A heartwarming story about a Scottish Terrier, bubbles, kindness, and the importance of work-life balance from the owner of Caversham Café in Perth.
Finding Work-Life Balance Through Dogs, Community, and Unexpected Acts of Kindness
Running a café isn’t just a job.
For many small business owners, it becomes part of who you are.
The early mornings. The late nights. The ordering. The bookkeeping. The marketing. The social media. The staff management. The endless list of jobs that most people never see.
As the owner of Caversham Café (#CavCaff), I spend a lot of my time focused on serving our community, creating a welcoming space, and trying to build something special for the people of Caversham and Perth.
But every now and then, life reminds me that I need to step away from the coffee machine and the computer screen.
I need to be human too.
One of the ways I do that is by spending time with our two Cavoodles, Milo and Orio.
On Fridays after work, or on my day off, you’ll often find us at the local dog park alongside our neighbours Brad and Joanna and their two Cavoodles, Saffy and Maple.
For the dogs, it’s chaos.
For the humans, it’s therapy.
The dogs run.
They bark.
They chase each other.
And for an hour or two, the stresses of business ownership seem a little smaller.
Over the past couple of months, one particular visitor became a highlight of these trips.
A lady would arrive with her Scottish Terrier named Hartley.
At first glance, there wasn’t anything unusual.
Then she pulled out a bubble wand.
Hartley absolutely loved bubbles.
Not in a “that’s cute” kind of way.
In a full-blown, all-in, completely obsessed kind of way.
The giant bubbles would float across the park and Hartley would launch after them with complete determination.
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Then he’d sprint back for more.
Every single time.
Before long, she became known amongst the regular dog owners as “The Bubble Lady.”
Everyone was happy to see them arrive.
The dogs were curious.
The owners were smiling.
And Hartley was ready for another session of bubble-chasing madness.
Watching him became one of those simple pleasures that brightens your day without you even realising it.
Then Christmas rolled around.
Like most people, I was out shopping for gifts for the special people in my life when I stumbled across something unexpected.
A battery-operated bubble gun.
Immediately, I thought of Hartley.
The traditional bubble wand made large bubbles.
The bubble gun?
It produced hundreds of tiny bubbles every few seconds.
Tiny bubbles that travelled further.
Tiny bubbles that stayed in the air longer.
Tiny bubbles that would give a Scottish Terrier far more work to do.
So I bought it.
Not because I had to.
Not because it was expensive.
Simply because I thought Hartley would love it.
The next time it appeared at the dog park, I knew I’d made the right choice.
Hartley went absolutely ballistic.
He chased bubbles in every direction.
His back leg trembled with excitement.
And whenever his mum stopped to chat with someone, Hartley would nudge the bubble gun as if to say:
“Excuse me… I believe we’ve stopped making bubbles.”
The entire scene was hilarious.
But it was also a reminder.
What started as something that entertained me had turned into a thoughtful gift for a fellow dog lover.
Not because we were close friends.
Not because there was an occasion.
Simply because I’d noticed something that brought joy to someone else.
And maybe that’s something we don’t do enough these days.
We’re all busy.
We’re all rushing.
We’re all focused on our own challenges.
Yet sometimes the most meaningful gifts come from simply paying attention.
What This Has To Do With Caversham Café
You might be wondering why a café owner is writing about a Scottish Terrier and a bubble gun.
The answer is simple.
Because this is life.
And life is what Caversham Café has always been about.
Yes, we serve coffee.
Yes, we serve breakfast and lunch.
But what we’ve really tried to build since opening on September 1st, 2023, is a place where community matters.
A place where people know each other’s names.
A place where conversations happen.
A place where stories are shared.
A place where we remember that behind every customer, every business owner, every parent, every retiree, and every dog owner is a real person.
Running a café can sometimes make people think you’re always “on.”
Always available.
Always working.
Always smiling.
But the truth is that café owners need balance too.
We need time with family.
We need time with friends.
We need time with our dogs.
We need moments that remind us why we’re working so hard in the first place.
For me, one of those moments was watching Hartley lose his mind over a cloud of bubbles.
It’s a small story.
But it’s one that made me smile.
And sometimes, that’s enough.
Final Thoughts
Life doesn’t always ask us to do more.
Sometimes it asks us to notice more.
To slow down.
To appreciate the simple things.
To give without expecting anything in return.
And to make time for the people, pets, and moments that matter most.
Because one day you’ll forget the emails, the invoices, and the to-do lists.
But you’ll probably remember the Scottish Terrier chasing bubbles across a dog park with complete and utter joy.
And honestly?
That’s a pretty good reminder of what life is all about.
Caversham Café (#CavCaff) is a community-focused café in Caversham, Western Australia, proudly serving great coffee, fresh meals, and creating a welcoming space where locals can connect, relax, and share life’s stories.
Sip, Sit, Smile and Stay a While.