Highwood Boarding Kennels
SMALL BUSINESS
The tail of a website rescue for a local dog kennel
How a local dog boarding business went from two websites that they couldn't update to a simple solution that works.
The problem
Highwood Boarding Kennels is a well-established local business near Uttoxeter offering dog boarding, daycare, and grooming. Owner David Warrington had a WordPress website - two of them, actually, one for the kennels and a separate one for the grooming side of the business.
The company that managed them had gone quiet and refused to respond to update requests.
That left David in the worst possible position: a business that depended on its website for enquiries and bookings, but no way to update it, fix it, or get any help when something went wrong. The site was out of date, confusing for customers, and entirely outside his control.
On top of that, the enquiry forms were clunky - asking existing customers to fill in all their dogs’ details again just to check availability. The kind of friction that sends someone straight to a competitor.
The challenge
David needed more than a new website. He needed to not be in this situation ever again.
That meant a platform his staff could actually manage themselves, without needing to call a developer every time a price changed or a service needed updating. It meant bringing the two separate sites together into one, because running two websites for one business is an unnecessary cost with unnecessary complexity. And it meant fixing the customer experience so that enquiring about availability didn’t feel like applying for a mortgage.
What we did
RESCUED AND REBUILT ON WIX
We moved both sites from WordPress to Wix and consolidated them into a single, well-structured website. One login. One monthly management. One place for customers to find everything Highwood offers. The separate grooming site was retired and the content brought into the main site properly.
STAFF TRAINING SO THE TEAM OWNS IT
We trained Highwood’s staff to manage the site themselves. Pricing changes, service updates, seasonal information - all handled in-house now but with our team on hand if they need us.
ONGOING SUPPORT
We provide monthly website management so David has a real, reachable point of contact. Since relaunch, Highwood has also moved their bookings to a purpose-built kennel booking system that integrates with the site, giving even greater automation for customers and less admin for the team.
The result
Since relaunch, Highwood has seen a clear increase in both enquiries and bookings. The site is easier to use for customers and easier to manage for staff. David has gone from being locked out of his own digital presence to having full control of it.
Bringing two sites into one also simplified the business’s online footprint and reduced ongoing costs. There’s now one clear home for everything Highwood does - boarding, daycare, and grooming. Customers can find what they need without jumping between sites, which is super important as grooming is often an add-on to boarding packages!
Why it worked
The previous situation was a classic hostage scenario. David’s digital presence was technically his, but practically owned by a supplier who’d stopped communicating. It’s more common than it should be and it’s genuinely awful for a small business that can’t afford for things to go wrong and not get fixed.
The solution wasn’t just a new website. It was giving David back control of the platform, the content, the costs, and who he calls when he needs something done. That’s what a website should feel like to own.
