My company and title is… Sandlot Pet Sitting. My formal title is “Owner”; however, I prefer titles such as Animal Advocate, Professional Pet Sitter and Dog Walker.
A typical day in my life includes… a cup of coffee, dropping my kids off at school and then it is off to a day filled with dog slobber, cat hair, wet noses, talking parrots, soft bunnies and sprinkles of fish food. I love every minute of it! I mean who doesn’t want a day filled with unconditional love. That is what all the furry friends I visit each day mean to me. They greet me with nothing but excitement and love. Each day is great!
My favorite thing about living/working in the Upper West Side area is… our community! Living and working in Vistancia means that I get to serve my neighbors and their pets. Every meet & greet I go to means meeting a neighbor. They invite me into their lives and to take on the very important role of caring for their pets. If you have or have ever had a pet, you know they are family members.
My family… is fun, loving and we are a true team! My husband Jeremy and I will celebrate 16 years of marriage this year and my 12 year old daughter and 10 year old son are at such a fun age. I’m very proud of both of them. We have three dogs too! Mallow and Graham are our Golden Retriever brothers and in February of 2019 we adopted our Pitbull, Augie. We enjoy attending hockey games (Go Yotes!), last minute adventures, trying new restaurants and just being together laughing and having fun.
The business lesson I learned the hard way is… specifically related to Professional Pet Sitting. There is a difference between pet sitting as a hobby and being a Professional Pet Sitter. I love animals and when I first started out, it felt like that was enough. Having left the corporate world where I was part of an operations team and managed many projects, I knew my organizational skills were good. Having a love for animals and being organized seemed like a great combination for success. However, I quickly realized that there was more to this business. Pet sitters are much more than just a person you call to let your dog out. We need to be educated in so many different areas from knowing what to look for in an animal’s behavior, different care for different kinds of pets and even knowledge on how to run an honest and successful business. Having the proper insurance and licensing is something I learned along the way as well and it is an important thing for you as the client to consider when you are hiring someone to look after your furry family members.
One thing I cannot live without is… music! I love attending concerts and any opportunity to listen to music.
The song I would sing at Karaoke night is… “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt. It reminds me of my husband when we were just friends and working together as an 18 and 19 year old.
The perfect day would be… a day with my friends, family, dogs, music, sunshine, bbq and just soaking in all the beautiful hills and desert that surround us up here.
My dream vacation would be to…have three months off, rent an RV and drive all over the United States seeing all the different national parks, cities, small towns – just going at my own pace.
My words of wisdom to aspiring business owners… Just go for it! Be prepared and plan but don’t let all the “what if” thoughts get in the way of moving forward. It is good to assess the risks, but don’t get hung up on them. The trials and lessons along the way are so worth it to be able to do something you love and share it with those around you.
