An animal lover fulfilled a long-held dream of owning a pet store when he opened the doors to Gary’s Pro Pets last week.

Gary Reekie welcomed customers to the store in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and already it is proving to be a big hit.

After the first day, Gary said on the store’s Facebook page: “What an absolutely amazing opening! We sold loads. It was so great to meet you all and have your support.”

And Gary, who runs the store with wife llana, told Pet Trade Xtra he was pleased with the response from the local community and that the first week’s trade had been “very good”.

Kirkcaldy-born Gary admitted it was great to offer a vital service to his local community. He has given up a career as an IT analyst in the finance industry to fulfil his ambition but believes he’s done the right thing. 

Customers praised Gary on social media with comments like:

• “Thankyou for all our goodies. Dog is loving all her new chews and demolished the cupcake. See you again next week.”
• “Congrats on getting your first successful day done! Sure it’ll go from strength to strength from here!”
• “Well done both of you! Russell enjoyed his yummy treats.”
• “Great seeing you both today and thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know how Bruno gets on with his new food.”