ACORNS alumni Agnes Stawosz has taken her experiences in the hospitality industry to create her new business Dogville, a luxury dog boarding and grooming service based outside Cork City.
Polish-born Agnes Stawosz moved to Ireland over 25 years ago to work in a luxury hotel in Killarney.
Now she’s taking her experiences in the hospitality industry to create her new business Dogville, a luxury dog boarding and grooming service based outside Cork City.
“I plan to expand Dogville further by developing luxury dog beds made from upcycled materials, including hotel duvets and high-quality fabric offcuts”
She is a graduate of the ACORNS rural women entrepreneurship programme. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme, generating 60 jobs. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
Paws a while
In 2007, Agnes opened her own restaurant, however during the recession, her business began to struggle and she closed, having established it as a well-loved part of the community.
After some time working on the renovation and subsequent opening of an old local pub and apartments, Agnes decided to give hospitality another go, this time opening her own café.
A keen learner, she completed a dog grooming course locally during Covid. In this, she found a new passion and soon began grooming dogs for friends and neighbours, building up a loyal customer base who began asking if she could look after their dogs while they were on holidays, but her city home didn’t have the space required.
Unwilling to give up on the opportunity, Agnes sold her house and bought a property in the countryside with large gardens, offering home boarding for dogs, while still running her café. With an increase in demand, she sold her café and dedicated her time to her new business.
Today she offers a range of quality services including grooming, walking and luxury accommodation at the Dog Pavillion, a home extension designed specifically for dogs.
With Dogville already fully booked for Summer 2026, Agnes credits the ACORNS programme with helping her reflect on lessons learned from previous ventures while giving her the confidence, knowledge, and support network to scale her business successfully.
“I value the strong friendships and connections I built through the programme.
“Looking ahead, I plan to expand Dogville further by developing luxury dog beds made from upcycled materials, including hotel duvets and high-quality fabric offcuts.
“Early prototypes are already being used in the Dog Pavilion, combining sustainability with the comfort and luxury that have become synonymous with the Dogville brand.”
Do you have what it takes to join ACORNS?
Applications have opened for ACORNS 12, the next phase of the programme for early-stage female business founders.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
ACORNS 12 will run from October 2026 to April 2027 and is open to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023. Up to 50 places are available. Participation is free of charge, supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of Lead Entrepreneurs from across rural Ireland.
This year’s Lead Entrepreneurs include Alison Ritchie of Polar Ice, Geraldine Jones of Skin Formulas, Karen Kerrigan of Kerrigan’s Mushrooms, Larissa Feeney of Kinore, Mary B Walsh of Ire Wel Pallets, Orla Leahy of Ireland Chauffeur Travel and Triona MacGiolla Rí of Aró Digital Strategies.
To apply, click here
Eligibility Criteria for participation on ACORNS
To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must:
- Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023 or be actively planning a new venture and have made good progress towards getting the new venture off the ground. Indicators of actively planning a business would include organising the start-up team, sourcing equipment / facilities, money saved for the start-up, writing the business plan, etc.
- They must own or part-own the business and be living in a rural area, that is in an area outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
- If selected, applicants must be available to attend the launch Forum and first round table session on October 19 and 20, 2026.
- They must expect to become an employer within three years.
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