Pet Sitter Creates New Leash on Career Life
Houston resident Shelly Leith has always loved animals, but as a child she never had a pet. Her father disliked cats and her mother was afraid of dogs. This didn’t stop Leith from trying, though. “I would bring dogs home with me and tie them up behind the garage. They’d start howling in the middle of the night and my mother had to go out there to let them go,” Leith said. As an adult, Leith has extended her enthusiasm for pets to other people’s animals through pet sitting.
Before opening her own business, Leith worked at Enron for 16 years until its downfall. “After that, I wasn’t able to find a job in the energy field,” Leith said. “I spoke to an acquaintance who connected me with a woman who had run her own pet care business and was retiring.” Leith had hoped to get the woman’s client list, but it had been discarded.
With no client list and no Internet channel, starting up Kingwood Paws & Claws was hard. “I used to go out and run on the Greenbelt, taking my business cards with me. If I would see someone walking a dog, I would approach the person and offer my business card, briefly explaining the nature of the business,” she said. This earned her a few clients.
Leith enjoys meeting new clients. “I think that people who have pets and really care about having their pets get good care are generally nice people,” she said.
Currently Leith has three pet sitters working with her – Traci, Allyn, and Pat. The primary relationship each client has within the company is with the pet sitter assigned to his or her pet(s). The company could not succeed without the dedication and devotion these women have shown over the years. Having honest, dependable employees is crucial for any business and especially in a situation where the employee is tasked with going into the client’s home and taking good care of the client’s beloved pets.
Leith’s advice to people who are considering starting their own pet care business is to be aware of the time commitment required. “If it’s your own business, you’re on call all day, every day.
It’s very hard to find time to get away for even a brief vacation.”
Leith still likes to jog, and frequently relaxes with a good novel. It may be surprising, but Leith doesn’t own a pet right now. “When I retire, I’ll probably get a dog,” she said. She’swaiting until she has the time to devote to a pet. For now, she gives her love to her clients’pets.
The above story is a modification of an article by Elyse Kelly published in the Houston Chronicle on May 8, 2014 |