Three companies, one listserv reference and some neighborhood kids.
There had to be an easier way! All we needed was a dog walker. In 2006 we adopted a very sweet 2 year old rescue dog named Shep but due to our busy and erratic schedules we needed help. We couldn’t care for him on our own with the hours we worked. We needed a dog walker. So I went online, looked up local businesses and found three which claimed to service Silver Spring. After calling them all (twice), only one called me back. The company only took clients who needed dog walks at the same time everyday and only between the hours of 10am to 2pm.
At the time my husband was a principal of an elementary school and I was the education director for a nonprofit after school tutoring program. Our schedules were not the same every day - some days we needed 2 walks because neither of us got home until 8 pm. Some days we did not need any dog walks as my work schedule was flexible and I had a day or two a week where I could work from home. So, there were no dog walking companies at that time which would work for our family. I decided to reach out to my neighborhood listserv to ask for advice and help. I was answered with horror stories of who not to hire. There was a guy who had worked in our neighborhood until someone caught him letting dogs out into client’s backyards for a 5 minute break when they were paying for a 30 minute walk. He wasn’t a choice as a dog walker for obvious reasons.
Next we tried to find a kid in our neighborhood who would be able to help with dog walking duties. Between sport practices, game schedules and other school commitments, we could not find neighborhood kids who were able to meet all our dog walking needs. We were also worried that while Shep was very sweet, his 75 lb size and love of chasing squirrels may be too much for a non-adult to handle.
I was shocked at how difficult it was to find a dog walking company to help care for our pup. It seemed strange that in the DC metro area a professional dog walker was hard to find. My family could make do for a while, but the issue would not go away. It gave me the idea to start a dog walking business. I would be solving a need in our area and creating a flexible job for myself and my family.
Years later I am proud to say it has worked. Fetch! Pet Care services Silver Spring, North Bethesda, Takoma Park, Petworth and Brookland. We provide reliable dog walking and pet sitting services to hundreds of clients a day. We have an amazing and caring staff of professional cat sitters and dog walkers, as well as a Client Service Team that is on top of things. We answer phones and emails, unlike my predecessors. We have pet sitters who can work mornings, afternoons, evenings and weekends - to meet all our clients’ needs and any irregular schedules they may have. Our dog walkers and cat sitters use an app that tracks their time and GPS for each and every visit. Our entire staff and all of our pet sitters are employees - they are trained, background checked, and tested. We have a saying…”We don’t hire anyone we would not trust to care for our own pets.”
Almost 11 years ago I strived to build a business which was reliable, caring, trustworthy, a fun place to work, and which could provide clients with a great experience. These days we like to think those words and actions are synonymous with Fetch! And our team works hard to “make Fetch! happen” everyday. For clients who have trusted pets to our care we know you have felt this way and we thank you for choosing Fetch! We look forward to working with those in our area who only now are finding out about us. Check us out online, send us an email, or read our client reviews here and see what our dog walking and cat sitting clients say about Fetch! Join us. “Make Fetch! happen” for your peace of mind and your pet’s well being today!
There had to be an easier way! All we needed was a dog walker. In 2006 we adopted a very sweet 2 year old rescue dog named Shep but due to our busy and erratic schedules we needed help. We couldn’t care for him on our own with the hours we worked. We needed a dog walker. So I went online, looked up local businesses and found three which claimed to service Silver Spring. After calling them all (twice), only one called me back. The company only took clients who needed dog walks at the same time everyday and only between the hours of 10am to 2pm.
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| Jaime with her dog Shep |
Next we tried to find a kid in our neighborhood who would be able to help with dog walking duties. Between sport practices, game schedules and other school commitments, we could not find neighborhood kids who were able to meet all our dog walking needs. We were also worried that while Shep was very sweet, his 75 lb size and love of chasing squirrels may be too much for a non-adult to handle.
I was shocked at how difficult it was to find a dog walking company to help care for our pup. It seemed strange that in the DC metro area a professional dog walker was hard to find. My family could make do for a while, but the issue would not go away. It gave me the idea to start a dog walking business. I would be solving a need in our area and creating a flexible job for myself and my family.
Years later I am proud to say it has worked. Fetch! Pet Care services Silver Spring, North Bethesda, Takoma Park, Petworth and Brookland. We provide reliable dog walking and pet sitting services to hundreds of clients a day. We have an amazing and caring staff of professional cat sitters and dog walkers, as well as a Client Service Team that is on top of things. We answer phones and emails, unlike my predecessors. We have pet sitters who can work mornings, afternoons, evenings and weekends - to meet all our clients’ needs and any irregular schedules they may have. Our dog walkers and cat sitters use an app that tracks their time and GPS for each and every visit. Our entire staff and all of our pet sitters are employees - they are trained, background checked, and tested. We have a saying…”We don’t hire anyone we would not trust to care for our own pets.”
 |
Almost 11 years ago I strived to build a business which was reliable, caring, trustworthy, a fun place to work, and which could provide clients with a great experience. These days we like to think those words and actions are synonymous with Fetch! And our team works hard to “make Fetch! happen” everyday. For clients who have trusted pets to our care we know you have felt this way and we thank you for choosing Fetch! We look forward to working with those in our area who only now are finding out about us. Check us out online, send us an email, or read our client reviews here and see what our dog walking and cat sitting clients say about Fetch! Join us. “Make Fetch! happen” for your peace of mind and your pet’s well being today!
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