'A bit of a blow': Life experiences spur Bec to start her own business

It was during a four-month trip around Australia with her dog, Reggie, that Ms Gould saw the growing need for doggy day cares.

Ultimutt opened its doors about five weeks ago and Ms Gould already has plans to expand the business' offerings.

Ms Gould was just 23 when her mum died in a car crash at Skipton in 2010.

"It was a single car accident. She fell asleep driving," she said.

"That was a bit of a blow being that young.

"We were just gearing up for her 50th birthday.

"I can remember the day exactly how it went. It's still burnt in my memory."

Not long after, she decided to move to Perth where she worked as a manager in a Telstra franchise and bought herself a house.

But about a year after she arrived in Perth she started to experience health issues and ended up being diagnosed with MS at a young age.

"My vision kept going quite strange. I'd be at work and all of a sudden I couldn't see properly," she said.

"It went on for quite a few months of going to hospitals and trying to find out what was going on."

She ended up in hospital over the AFL grand final weekend in 2013 while she waited for an MRI which couldn't be completed until the Monday - her 27^th birthday.

"They literally diagnosed me with MS on my birthday," she said. "They came in and gave me a little cupcake. They were really sweet."

While she was sick for a few months at first, she has "been really lucky" because she now doesn't show any symptoms after being on the same treatment for the past 10 years.

After all she has been through, said she had just learnt "you've just got to give it a crack".

"Even moving to Perth just after Mum died. You either stay here and do the same thing day in, day out or you go and give it a go. Same with travelling Australia. Same in this situation. You can't really sit around and just wait. You've just got to give it a go and see what happens," she said.

When Telstra bought back their franchises, she decided to travel around the top of Australia in her van with her dog. "It was just me and him," she said.

"I obviously couldn't go overseas with a dog.

"I kept running into the issue of no one to look after my dog. I just needed to do groceries and bits and pieces during the day.

"I just thought there should be more doggy day cares."

Ms Gould said she used to send Reggie twice a week to doggy day care in Perth when he was a puppy.

"I think it's really beneficial socialising dogs," she said.

She decided to move back to Warrnambool to be closer to family - her dad and brother helping with the fit out of her new business.

Mr Gould said Ultimutt catered not just for regular long-term clientele but also offered short-term stays for travellers passing through.

She said she had reached out to Airbnbs to let people know she offered the service to people holidaying in the area.

The former mechanics workshop at 799 Raglan Parade has been converted into two big pens and four little pens where dogs can go for a rest.

She also set up a photo booth with dress-ups and hats. "It's just something fun for clients to see their dogs are happy and looked after," Ms Gould said.

Next month she will open an undercover dog park so owners can bring their dogs for a play on the weekends when the weather is terrible outside. "We've got more stuff to make it interactive," she said.

She also has plans to do up the backyard with fake turf, fencing and shade cloths.

Ultimutt is open 8am to 6pm. But she said she also offered out-of-hours care looking after dogs on weekends or in the evenings for travellers who wanted to go out for dinner or a show.