As a neurodiverse female entrepreneur, I bring unmatched creativity, innovation, and dedication to rethinking small animal boarding. Your pets benefit from a retreat that’s always evolving to meet their needs, ignited by my love and expertise in their care.
WHY YOU & YOUR PET ARE IN THE VERY BEST HANDS
Hey, I'm Denise, I am the owner of our small animal boarding retreat, who with (a lot of) help from my husband Nathan and our 2 children, run it from our home in Ballinderry Lower, Co Antrim on the outskirts of Lisburn. A wonderfully quiet rural hamlet beside beautiful bird nature reserve Portmore Lough.
My spicy brain means when I need to find something out, I will find out EVERYTHING about the best way to do it…….best price, best value, best for the task etc…. No matter what it is. Animals are my absolute obsession, so when I was able to build my own boarding facility at our home……my ADHD brain kicked in so hard that it would be a shame not to share it all with you!
This business came about when my family and I (Denise) grew our own little animal family with bunnies, guineas, a hamster, dog and a cat. Whilst we could find places for our dog and cat to stay when we went away, we discovered that there is a severe lack of exemplary accommodation for these little furries in Northern Ireland. We really struggled to find anywhere that could cater to the unique needs of our small animals, or had the opportunities to provide a luxury stay for all of them.
With limited choices, we worried about them our entire holiday and couldn’t wait to pick them up again and it really affected our enjoyment of my holiday! Dogs and cats are easily catered for with facilities in abundance but there really was nothing of a high standard available for small animals.
So….we built it ourselves!
Welcome to Ballinderry Boarding, where the accommodation is so good, you may even want to stay yourself!
BALLINDERRY BOARDING small animal retreat
ABOUT US
2024/25 WINNER
PET SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR
SMALL ANIMAL BOARDING
Just 10 months after opening our doors in July 2023, we were nominated by our customers in 3 categories at the Northern Ireland Local Pet Awards. To be nominated alone was unbelievable, but to win 'Pet Specialist of the Year for Small Animal Boarding was just unreal!! Over bit of our heart & soul runs right through our business and we cannot thank our amazing customers enough for voting for us to win this prestigious award!
2025 FINALISTS
LISBURN & CASTLEREAGH CITY BUSINESS AWARDS
- EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD -
- INCLUSIVITY IN BUSINESS AWARD -
Winning sometimes isn’t all about the trophy!
The award night was an unbelievable experience — we were finalists in 2 categories
Excellence in Customer Service
Inclusivity Business Award
at the Lisburn & Castlereagh Business Awards
We didn’t take home a trophy, but honestly, being named a finalist alongside such amazing businesses was a huge win in itself.
It was a brilliant night — full of connection, celebration, and recognition. But here’s the part that’s not as easy to share…
As someone with hidden disabilities, the toll something like this takes is huge.
From the outside, everything might look perfectly fine — but the preparation, the social energy, the noise, the lights, the post-event fatigue — it all has a big impact. I live with conditions that affect me every single day, even though you might not see it.
I always want to do more than my body allows — and nights like this can take me weeks to recover from.
That’s the reality behind the scenes of running a small, heart-led business when your health doesn’t always keep up with your ambition
But to make it to the final of such a prestigious awards event…….I did everything I could to show up, get my face on, and walk arm in arm with my gorgeous hubby (how handsome does he look in his tux!) for a very rare night out!
For someone who almost didn’t go, I was there, feeling more proud than I can put into words.
Denise & Nathan xx
Our Small Animal Retreat was designed entirely by us, from concept to completion. Endless hours of research, planning, designing, ever evolving ideas to create the most wonderful environment for small animals.
We are aware that an individual, who previously used our services here in Ballinderry Boarding under false pretences, has attempted to replicate our unique design for financial gain.
While imitation may be flattering, this unauthorised replica lacks the originality, integrity and quality that we pride ourselves on every single day.
We want to spark creativity and to inspire others to design their own unique havens for their pets. While we encourage originality and personal expression, replicating our business for financial gain undermines the spirit of innovation and integrity that defines us.
We are so very proud to offer an experience to our customers and boarding guests that simply can't be replicated - and we can't wait to welcome you!
INTEGRITY IN EVERYTHING WE DO
