in my clients. 

All I can say is I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT and I am so excited to start group walks safely and securely!!