A lot of people never know what they want to do for a living. They start by going to college and getting a general degree, and then they are never delighted with what they are doing. Some people go back to school to do something different, and some people never fully figure out what it is they want to do. If you have an individual talent or specific interests, it is always best to incorporate those interests or skills into your career. Whether you open a dog boarding business or go to school again to become a doctor because you like helping people, you are using your interests and making them into a job because you have to make money somehow, and you might as well like your work. Something like starting a dog boarding business may seem so simple, but you could make a great living off of it, and it could be something you love doing.
If you have always loved animals, especially dogs, this career would be perfect. If you want to do this, you have to have some business sense, you need supplies, and you need a yard big enough to let these dogs run around. You will need to have space for them to sleep as well. Some people prefer to run the business out of their home, and some people prefer to have a separate building for the dogs. If you have children, you do not want to have a lot of dogs around your children for safety reasons. Also, the rest of your family might not like animals as much as you, so that is something you need to think about.
Once you decide where your business should be run out of, you will need to find a place. If you decide on getting a separate location, you need to shop around. You will need to have some money saved up before you start this process because a business without supplies or one without building for your services is not a business, and it will be challenging to make money.
If you have never run a business, you will need help and advice from someone who has. Truthfully, there is a lot that goes into starting a business and having someone’s help regardless is better than being on your own to make all of the decisions.
Once you have your business completely set up, which will take some time, you need to advertise and work on getting clients. Customers are afraid to drop their pets off at a random house unless they have references. If you can ask people you know to get the word out about your business, it could give potential clients the assurance that they need. You will need to keep some of the money you saved up to get your business going at first and advertising, but once people begin to hear more about your business, you will get more clients, and you will start to make a living off of your hard work.
We hired Nadia to take care of our cat Batman for 5 days. Batman is very old, has one tooth, and suffers from chronic kidney problems…and she’s a cat. With that said, she is beyond the typical high maintenance. We asked Nadia to drop by twice a day (10 minutes in the a.m., and 30 min in the p.m.), administer some meds, and just chill with Batman. Key exchange was easy and she even sent iphone snapshots of Batman to us everyday! She ended up staying at our place for 3 hours at a time some nights while she did some writing. Alright by us! Very comforting. We will definately go to Parker and Friends for all our cat sitting needs in the future!
Nadia and her staff are the best! It’s great to not have to worry about my pets when I leave town. I’ve used Nadia’s services for a while now, and she’s even trained in CPR for animals (which she’ll hopefully never need to use on my guys). I’ve heard horror stories about dog walkers who take money from customers when they’re not even showing up to do the walks. Nadia and her staff will always leave me a note so I know they were actually here, or they’ll call me from my house. This is a great value!
Parker and Friends Pet Sitting is great! I can’t say enough good things about Nadia, the owner. She makes going out of town easy on me, and even easier on my cat. He doesn’t even seem to have missed me when I get home, because he has had so much fun with Nadia!The rates are the most reasonable I have found, especially for the wonderful level of care, and it is great to be able to go out of town and not worry about my boy. I trust them implicitly, and can’t say enough good things. I recommend Parker and Friends Pet Sitting to all my friends, and to everyone here too.
Nadia Bacon is a dog’s best friend. My dog Janet is so bummed out whenever we drop her off at day care. But when we bring her to Nadia she gets inanely excited. Janet loves Nadia, and not just because her last name is Bacon.
Nadia and Felix are incredibly friendly, trustworthy, professional and reliable. I’ve got two dogs who I love to death, but one is generally dog agressive and the other use to have destructive tendancies (he’s since been crate trained, thank goodness). Nadia and Felix are great with my pups and know how to handle their “special needs”.
Parker and Friends have watched my pups while I was out of town and on a number of occassions walked my pups when I had to stay late at work or had dinner plans after work, etc. Nadia has been a godsend by being available last minute, and it is always so nice coming home to happy, healthy, calm pups! Thanks Nadia and Felix!!!
Nadia is great! She has cared for our cat Percy when we have been out of town a handful of times now. He always has plenty of food in his bowl and his litter box is cleaned when we return home.I especially like that she sends me photo updates from her phone with cute picture of Percy. It makes me feel like he is well taken care of and happy.
As a new dog owner, I was extremely nervous about leaving my hound at home for hours while at work. After noticing on Facebook that a neighbor of mine uses Parker and Friend’s Pet Sitting, I figured I’d give them a try. I was not disappointed. Nadia and Felix’s love for animals, their dedication, knowledge and expertise calmed my wobbly nerves. They are forever patient, always thoughtful about my pet’s needs, flexible with my schedule and truly loving and gentle.
However, they are not just pet sitters. They assist you in the care of your pet. For instance, Nadia has helped me work on my dog’s separation anxiety issues. She gave me great advice, showed much compassion for my worry, and went out of her way to suggest and purchase (which I reimbursed, of course) some tools to help my little guy quiet down. She also detected and immediately notified me of a minor health issue she noticed while out on a walk, and suggested a vet who would help with the problem.
Nadia and Felix and truly wonderful, professional and affordable. I highly recommend them – and so does Baxter the Basset Hound – whom I can tell is all the happier for seeing them every day!