This month, we've got an amazing business in our Spotlight that operates in two of the largest cities for dog walking in the US! Meet Dani and Maren of The Big City Woof Walker! Pet parents in New York City and Chicago are truly lucky to have such an incredible team of pet-centric professionals who provide the most intimate and finest level of care to not only pets, but also their humans! Their motto is to deliver a "first-class" experience and they sure do! Need proof? Check out the dozens of 5 star reviews across the internet including on their Yelp! page.
If you are in need of a professional, reliable pet care provider that is going to go above and beyond for your pup, The Big City Woof Walker is your company. And for all of the cat moms and dads out there, don't worry! They provide feline services too. To learn more, check out their website and be sure to follow along with their journey on Instagram! Now to the main event!
What caused you to get into pet sitting/dog walking?
We were college students at Pace University in NYC studying acting, of all things. We adored dogs and needed a flexible job around campus that we could work our class schedules around. Via a referral from a mutual friend, we both started working at the same company, The Wall Street Walker. We were the two primary dog walkers for that company for over 5 years, continuing dog walking as a day job after we had graduated from college. Eventually, we ended up purchasing the business from our boss and built it into The Big City Woof Walker! In 8 years, we've gone from 3 - 4 total dog walkers in NYC to 50+ team members across NYC and Chicago.
What is the most fulfilling part of owning a pet sitting/dog walking business?
The feedback from our clients makes our hearts swell! And seeing our Pet Professionals build such strong and lasting bonds with their pups and clients means the world to us. Our team members really do become family to some of our clients - and we've seen Pet Professionals have a drastic effect on some of their dogs' relationships and behavior. Having our clients communicate to us their immense relief at knowing their dogs and pets are in safe and reliable hands with our BCWW team is what keeps us in this business providing the services that we do!
What is the most challenging?
Pet care and dog walking is unlike any industry in the world. Essentially having to manage every request and service on an individual basis means the workload is non-stop. There is no down time when it comes to the pups and kitties of NYC and Chicago. There can be a high rate of turnover in the business which means hiring is constantly a process for us. And since ensuring the safety of the pets in our care is our primary concern, we are always reevaluating how to set our team up for success and ensure they have everything they need to have a successful service and return their pups back home safely.
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
In 5 years we hope to have continued to expand our operations in NYC and Chicago, as well as potentially expanding to other US cities. We hope to further develop our dog training services and offerings and build out the most reliable Positive Reinforcement dog training teams in NYC and Chicago. We hope to continue to service our sweet furries and ensure their safety and quality care!
What has Time To Pet changed the most about how you run your business?
We started using Time To Pet in 2017 and I literally cannot imagine running our business without it! We were previously managing everything on Google Docs and Spreadsheets, which became near impossible as our growth exploded from 2017 - 2018. Time To Pet makes scheduling and invoicing seamless. We're able to customize our user interface to meet our needs and help us keep track of our team and services. It's the single best thing we ever did to support and grow our business. We're so grateful to the Time To Pet team for their incredible work product and assistance!
