Today’s Client Spotlight is shining on Housebound Hounds located in the Gateway to the West — Omaha, NE! Owned and operated by Kayla Downey, Housebound Hounds is truly a pioneer in the pet sitting/dog walking industry. Kayla founded Housebound Hounds in 2000 and has built it into the premier pet care company in Omaha. Along the way, Housebound Hounds has stuck true to their mission which is to be more dog. That means having fun, being dependable and loving unconditionally — with your dogs safety as their top priority! Check out Housebound Hounds online here and be sure to like them on Facebook!
What caused you to get into pet sitting?
I graduated with a degree in Biology from Creighton University and was working in a lab and was bored to tears. I started searching on the internet about careers with pets and found out about pet sitting and dog walking as a career. Mind you this was in 1996, so both the internet and the field of pet sitting and dog walking was relatively new. We lived in Virginia and worked in D.C. so we hired a company to come at noon to let our dogs out, and I knew I wanted to do the same someday.
What is the most fulfilling part of owning a pet sitting business?
I am proud of what I accomplished and how I’ve grown my business from a part time paid “gig’ to a full time company with employees. I am aware of the statistics of businesses who fail within the first 3 years so I feel good about not only growing my business but not giving up during the hard times.
I also love the people and their appreciation for our service and the care we provide their pets!
What is the most challenging?
Marketing, taxes and finding qualified people to work.
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
My business will be 20 years old in 5 years. I see Housebound Hounds helping more families with their pets and I hope to expand in different parts of Omaha. I hope to have my business set up so it can run itself with systems I have put into place, with great people and a great service. If I could support myself and my family without having to work more than 10 hours a week I would be in heaven.
What has Time To Pet changed the most about how you run your business?
I was using a scheduling software before so not much has changed but I do love some features that weren’t available to me before and that is the GPS tracking (dog walking), I like how the clients can pay their invoice on their own (I’m receiving payments a lot faster now) and I love that I can see what my staff are messaging my clients. I also love the nice clean crisp look and feel of TTP. Other pet sitting software in this industry looks cartoonish and I think that “dumbs” down this industry.
