Interview with Sara Melaten, San Diego Dog Walker
I had an opportunity to interview Sara Melaten of Sarandipity Pet Care Services, a San Diego dog walking company that operates in La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Beach. Hope you enjoy the interview!
DogWalker.com: What do you like best about your job?
Sara: One of the things I like best about my job is knowing that I have all different kinds of dogs and cats with all different kinds of personalities. Each pet client has his or her own unique personality trait– which makes things interesting and fun and keeps me looking forward to the next pet visit or dog walk!
DogWalker.com How did you start your business and why?
Sara: I started my business because pets are my one passion that I knew I could make a career out of. I was growing tired of the corporate life I had been living for many years, and was ready to put my passion to work. Having grown up with dogs and other animals all my life, I always knew that somehow, some way I would have to work with animals. The first steps included getting a San Diego Tax License, Pet First Aid Certification, insurance, and a website for my business. Once these and other basic steps were accomplished, I attracted local pet-owner clients through networking, flyers, and internet marketing.
DogWalker.com: What’s your favorite dog park in San Diego/La Jolla and why?
Sara: My favorite dog park in San Diego is actually a dog beach. It’s nicknamed “dog beach” and is located in Ocean Beach. I love this dog-designated beach area because I love playing with dogs by the ocean and you really get to see how happy and excited the dogs are to be there.
DogWalker.com: If you could offer advice to someone looking to start a dog walking business, what would it be?
Sara: For someone looking to start their own business in dog walking, I would recommend buying Patti Moran’s book “Pet Sitting For Profit”. This book helped me a lot in getting started. Other than that, it’s important for the potential new business owner to know that building you’re clientele will take a lot of persistence and patience. Be ready to be creatvie in how you attract your clients…and don’t forget– customer service is everything!!! Not only will you need to treat the pets like royalty, you will also need to make sure to provide the pet owners with the best customer service possible! This is what has helped me get tons of repeat business.
DogWalker.com: Please share a funny dog walking story with us!
Sara: Funny dog story: this one Great Dane client I have, the dog was so happy to see me (and she’s still technically a puppy but FULL GROWN), she jumped on me unexpectely, and I fell down with my fist landing in her pile of poo in the back yard. Being that she is also deaf, I couldn’t really calm her down quickly. I was okay after the fall, and it wasn’t until cleaning myself up that I was able to really laugh hard about it!
