Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Living in an area so connected with nature, it’s no surprise that many Tamborine residents keep animals of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, these furry friends need a vacation of their own. That’s where Shari Hughes comes in: operating Tamborine Pet Farmstay since 2015, she shares with us what our four-legged friends can expect from some R&R with her.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How did you come to open the farmstay?
I absolutely love animals. Because I couldn’t pursue my other ambition and earn a decent income in performing arts, which I did professionally in the UK, I decided I really wanted to be independent and work for myself, and have land. I thought perhaps I could have a couple of cows and make money that way, but I can’t kill cows, I’d just end up having more pets. I kept rescuing animals, and so I thought I’ll do a farmstay. I managed to set up a B&B in the house, I got approval from the council to do that.
For those who might not understand, can you describe what you do here?
Basically, it’s a place where dogs can come to stay while their owners are on holidays, or have a safe place to stay … It’s accommodation for dogs for various reasons. Plus doggy day care for people going to work, or dogs that need socialising to stop pet separation anxiety, or general socialising. Pampering, clipping, grooming, hydrotherapy. That’s the dog side of it, that’s all-encompassing. There’s a short term horse agistment, no more than 3 or 4 weeks. People can bring their dogs here, their horses, their birds and guinea pigs… Someone brought a sheep! All sorts. People who are travelling with horses, they can stay here in the B&B and have their horses in the yard. Next on my list is a cattery.
You sell retail products too, and you note that you sell and use Royal Canin food exclusively here. Why is that?
Yes, at the moment it is just Royal Canin. I have looked at Hills, they were quite keen on jumping on board and doing a whole package with hydrotherapy. Some people want to bring their own food, which is fine. Royal Canin has a lot of research behind it, it’s been around a long time, a lot of vets approve of it, and there’s good support, they have a diet person onboard that I can ring at their office in Victoria. Basically, I’ve found that the food is not comprised of lots of fillers, more nourishment is ingested.
What kind of facilities do you have here?
They have their own rooms, their own little courtyard, their own TVs, listening to jazz or other music, I’ve got a proper hydro bath and a pool with a copper and silver ionisation system for hydrotherapy, where the dogs are put on a little crane and they can wear little life jackets, and they are doing non-weight-bearing exercise for rehabilitation and fun.
Do dogs really like TV?
Actually, yes! My Great Dane loves David Attenborough. A lot of them do watch it. Sometimes it’s just for the background and voices.
You also do home visits, correct?
Yes, I don’t stay in the homes, I just go and let the dogs out of the house in the morning, put them back in at night, feed them, check on the hens, ducks, birds, whatever animals they might have, put bins out if need be, do a quick security check. People are happy because they know I’ve got an established business, they trust me in their home, it’s not like I’m somebody that they don’t know where I come from. It makes them feel secure. I send little updates letting them know everything is fine.
Have you ever had any problems with the animals not getting along?
Not all animals get along, it’s not like you see in the videos where they’re all slo-mo running through the paddocks with their hair floating in the breeze. I get to know the dogs here because they’re all regulars. Also, on the form, I have an ‘about your dog’ section. I like people to be honest. If I’m not sure, I’ll ask the owners. “Will your dog pin down another dog, go for the jugular, draw blood and not let go?” It doesn’t mean their dog won’t have a good time with me, it just means that everyone’s going to be safe.
Do you work with any vets?
I do work closely with the local vets. There’s a mobile vet, and there’s the others on the mountain and in Yarrabilba and Canungra. On the booking form, the owners do put the names of their vets, but I know mine are always at hand if there’s anything I need.
What’s an average work day for you look like?
My days are a minimum of fifteen hours, normally. I’m down in the kennels not long after 5am, the dogs will be let out, put in, fed, and I’ll go let them out one-by-one and tidy their rooms. Then the day will be made up of clipping, hydrotherapy, bush walks, home visits, grooming… whatever the chores are, plus maintaining the acreage. It’s a long day!
Do you find there are any particular trends in your human clientele?
They’re all quite a mixture, really. Different types of dogs, different occupations… The only trend is that there’s a lot that do rescue animals from shelters. My clients are really beautiful people who really want the best for their dogs. The trend is good hearts.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
I think what I enjoy most is the animals being happy, and the rewards from that. I’ve had a couple of anxious-type dogs in the past couple of days. What I enjoy most is when I make breakthroughs with them. Once I had this dog come in that was growling and lunging at me. The owner took the muzzle off and left. By the end of the stay, I’d managed to clear up its skin problem and it was licking my face.
Was there anything else you’d like to go on the record?
Just that it’s easiest to reach us through our Facebook page, at Tamborine Pet Farmstay.
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, email your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.
