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Meet Jill Jaffe of Fur Paws Sake in Dallas

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.

I’ve had a passion for animals since my very early childhood. In my late teens, I wasn’t 100% certain what field of animal care I would venture in. However, I definitely knew that I wanted to devote my life to either daily domesticated animal care, rescue or exotic animal training. I wasn’t even aware that pet sitting was a legitimate career until about ten years ago. Aside from caring for family, friends and neighbors’ pets while they traveled, I was always finding stray dogs and cats whenever I was out and about. Sadly, it almost seemed like a weekly occurrence. It was also how I acquired seven cats and two dogs of my own when I moved from Los Angeles to North Texas.

My experience in animal welfare is vast as I’ve handled a variety of domesticated pets as well as providing rehabilitation for wildlife animals ranging from volunteer work at the Los Angeles Wildlife Waystation in the Los Angeles Mountains handling baby raccoons, opossum, squirrels, crows, turkey vultures, sparrows, and finches to rescuing stray dogs and feral cats. At Moorpark College (1992-1993), I studied various courses within the Exotic Animal Training and Management (EATM) program of exotic animal behavior and diversity involving the live study of the school zoo’s big cats and other exotic wildlife.

Life took hold postponing my moving forward on my career path of professional animal care. After finishing up my associates degree between Moorpark and Los Angeles Valley Colleges, I made a rather advantageous move uprooting myself from Los Angeles to North Texas to be closer to my family and transferred to University of Arlington here in North Texas. I was working in corporate America in banking and mortgage as an administrative assistant until a very large merger transpired causing a massive layoff of hundreds of employees, which I was subjected to. Before that occurred though, I was already working from home allowing me some time to provide pet sitting for a few wonderful pet owners. Once the lay-off became official, I felt that it was destined to pursue professional pet sitting here in Dallas. I haven’t looked back since. It was the best decision I ever made!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Absolutely there have been struggles not only with juggling personal and work time, but also understanding that marketing my company was key in getting the word out there that professional pet sitting is a legitimate service to pet owners. I’m an omnivert. When I first began meeting pet owners, it was always a challenge to meet people until I developed a groove. Show me a dog or a cat or anything cute and cuddly, and I become quite the extrovert.  Animals seem to bring out very best in me, and I can talk for hours about them! There is something pure and innocent about animals, and I could never imagine my life without one. I believe when a client sees me interact with their pets for the first time, they can genuinely see that.

When I first began professionally pet sitting, getting my company name out there was quite challenging. I made sure to hit the pavement by passing out cards in every local vet office, boutique pet store, bulletin boards, posting on my business Facebook and Instagram pages, creating ads and asking for referrals. My diligence to market my business around Dallas after about a 6 month period had finally paid off as I was getting inquiries about my services almost on a daily basis. I still do this consistently. A business should never stop marketing!

Driving is a major factor in serving our clients, and I can easily put on upwards to 40-60 miles daily making several trips between client homes when I schedule 2-4 visits daily per client as well as sleeping in my clients’ homes while tending to their pets. Pet care professionals are a unique bunch. We truly are people (and pet) pleasers, so saying “no” can be difficult for us when all we want to do is help maintain our clients’ pet routines while they are traveling or working long hours in the office.

There is a multitude of things I needed to do at the beginning which I am still tweaking as new situations arise, such as how large of a territory I can service without compromising on the quality of care. I had to research what sort of business tools I needed that was specifically designed for pet sitters in the industry such as software to efficiently keep track of all of my clients’ information, key retention, pet records, scheduling, accepting payment, building a great website, etc. Thankfully I network with a large group of professional pet sitters all across the United States who’ve helped me tremendously. It’s been great to have a solid support system, not only to learn about how to run everything from an administrative aspect, but how to handle each particular situation that is thrown my way. I believe every business owner needs mentoring to growing his/her company, and I’m forever grateful for the more seasoned group of pet sitters who’ve been doing this much longer than I have to help guide me.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Fur Paws Sake – what should we know?

My company offers in-your-home pet sitting and dog walking services in several communities within the Addison, Carrollton, Dallas, North Dallas, Farmers Branch, and Richardson areas. I’m insured, bonded, and Pet First Aid and CPR certified. Many pet owners are very hesitant to travel because they have no idea what to do with their pets, and do not want to burden their friends, family or neighbors to check in on them. Being a pet owner myself of 3 dogs and 2 cats, I know the difficulties of finding someone trustworthy, competent, compassionate, and responsible who will devote their time to properly care for their furry family members. This is where I come in. I wanted to be that person anyone could count on when they needed their pets looked after and give them the peace of mind that their pets will be A-OK in my care. With the vast experience in rescue work and caring for many animals, it seemed to be my calling.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?

Persistence and attention to detail are the most important aspects of my success.

Contact Info:

• Website: FurPawsSake.com
• Phone: 469-645-8578
• Instagram: instagram.com/furpawssake
• Facebook: facebook.com/furpawssake
• Twitter: twitter.com/furpawssake
• Yelp: yelp.com/biz/fur-paws-sake-pet-sitting-and-dog-walking-services-dallas
• Other: g.page/Fur-Paws-Sake-Pet-Sitting

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