MAIN PHOTO: Olivia Dube (left) and Beth May are the co-owners of Roaming Rovers. The two Grade 12 LHS students formed a partnership to revive the business, which had closed in Sept. 2019. (Olivia Dube photo)
FLETCHERS LAKE: The love of working with dogs has led two young Fall River women to become partners of a popular Fletchers Lake dog boarding and daycare business.
Beth May and Olivia Dube, both Lockview High Grade 12 students, have always had a passion for what they have done during the past four years as employees at Roaming Rovers, located on Holland Road in Fletchers Lake.
When the business closed in September 2019, it was a blow. The two said the job was more than an average job to them both. It is owned and operated by Joanne Pullin, who remains involved in the new venture. Dube and May are partners.
“We genuinely lost a huge part in our lives when Roaming Rovers closed its doors,” said Dube.
“We simply weren’t ready to let it go,” added May, 18.
The two initially began volunteering at Roaming Rovers when they were just 15-years-old.
“We quickly fell in love with working with dogs and were devastated with the news that Roaming Rovers was closing,” said Dube. “Beth worked a few odd jobs throughout the months the kennel was closed though never found one that she held a strong passion for like she had for Roaming Rovers.”
That’s when the two began sorting out ideas to open their own dog kennel in the future.
“We reached out to Joanne to set up a meeting to talk about all factors and considerations we would need,” said Dube, 17. “After a long talk and many further meetings, we decided to re-open Roaming Rovers.”
Why did they want to take on such a huge venture given their young ages, and that both were in Grade 12 at Lockview?
“We’ve always loved what we’ve done here and knew we could bring new ideas and such to the table, as now we were able to be our own boss,” said May.
Dube and May aren’t just dog lovers.
“Though we both do love cats, we do have to admit that we love dogs more,” said Dube with a smile. “We have always been animal lovers.”
Dube attended Atlantic Veterinary College located in Prince Edward Island in 2016 for a summer program as she always knew she wanted to work with animals and hoped to grow her knowledge on veterinary medicine.
Roaming Rovers provides services such as: Dog Boarding, Dog Daycare, Off-Leash Hikes, Dog Grooming, and Training. Their hours for all pick-ups and drop-offs are Monday – Friday: 7am – 8:30 a.m. & 4-7 p.m.; Saturday’s & Sunday’s: 8-10 a.m. & 4-6 p.m.
What does it mean to the two to have part-owner after their names?
“It definitely means a lot to us, being as young as we are and entrepreneurs,” said May. “We are definitely both mature for our age, and although we knew this was going to be a big step for us, coming in and taking ownership to a business, we knew we could handle it and succeed to our best ability.”
When news broke that Roaming Rovers would reopen, the community responded in droves of well wishes and support for their endeavour.
“We are so thankful for the amazing community we live in for supporting our business and us as young entrepreneurs,” said May. “We are truly overwhelmed by all the love and support we have received.”
The two hope their story can inspire other young people their age to follow their dreams and become entrepreneurs.
“Anything is possible if you really put the time and effort into it,” said Dube.
Roaming Rovers is located at 265 Holland Road in Fletchers Lake. They can be reached at 902-497-5191 or by Email: info@roamingrovers.ca.
