WESTFORD -- It was "purr-fect" timing for Deirdre "Dee" Vigeant. The owner of a pet-grooming facility in Westford always wanted to offer boarding, however she was limited due to space. Then eight months ago, her landlord approached her after another business in the mill complex on Broadway Road in the Graniteville section of town closed its doors.

"We didn't have a lot of room. I had my doubts with the small area. Then it all worked out," said Vigeant a Methuen resident.

The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a use variance Wednesday to allow Dee's Purr-Fect Pet Spa to provide overnight dog and cat boarding. Town Planner Ross Altobelli says he has two weeks to write the decision and submit it to the town clerk. After that, there is a 20-day period where neighbors and abutters can appeal.

The ZBA finally granted Vigeant the permit after she initially submitted it last October. Ross said the board made a number of conditions including limiting the number of overnight boarding dogs to 17 and cats to eight and requiring a person on site 24 hours if pets are in the kennel. If there are 10 or more animals boarding, they are required to have two employees there. The permit also requires monthly inspections by the town's animal control officer.

"No animals will be left unattended. Someone will be here at all times with the pets," Vigeant said.

Altobelli said the permit is good for one year. He said the process took a while because of concerns the board had

about where the animals will be kept and the outdoor area proposed for the dogs. Also, a neighbor living across the street was worried about noise.

"We had questions about the interior of the kennel as to what type of cages the dogs would be kept in. We also wanted the Fire Department to be comfortable with the operation. We needed to know how the animals would be evacuated in case of an emergency," Altobelli said.

Dee's Purr-Fect Pet Spa has been open in the Westford location for five and a half years. Vigeant says the new location in the same complex, which was formerly Suburban Machine, will be nearly 2500 square feet. She plans on renovating the unit and having a grand reopening later this summer or early fall.

Vigeant has been grooming for 18 years and previously worked at Countryside Veterinary Hospital in Chelmsford for almost a decade prior to opening her own business. She said the sluggish economy hasn't affected her business as owners haven't cut back on pampering their pets.

"The pet business is a wonderful industry," Vigeant said.