Mike, Coco and Joey (yawning!)
I think it’s always interesting to hear why people started their business, what gave them the idea and whether it truly is their passion. Sometimes you can find yourself in a job that you don’t really like – but with your own business you get the chance to pick something that you really love.
There are lots of reasons that people start a business:
- Maybe there is no-one in their area offering a particular service.
- Maybe they invent something really cool that everyone will want.
- Maybe it’s a hobby that just turned into a business all on its own.
For us it was out of frustration with our own situation that we started our Pet Sitting and Dog Walking business. At the time we both had jobs and we had one cat and a dog. Every time we wanted to go on holiday we had to arrange to drop them at the kennels and pick them up again when we got back.
There were a number of reasons kennels didn’t work for us.
- Who was going to drop them Friday afternoon? – we both worked!
- Who would pick them up Monday morning?- we both worked!
- Who was going to hand me a tissue every time I cried leaving them behind at the kennels?
It just didn’t work for us. Patch hated the kennels – all the other dogs barking, the strange smells and sounds. Every time we left her she looked so sad and hurt by it all, so every time we drove away it would upset me and I would spend the weekend wondering if she was OK. When we would bring Top Cat back he would disappear for a day or 2 – almost like a punishment for making him go to the kennels.
So what did we do?
We stopped going anywhere! We just said no to everything, unless it was local and we didn’t have to stay away the night. It was after years of doing this that we realised there had to be a better option for pet owners and decided to open Pet Sitters Ireland. A friend of mine in the UK was doing Cat Sitting for friends and I thought it was a fantastic idea. An opportunity for Pet Owners just like us to travel away and leave their pets at home – guilt free!! What could be better. Initially starting in our local area – we quickly expanded to cover the whole of Ireland. We didn’t want anyone to miss out on that special trip they wanted to take – we wanted everyone to be able to enjoy time away. Owning a business where we help care for peoples pets is amazing. It’s an honour and a priviledge that people allow us into their homes to play with and take care of their fur babies. Something that we don’t take lightly.
Who do we need a Pet Sitter for now?
As animal lovers ourselves we have plenty of pets of our own to take care of. Sadly Top Cat is no longer with us, but Patch is very much a big part of our lives – and at 18 years old she is a great age! We now have Smug the Cat – he is a great mouse catcher and all round hunter cat! We also have Coco and Joey – both Pointers – one from the Carlow Pound and the other from Ash Rescue. You will see lots of pictures of them on our Facebook pages – they are the cutest 2 dogs and love each other very much.
If you want to learn more about Pet Sitters Ireland then give us a call – we would love to hear from you. Kate and Mike – Pet Sitters Ireland
