An app aiming to be the "one-stop shop" for dog owners has raised more than £150,000 in crowdfunding investment.
K9 Nation was launched six years ago by entrepreneur Becky Baker after she got her cockapoo, Buddy. After realising there was a lot to learn about raising and keeping a pet, she found that there was no single site or platform where dog owners could get all the information they need.
After spotting this gap in the market Ms Baker, from Tingley, West Yorkshire, decided to set up K9 Nation to help dog lovers find everything they need.
She said: "I got my dog, Buddy, six years ago but I was a single paw-rent and I was working full time and he is a breed that needed regular grooming.
"I needed a lot of information.
"One of my bugbears is going on a country walk and not being able to find out which pubs are dog-friendly. There was nothing that had all the information I needed in one place.
"I decided I wanted to do something with the business. All the validation in the market was screaming at me that this was something people wanted to sign up for. I signed up for a business accelerator programme right at the start of lockdown. I did some angel pitching events and I got some seeding and that allowed us to completely overhaul the tech."
K9 Nation is now a working app that can be downloaded on Android from the Google Play Store and on iOS from the Apple App Store.
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The platform provides everything a dog owner needs to look after their pet, including user recommended walks and reviews, articles from experts, and lists of dog events in your local area. It also provides a directory of doggy products and services available near you.
The company has now raised £150,000 on crowdfunding investment site Crowdcube, which Ms Baker plans to use to grow the business over the next year.
K9 Nation's crowdfunding campaign comes to an end at midnight on Thursday, April 8, and after hitting its goal the company is now overfunding. It means that those that want to invest and own a share of the business still have time to do so.
Explaining what it meant to hit the crowdfunding target, Ms Baker said: "It's a really nice surprise. We were set for a big push over the last 36 hours. We have hit that target and it is all about over funding now. £150,000 was the target bit if we could hit £200,000 or £250,000 it would be wonderful and open up the scope for what we can do with the business.
"Depending on the final amount it will give the business a runway of 12 to 18 months. We will be working to prove that traction model, particularly looking at the Yorkshire region.
"We will have some key hires to continue the development of the app and the marketing."
The cash injection will allow Ms Baker to make her first permanent hires and depending on the total amount raised she will be looking to recruit between three to five new members of staff. She will be looking for developers and marketing specialists that can help improve the platform and market it to new users.
Those wishing to invest in the business can do so by pledging to the company's .