We will discuss these basic needs of animals and how they can be served, and then branch out into more frivolous possibilities, including the creation of new careers based on changing needs and technological advances. Then you will be left to decide which possibility fits your own needs, education, inclinations, and talents. We will begin with the neighborhood pet store.
Neighborhood Pet Store
The pet store is where we find everything related to pets for sale--from cat litter and litter pans to toys, ID tags, and scratching posts; from catnip to cages, collars, and carriers; from food and flea powder to training supplies and shampoo. We also find items that are not for sale--such as advice, nutritional charts, pictures of other pets that have been brought in by customers, notices of lost and found animals, and referrals to veterinarians, breeders, trainers, and kennel operators. Over the phone you can receive prices, friendly counsel, and general, all-around caring conversation to comfort you in your concern for your pet's problem.
With all of this going on, there is barely room for proprietor or customer, but somehow you get what you need with maybe a discount coupon for your next purchase. With luck, this owner will never move out of the neighborhood or will at least be considerate enough to sell the business to someone just as caring.
A Pet Store Owner
Such a store and such an owner is Elaine Weinberg who owns and operates The Fire Plug pet store. According to Elaine, a pet shop owner has a million stories to tell-stories that revolve around the idiosyncrasies of both pets and their owners and the changes in taste and preference that have evolved over the past twenty-four years.
It was back then that Elaine, who was working for a plumbing contractor and her sister decided to open up a pet store. They had saved up some money and had given themselves a one-year time limit to succeed or quit. Just to be on the safe side, Elaine kept her day job and worked for the store evenings and weekends.
Elaine and her sister had grown up in a family that considered it normal to have lots of kids and animals around. Her father even branded as selfish people who didn't have a pet. With that background, why wouldn't she and her sister open up a pet shop? Maybe because they had no retail store experience; maybe because they didn't know about procedures, policies, and laws governing such businesses.
But lack of practical knowledge never deterred them because they were willing to learn as they went along. They learned that few people had confidence in them for the long run; they learned that customers and pets dictated their business choices, no matter what they thought was right. They learned that they didn't want to stock bird and fish supplies because most of their customers were dog and cat owners. They learned that they did not believe in selling animals at their store. And they learned that they loved pet owners and their pets.
That may seem like a lot to learn and it was. But when you've lived in a neighborhood for fifty years and you love animals, and you get to know their owners, and you're doing what you love, what's a little learning?
Elaine and her sister moved into a former hardware store 24 years ago and turned it into a pet store that has been there ever since. To hear Elaine tell about it is to relive a quarter-century of growth. If you visit Elaine's shop in Chicago, you will probably be shown her photos of pets that were customers over the years. Elaine feels attached to all of them.
Although she has a very small office space now, it is probably bigger than the deli booth across the street that she and her sister used as an office when they first started out. Elaine is living proof that you can work for animals, even in a peripheral way, without having training in the field. And that is because, in part, luxurious office space, personal ego, and accumulation of wealth were not important to her. Serving animals and helping their owners were of primary interest to her and her sister. They thought that it was possible to stock the store with supplies and then sell those supplies--a very simple system indeed. Many people, including suppliers, helped them to learn about laws, customs, and traditions of the retail business. So they persevered and the business has survived for years. And although the shop no longer sells bird and fish supplies, the loving owners of dogs and cats will keep Elaine in business.
Elaine now works with an assistant and deals with trusted suppliers. The one in New York delivers supplies every five weeks; the local supplier delivers every two weeks, except in an emergency when Elaine can get what she wants sooner. Even though Elaine had no retail experience, she learned early to watch trends in owners' tastes and determine which supplies she should stock.
She suggests that you will probably need three outside people to help get you started: an accountant, an attorney, and an insurance agent. You may also have to find a steady supplier that you can rely on and perhaps one or two assistants to help with inventory and sales.
Successful pet-shop owners listen to what owners say they need for their pets. Shop owners should also keep in touch with groomers, trainers, veterinarians, and breeders. Most will also want to attend shows, read trade publications, and keep up with trends in nutrition, play needs, and new products. Attending business seminars or classes is also very helpful. But the primary characteristic of a successful pet shop owner is a love of animals and an understanding of owners. Getting to know both pets and owners and accommodating your business to them should be your major concern.
Pet Grooming
A neighborhood business that involves much direct contact with animals is that of a pet groomer. Some groomers are also kennel operators and some also sell pet care products. A much smaller number also breed and train animals. Most groomers handle dogs only, while a small number groom cats. Usually groomers have to work full-time. The typical grooming shop has two to three employees, often family members.
According to a recent survey, the majority of groomers went into business because of their love of animals. But groomers also must enjoy working with people since groomers deal directly with pet owners. Groomers are needed in both small towns and big cities and can earn high salaries according to their location.
Groomers approach their career in one of three ways: by serving an apprenticeship under an experienced groomer, by attending a trade school, or by teaching themselves. Most participate in training programs throughout their careers and continue to read trade journals. Others may also attend seminars and classes. Some groomers who own their own shops may also provide ongoing training for their employees. They also may attend professional conventions and trade shows.
There are specific services that are provided at most grooming operations, which include nail clipping, cleaning ears and teeth, bathing, dipping, hot-oil treatments, brushing, combing, and clipping and trimming coats. The customer may opt for individual services or a complete grooming for a set fee. Nail clipping is often considered a separate service.
Products that groomers sell include collars, flea products, food, clothes, and beds. They may also sell grooming supplies, such as shampoo, brushes, and combs. If you decide to board animals in addition to providing grooming services, you will have to provide cages and runs. You should also plan on summer being your busiest season for boarding.
In addition to hiring other groomers, a shop owner may have a veterinarian on call, an accountant to handle the books, a lawyer, and an insurance agent. Most shop owners handle their own publicity, which may consist of just a display ad in the yellow pages of the local telephone directory. Word-of-mouth advertising is also very effective, with radio, television, direct mail, and billboards being other possibilities.
Groomers, as is the case with all people who choose to work directly with animals, often work long hours and occasionally suffer burnout. Grooming shop owners must sometimes be on call. They also must deal with a host of other problems to be solved and decisions to be made. For example, as an owner you might have trouble finding competent and reliable employees. You also need to carefully select a location that will be attractive to customers and find a shop where overhead is not too high.
Education and Employment Outlook
As with animal trainers, no real educational standards or licensing procedures for pet groomers are mandatory in most places. Therefore, if you choose to apprentice with an experienced groomer, be sure to check that groomer's credentials and reputation. The National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc. is a professional organization that offers workshops and certification tests to all members. Through such organizations, members can network and attend conventions, seminars, and competitions.
As a shop owner, you will be able to set your own fees. You will probably be able to charge more if you are located in a prosperous neighborhood in a large city than if you are in a poorer neighborhood in a small town. Many groomers feel that the lack of professional status prevents them from charging fees that are commensurate with their work and skills. You may want to check fees that are prevalent in your area and charge accordingly.
Animals need grooming to maintain their appearance and good health. No matter what part of the country you live in, your services as a groomer will be vital and necessary to animals and their owners. There is a good future for you as a groomer. But before you commit yourself to this career, talk to groomers and volunteer at grooming facilities. That way, your final choice will be the right one.
A Cat House Architect
Healthy pets need an environment that both provides amusement and fulfills their basic needs. For example, cats have a real need to climb, jump, nap, scratch, play, and feel sheltered--and they like to do all that in a place they can call their own. His imagination and love of cats led George Ney into yet another line of work. George creates elaborate cat houses, condominiums, scratching posts, duplexes, castles, perches, and race cars--almost any kind of diggings that cats would love.
Each creation always has at least one tree limb incorporated into it, since trees are cats' natural scratching posts. Since George used to sell carpeting, he is able to use carpet overstock on the posts and perches.
Observing cats long enough will tell you that they love comfort, security, and heights. George capitalized on his knowledge of cats' needs and his knowledge of carpentry. Starting out simply with spools, he then built taller and more elaborate houses with different sizes and shapes of perches, platforms, and tubes. Most kittens will stay in the lower parts of a more elaborate house until they are big enough to climb or jump to the top. George's cat condos and other furniture were so attractive to cats and owners alike that he is now able to make his living selling them.
George's designs for the houses and furniture are limited only by his imagination. He combines tree limbs, tubing, stapling gun, glue, plywood, and carpeting-all materials that are easy to acquire-into fantastic creations. Even though he is now nationally known for his work, George still travels to cat shows throughout the United States and Canada to exhibit his unique designs.
Pet Mail-Order Business
If you decide to start up a mail-order business related to animals, the possibilities are almost unlimited. Besides the usual collars, leashes, toys, and flea products, pet mail-order businesses offer books about almost any animal, pet memorials, natural and gourmet pet foods, dog-food cookbooks, dog houses, animal rubber stamps and note cards, pet tags, animal hood ornaments for your car, and bandanas in various designs for your dog. Cut-crystal pet dishes, cedar-log dog houses, pet doors, and programmable food dispensers are also available by mail.
A mail-order company in Los Angeles specializes in cat furniture and accessories that match the owner's own decor. Often custom-designed, these ensembles are geared to owners who may be a bit fussy about cluttering up their homes with ordinary pet accessories.
Another mail-order firm specializes in pet ramps for cats and dogs that cannot walk well because of injury, old age, surgery, or arthritis. These adjustable ramps can be stored easily when not in use.
Many animal-related subjects are now available on cassette or videotape and can be sent through the mail. Some tapes specialize in training; others, in grooming. One videotape features dogs of all kinds-just dogs! Another videotape demonstrates nature photography, and another shows birds, squirrels, and other wild animals scampering in their natural habitats to amuse the indoor cat in your life. You can even get your cat's horoscope through the mail!
Other possibilities for mail-order products are coffee mugs and T-shirts with animal imprints, personalized checks with animal pictures, dog diapers, and designer pet clothes.
Pet Sitting
A comparatively new industry, pet sitting, is now emerging for pets, due in large part to the fact that most American households have pets. Many of these households have two incomes and no children. When these pet owners must travel for business or work too many long hours, they want their pets to receive good care and attention. Other households with pets consist of elderly or infirm people on whom the pet has a therapeutic effect. And although the owners may not be able to fully take care of the pets, they don't want to give them up, either. The pet-sitting business, therefore, is custom made for these households.
Pet sitting differs from operating a kennel because the sitter actually takes care of the pet in the pet's own home. This arrangement provides security for the pet and convenience for the owner. The pet is also spared any illness that it might pick up at a kennel or shelter.
In addition, many pet sitters provide other services, especially for the owners who are on vacation. These services include watering plants, bringing in the mail, and turning lights on and off, which may deter burglars from breaking in while the owners are away.
Pet sitting can provide you with a flexible career, if you're so inclined. Pet sitting can be an additional service provided by a pet-shop owner, or a full- or part-time career, or just a seasonal occupation. You can run the business out of an existing pet store or from your home. You can have a large staff or run your business as a one-person operation. Since the peak vacation period is usually during the summer, you may decide to confine your services to that time. Or you may want to work year-round, including weekends and holidays. Homemakers, teachers, retired people, or people temporarily out of work may want to put a few hours a week into pet sitting.
Becoming a Pet Sitter
If you plan to start your own pet-sitting business, you should love animals, of course, but there are no real educational or training prerequisites. A business background would be helpful, but common sense combined with a sense of humor can take you a long way. And remember that the term "pet" may include not only cats and dogs, but also hamsters, rabbits, gerbils, turtles, and snakes!
If you run a home-based operation, your initial investment will be minimal. Since you go to the pets' homes, you will only need a telephone (and perhaps a separate business line), an answering machine, basic office supplies, business cards and/or flyers, and liability insurance. If you run your business from a pet store, you need only add on the service to the others that you provide. Grooming and boarding businesses also may add pet sitting to their basic services.
Successful pet sitters might offer you the following advice if you are thinking of starting your own pet-sitting operation: Be sure to get liability insurance and have all employees bonded and insured. You should also have a service contract specifying all the services that the owner wants performed, in addition to the pets' dietary requirements and necessary medicine. You should also obtain from the owner emergency phone numbers, veterinarian's number, list of toys the pet plays with, and required grooming.
Before you sign any contract, however, you should set up a meeting with the pet's owner in the owner's home so that you can meet the pet and get to know its habits and environment. At the same time, you can determine whether the pet is a biter or generally too dangerous or rowdy to take on as a client.
Since each owner has different requirements, the amount of time that you spend with each pet will vary. The pets' personalities will all be different, which is an attractive feature of this career variety. But if you have steady customers, it is a good idea to send the same sitter to the same customer to establish continuity for the animal.
As an independent contractor, you will be able to set your own rates. The National Association of Pet Sitters recommends from $10 to $30 per day for two visits a day. Your rates may vary according to your location, with higher rates being paid in larger cities. Any additional non-pet-sitting services, such as picking up the owner's dry cleaning, would be charged separately. Most sitters require a down payment of some kind.
If you have your own business with employees, you must train them thoroughly and make sure that they are responsible. Having irresponsible or unreliable employees would be a major draw-back in this business-most owners feel that their pet is part of the family and want it treated accordingly.
You will also need to consider advertising your service. Since there are so many pets on every street in the country, there is most likely a need for pet sitting in your location. A large city will need more than one pet sitter. Many veterinarians and pet shop owners will display your flyers or business cards. You can also advertise at cat and dog shows, breeders', and groomers'.
Other Animal-Related Businesses
Financial Management for Animal Welfare: If you are used to dealing with financial matters, you might consider managing investment portfolios for animal welfare organizations, such as humane shelters, which often have certain ethical standards about how their money should be invested. Pet health insurance is also an up-and-coming business to get into. A bank in Massachusetts offers VISA cards to pet owners who also receive an optional pet health insurance package as well as discount coupons for pet food and supplies.
Dog Camp: Due to open soon is a camp for dogs and their owners. It will offer individualized training in obedience and agility for the dogs. Guest lecturers will cover such subjects as agility, breed handling, first aid, therapy, and field work. The owners will have the opportunity to swim, walk, and relax.
Adoption Centers: Some working and racing dogs, such as greyhounds, can be rescued from death by adoption centers after their racing careers have ended. These centers specialize in training these dogs to be pets. The grateful dogs need, in the meantime, only to be boarded and cared for while waiting for adoption.
Pet Theft Prevention: Some business people are concerned with the theft or loss of your pet. Just as your VCR can be stolen and sold for cash, so can your dog or cat. Stolen pets are often sold to laboratories for experimentation. Certain companies help to track down lost or stolen pets by tattooing and registering them. Other entrepreneurs supply concerned pet owners with directories of overnight lodgings that accept pets, so that pets can travel along with their owners.
Pet Muzak
Just as humans are prone to stress and need a feeling of security, so do animals. Just as humans turn to music to calm their jangling nerves, so do animals. And there are cassettes available that provide soothing music at two different frequency ranges simultaneously--one to soothe the owner, one to soothe the pet.
Rent a Pet
If you're a single woman who jogs, you may want to rent a dog to accompany you and provide you with security on your runs. These dogs, that have been trained to keep up at your pace, are available at all times of day, every day, and can even be rented by the month. So far this service is available only in some areas, but the idea may catch on. The hotel and bed-and-breakfast industry may offer this service for the increasing number of women who travel alone on business.
"Cruelty-Free" Personal Care Suppliers
There are some entrepreneurial businesses run by animal lovers, such as Anita Roddick's The Body Shop, that specialize in supplying products that are free of all animal ingredients or byproducts, or that were developed by experimentation on animals. Products available through these companies include cosmetics, hair-care products, bubble bath and bath oil, skin-care products, household cleaners, and baby products. Since more and more consumers are choosing not to wear leather, a business can offer non-leather shoes, purses, wallets, and briefcases. Vegetarian cookbooks, T-shirts, and sweatshirts are also available.
Also available through similar organizations are classroom devices that reduce or eliminate the need to dissect frogs or fetal pigs, as has been the practice in biology classes for years. A computer simulation for grade-school students is now available that shows the youngsters which instruments would be used in dissection and how to locate and remove specific organs and magnify them for observation. The program allows for diagrams and animation. Then the students can "reconstruct" the frog and see him as he hops away-all this without a live animal!
Veterinarian colleges can use electronic mannequins of cats and dogs to reduce the number of live animals used for certain training techniques. These dummies have pulses, fur, teeth, and plastic organs. They can be used to help budding veterinarians develop the correct touching techniques for animals of different size and weight. If too much pressure is applied, a light goes on and the student tries again. Films are now available to show symptoms of animal illness and operating and treatment techniques to cut down on the use of real animals in the operating room.
Pet Business Supply
Because such pet-oriented businesses need printed contracts and other forms, you could start a business to fill that need. Such a company might offer a wide variety of peripheral materials especially geared to businesses serving pets and their owners.
Green Pet Care
Other entrepreneurs are becoming more aware of potentially harmful ingredients in commercial pet food and flea-control products; thus, a natural pet foods and products industry is emerging. Flea collars and shampoos, combs and herbal powders are now for sale as well as natural remedies for arthritic pets. Other business people supply natural, chemical-free food and treats for your pet.
Pet Transport
A small but growing field is the pet transport business, which usually entails bringing the pet to or from the airport when the pet's plane arrives before the owner's flight. Pet transporters also may provide basic taxi service for pets, taking them to the veterinarian or the groomer. No formal education or training is necessary to be a pet transporter, although this profession does have a professional organization, The Independent Pet and Animal Transportation Association.
The need for such a service exists in most communities, but it may not be large enough to serve as your sole source of income. For that reason, some pet transporters are also either pet-shop owners or kennel operators. To get into the business, you need first a love of animals and second a van or truck. If your business is successful you can expand, hire employees, and send out more vans.
Having boarding facilities can boost your pet transport business, especially with customers who are moving to your city. They may want to send their pet along beforehand and will need someone to both pick up the pet and board it until their arrival. As a pet transporter and boarder, you will need to be on call 24 hours a day, year-round. Your employees will have to be reliable, dependable, and lovers of animals. They must also be good drivers and know their way around your city.
Pet Breeder
You may decide that you would like to have direct contact with only one kind of animal and choose to specialize in breeding German shepherds, or Russian blues, or Scottish folds. This career requires preparation, either by apprenticing under an experienced groomer or by taking college courses in genetics and animal health care. Standards for this career are set by the National Pet Dealers and Breeders Association.
As a breeder, your work will consist of planning matings and exhibiting the animals at shows. You will also feed, groom, and clean the animals and help them through pregnancy, delivery, and raising their young. You should have close contact with a veterinarian, maintain records, and find potential buyers.
Pet Cemetery
Pets get old and die just like humans, and many owners choose to bury them in a cemetery or cremate them. As for other needs, there are businesses that serve pet owners at this time. If pets are buried, they will need a stone or marker. Some pets are buried in caskets, which must be provided. The International Association of Pet Cemeteries is the professional association that sets the standards and regulations for members who are owners of cemeteries and crematoria. Its aim is to upgrade the industry and to assure the pet owner of a safe resting place for their companion animal.
The association provides a seminar, "The Prospective Pet Cemeterian," for those who wish to start up in the business. If members adhere to the basic standards established by the association, their facility will be designated an approved pet cemetery.
Starting a Pet-Related Business
As you can see, in starting a pet-related business, you can fill an already established need by becoming a pet-shop owner or kennel operator, or you can let your imagination run free and build cat condos or sell gourmet pet food and recipes. Since there are so many pets in this country, there are also concerned pet owners who are willing to pay for quality nutrition and care for their faithful companions. Also, pet owners generally like to own animal-related objects such as mugs, note cards, playing cards, T-shirts, and sweatshirts. These all have to be provided by business people. Pet-related ideas for businesses are limited only by the entrepreneur's imagination and the needs of pets and their owners.
Some businesses require little or no formal education or training, but they do require careful observation, on-the-job training, common sense, business acumen, love of animals, courage, and a sense of humor. Those businesses that may require little or no training may be the ones where affiliation with a professional association will be most helpful in getting your business started.
As owners love to talk to other owners about their pets, people in pet-related businesses often know each other and will cooperate with advertising and referrals if you have a good reputation in the field. If no formal training is available in your area, it is always helpful to talk to other people in the business, go to pet shows, work part-time, and volunteer. If you are an apprentice under the best person in the community, your reputation will be credible.
You may eventually combine businesses, such as those of kennel operator and pet transporter, cat trainer and furniture maker, groomer and pet supplier. Keep up with new trends in technology and medical treatment of animals. Talk to veterinarians about physiological needs of animals or to therapists about psychological needs. Read trade publications, especially the advertisements, to see where you might apply your natural animal-loving instincts. Contact professional associations for membership requirements and standards. They can often supply you with reading lists and educational requirements, as well as providing social networking possibilities.
Is a Pet-Related Business Right for Me?
You should also carefully assess your own personal talents and inclinations. You should ask yourself if you want to work directly with animals, whether you want to own your own business or work for someone else, how much money you want to earn, and how much time and money you want to invest in your career.
You may prefer to work in an office preparing investment portfolios for animal-related organizations. Or your business background may have prepared you for the lucrative mail-order industry, where you can either provide for the needs of the animals or the whimsies of the owners. You may have been deeply affected at one time or another by the prolonged illness and death of a pet and choose to specialize in the design and manufacture of equipment that will relieve pain, suffering, or disability of animals, or you may even decide to open a pet cemetery or crematorium.
Breeding, boarding, pet sitting, grooming, and transporting require working directly with animals. This often strenuous work will require long days and year-round activity. Pet-shop owners and suppliers work more directly with owners but often become quite attached to the pets.
So let's ask some questions that may help you to make up your mind about the type of business that would interest you:
- Am I more comfortable working in an office with regular hours and a steady income?
- Does my background and training involve business courses rather than animal-related courses?
- Do I like to keep records, make appointments, and schedule assignments for employees?
- Does my talent lie in administrative rather than field work?
- Do I love to work with animals of any kind, at anytime, anywhere?
- Do I get frustrated trying to explain to an owner what I'm doing and why?
- Am I prepared to deal with the more unpleasant parts of the job, such as illness and death of an animal?
- Am I able to do strenuous work with irregular hours?
If you answered "yes" to the first four questions, you are probably better suited to owning a pet shop, running a mail-order business, being a pet supplier, or selling animal-related products. If you answered "yes" to the last four questions, you might be ready for an active career as a groomer, kennel operator, pet sitter, or transporter.
If you can combine people and pet skills, your business possibilities are almost unlimited. You could even become a lecturer or seminar leader in the field you have created. You might become a lobbyist for animal-rights issues or organize pet shows. You may want to work for professional organizations and help set standards. Or you may want to establish an organization for your line of work if one doesn't already exist.
If you have an idea, a talent, a cause, a love for animals, an understanding of the human/animal relationship, a natural curiosity, a need to share, abundant energy and patience, common sense, and a sense of humor, you can have a career in an animal-related business. It's really up to you. The animals-and their owners-are waiting.
