New Vet Practice and ‘Doggy Hotel’ planned for south Perthshire
20 February 2026
Development will bring 17 new full-time jobs
One man’s obsession with our treasured four-legged companions could bring new jobs, a new veterinary practice and a luxury ‘doggie hotel’ to south Perthshire.
Charlie Thorburn started Mordor Gundogs 23 years ago by training the dogs of friends and sporting colleagues on an ad hoc basis.
Since then, he has turned his personal passion into a global business, training over 10 000 dogs in 37 countries and attracting an audience of 1 million viewers per month to his dog training YouTube channel.
Expansion
Now, Mordor Gundogs is looking to expand from its existing 4-hectare Craighead Farm site near Dunning and has purchased Craigrossie Quarry between Aberuthven and Auchterarder for its ambitious new Dog Ranch blueprint.
Plans are currently sitting with Perth and Kinross Council with hopes that approval can be granted and work can get underway in April.
If permissions are given, and when complete, the 33-hectare brownfield site formerly used for sand and gravel will sustain over 30 jobs and will also provide much-needed new veterinary services for the 15 000 people in surroundings towns and villages.
Furthermore, new boarding and luxury kennels will be part of the vision, meeting a demand which has grown with increased dog ownership since lockdown.
Charlie at the site of where new accommodation will be builtQuality Development
Mordor has enlisted Ristol Consulting, who were involved in the planning for extensions to the House of Bruar and its Ballinluig logistics centre.
The quarry site, once restored, will house high quality kennels for Gundogs and pups, as well as boarding and luxury kennels for all kinds of dogs.
There will be a 100m2 indoor training arena, reception and service buildings, a 560m2 Vet Practice, 4 staff cottages and a timber-clad Student Accommodation range.
For years, Mordor has enjoyed a relationship with veterinary schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, taking students to do vocational work as part of their qualifications.
“We will have a dedicated team to look after the boarding dogs,” said Charlie, who started the business originally, doing everything on his own.
“The gundog kennel is going to be designed differently from our current one, but similar in size, and the boarding kennel will be the same again, so we are instantly doubling our capacity for boarding. It will have its own team of dedicated staff so that our trainers can focus on training.
“The on-site vet practice will be good for Auchterarder, which doesn’t have a vet, and neither do the villages around about, places like Dunning, Forgandenny, Forteviot, Muthil or Methven.
“We won’t be doing large animal veterinary work, at this point, but we will cater for dogs and cats. The Gundog kennels will be of traditional style while the ‘doggy hotel’ will be great for the pet and older dogs.”
The quarry site is currently being restored‘Outgrown’
Overlooked by the hill, Craig Rossie, the scenic quarry site is being restored, ahead of the final planning decision. If the green light is given, it will be transformed to 80 acres of mixed grassland, scrub and lochans, with dogs being trained where machines currently sit.
There will be demonstration and event areas and all public and staff buildings will be powered by solar panels and air source heat pumps. Car parking will be available on-site, with EV chargers and the access junction from the B8062 will be upgraded.
“We have basically outgrown our current site,” says Charlie. “This will diversify and expand an existing business which already brings a lot of business tourism to the area and will provide value to the local community.”
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