A Perthshire woman who dropped out of a maths degree to become a vet has opened her first practice in Dunkeld.
Nicole Robertson runs The Dunkeld Vet, based in Cally Industrial Estate.
She explained how after initially pursuing a maths degree, she decided to go down a different path.
“I did a year of a maths degree. One day I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore and I wanted to become a vet.
“Then I went to The Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, but I was back home almost every weekend.”
Despite moving away for university, Nicole knew she always wanted to return to Perthshire.
“I always knew I wanted to come back here. It is the perfect place to live, to work and to raise a family.
“There’s everything on offer here and if it’s not on your doorstep it’s hardly a stone’s throw away.
“After I finished my studies, I worked in Perth, then moved on to be a locum vet.
“Last summer decided I could get a team together of people I knew to open our own independent practice.”
Capitalising on a gap in Perthshire market
There was, Nicole felt, a need for a vets in Dunkeld.
She said: “There’s not a vet immediately near here so there’s definitely a gap in the market.
“There was a vet here before – about six or seven years ago – but they closed and there’s never been a vet in Dunkeld since.
“We heard locally that people wanted something local.”
The mum-of-two and husband David then set about finding start-up business loans to make their dream a reality.
“Given everything going on in the world, that was daunting but everyone was really positive about what we’re trying to do and about the business plan,” she said.
Early success for The Dunkeld Vet
Nicole admitted running the business alongside looking after her two young children can be a challenge.
But she’s pleased with the success of the business to date.
“We’re really pleased – it has been really well received and we’ve had super feedback.
“We have got 300 people on our books at the moment and at this stage, the more the merrier.
“Everyone seems to be really positive. Long may it continue.”
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