Fetch! Pet Care

Franchisee Profile: Greg Alonzo of Chicago, IL

2012-02-24T13:34:00.001-08:00

Franchisee Since: November2007

Q: What was your career before franchising?

A: Beforebecoming involved with Fetch! Pet Care, my wife Carolyn and I were both workingin corporate America doing jobs like accounting, sales and customer service.Most recently, I worked with 7-Eleven, which is how I became familiar with thefranchising industry. Initially, we had decided that I was going to get thecompany up and running while Carolyn continued to work for the University ofIllinois. However, our circumstances changed, and we decided she would stayhome to start the business. I left 7-Eleven a year later to join her.

Q: Why did you choose to enter the pet careindustry?

A: Iremember the day Carolyn showed me an article on MSN.com featuring Fetch! Pet Care, whichmade me realize that this opportunity was just the venture we had always beenlooking for. We rarely traveled because we had an issue with not having anyonetrustworthy with whom to leave our pets. With Fetch! Pet Care, you don’t have to disruptyour life to find someone dependable to care for your pets.

Q: What wasappealing to you about joining a franchise system?

A: I loved the idea of having corporate support.Being able to have help or get advice whenever you need it is very important.If you start a business from scratch, you will have to rely heavily on familyand friends for that support. When you’re involved with Fetch! Pet Care, thereis a whole family of other business owners who are waiting to help you beforeyou ever open your doors.

Q: With respect to your previous careerexperience, which skills do you think help most with your business?

A: The main source of help is ourcustomer service background. Carolyn has dealt with many different types ofpersonalities from her work at the University of Illinois, and I haveexperience providing excellent customer service from previous corporate jobs.This advantage is definitely one of our strongest when dealing with clients.

Q: What makes your business a cut above therest?

A: Wehave a variety of pet sitters who are equipped to handle all different types ofanimals. We never had to turn a client down because we weren’t able to meet theneeds of their pet. Having strong, knowledgeable pet sitters keep our clientscoming back.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Fetch! Pet Care was founded in Berkeley, Calif., in 2002by Paul Mann, who wanted his pets to remain in his home instead of kennelingthem while he traveled. Finding no professional company suitable to the task,Mann started his own firm with the goal of providing as-needed, reliable, andloving care to pets of all kinds. Today, there are more than 3,000 Fetch!professionals operating in 1,500 U.S. communities. FETCH! Pet Care is the nation's largest and mosttrusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, servingthousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. Comprised of pet loversturned business owners, each independently and locally owned Fetch! focuses ontaking the stress out of finding a sitter and adding convenience to customer’slives by doing all of the legwork for them. Fetch! matches you and your petswith the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. For more information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Fetch! Pet Care: 5 Ways Pet’s Make Better Companions

2012-02-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

This Valentine’sDay, You don’t have to look far for love

Valentine’s Dayisn’t just for lovebirds. It’s acelebration of love for its intrinsic worth, and no one offers more love than apet. For those who need reminders ofjust how much our furry friends fill our lives with happiness, take a look atthese 5 ways pets make better companions this Valentine’s Day:

1. Unconditionallove: Pets will never judgeyou. They don’t care what you wear orhow you look. As long as you feed, playwith, and love them back, you will never have to worry about being alone. Most pets are naturally affectionate and seekout the affection and approval of their owners. Everyone wants to be loved, and pets are no exception.

2. Loyalty:There is a reason for the saying “dog is man’s best friend.” That reason is simple: loyalty. A dog, or any other pet, is never going toturn its back on you when times are tough. You never have to worry about being stabbed in the back, cheated on, orlied to with your pet. You are your pet’sfirst priority, and they will look out for you when no one else will.

3. Fun: Petsthrive off of energy and fun. There isnever a shortage of good times when a pet is in your life, because they are aconstant source of laughter and play. Playingwith your pet can cheer you up on even the worst days.

4. Trainable:Have you ever wished that you could get your boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouseto do something you wanted without nagging? Not only are most pets trainable, but they often enjoy having disciplinein their lives.

5. Listeners:No matter how bad your day is, your pet will always be there to listen.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trustedfranchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services, servingthousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. They take the stress outof finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of thelegwork for you. With over 3000 Fetch! Pet Care professionals in 1500communities, they match you and your pets with the most qualified, experiencedpet professional possible. Whether you need a daily dog walker or last-minutepet sitter, Fetch! Pet Care has got your tail covered! In 2011, Fetch! Pet Care ranked top of its category,making Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best of Best List. It also ranked inEntrepreneur Magazine’s Low-Cost Franchises, Top New Ranking, Top Home-basedFranchises and Fast-Growing Franchises in addition to the top-ranked pet-carefranchise on AllBusiness.com’s AllStar Franchise List for the current year. Formore information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Fetch! Pet Care's Valentine's Smoochiest Pet Contest

2012-02-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care has a new contest for the month of February and it of course revolves around Valentine's Day! In our "Valentine's Smoochiest Pet Contest," Fetch! is asking for their fans to submit a photo of their pet's sweetest, wettest, and sloppiest kisses to either them, a family member or friend, or fellow pet! Winner will receive a $250 Gift Card to PetCareRx!

To enter, entrants must first like Fetch! Pet Care on Facebook. They they visit the tab "Kissing Contest", fill out their information and submit their Smooching photo.

Does your pet love to give sweet, slobbery kisses? Let us see!

Franchisee Profile: Peggy Kennedy of Los Angeles, CA

2012-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Name: PeggyKennedy

OpeningDate: March 2006

Brand: Fetch! Pet Care

Location:Los Angeles, CA - West Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Sherman Oaks of North Hollywood

After spendingnumerous years in the retail management and financial industries, localbusiness owner Peggy Kennedy realized that she needed a career she waspassionate about. After taking a two month leave of absence to intern at BestFriends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, UT, Peggy finally realized where her heartbelonged – with animals. Leaving the retail management and financial industriesfor good, Peggy moved to LA from Boston in order to pursue her new foundpassion. After being employed as a pet sitter with Fetch! Pet Care, thenation's largest and most trusted franchisor for professional pet sitting anddog walking services, she finally decided to open her own business.

Q: Where are you from?

A: Although I was in Boston for 14years, I’m originally from Rochester, NY. I moved to Boston to attend collegeand fell in love with the city. In fact, I would still be there if I could.

Q: What was your career before franchising?

A: Before I gotinto franchising, I was involved in the retail management industry andfinancial industry. I began selling industrial equipment for a small familyowned business in MA, but wasn’t thrilled with my career. From there, I gotinto the financial world and worked for Capital One for six to seven years. However,I became antsy and couldn’t stand being confined in the office anymore. In search ofanother career, I took a two month leave of absence to intern at Best FriendsAnimal Sanctuary in Kanab, UT to see if I wanted to work with animals. AlthoughI loved it, the location was very remote and not a place where my husband couldsustain his career. Shortly after my internship finished, my husband and Idecided to move to LA, which was much more appropriate for him. We’ve been heresince 2005.

Q: How did you learn about the brand?

A: I learned about the Fetch! Pet Care brand fromthe existing location in west LA. I worked with that location as a sitter andfinally decided to open my own business!

Q: What was appealing to you about joininga franchise system?

A: The most appealing aspect of joininga franchise system for me was the fact that everything was already in place. I didn’thave the time or money to invest in my own business, so the turnkey operationsaspect was also attractive.

Q: With regard toyour previous experience, what skills do you feel helped you in your business?

A: While inthe industrial equipment sales industry and financial industry, I was able togain a lot of customer service experience. As a result, I’ve become successfulat diffusing situations and giving customers what they need. In addition tocustomer service skills, I was also able to gain administrative operationskills which have helped me become extremely organized. By becoming organizedin my professional career, I’m able to work more quickly and efficiently.

Q: What makes your business different?

A: I believe my business’scommunication skills set us apart from others. As a business, we try to respondto every voicemail and email within an hour in order to acknowledge ourcustomers in an appreciative manner. By doing so, we keep an open flow ofcommunication. It’s what makes or breaks our business.

Q: How does your business connect with thecommunity?

A: Our biggest contribution to thecommunity is my involvement with the local Animal Rescue. I also do some freewalks myself and try to donate my time and money.

Q: Are there any prominent industry trendsthat you are experiencing right now?

A: The industry has seemed to followthe economy. For instance, I grew significantly from 2006 until 2008. By thetime September 2008 came around, I noticed our business slowly declining. Ourbusiness kept declining in 2009, but we managed to get by. By 2010, we startedto see the industry slowly picking up. Now, in 2011, business has gone bonkers.I’m not sure if more people have found a need for mid-day walks, or if peopleare taking more vacations, but it seems as though people are back to traveling.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Fetch! Pet Care featured on WGN Midday News

2012-01-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured on WGN Midday News in Chicago. Fetch! Pet Care franchisees Carolyn and Greg Alonso brought four dogs along with them to demonstrate four different exercises that people can do with their pets as part of the show's Midday Fix segment. The couple spoke withnews anchor Dina Bair at length about the benefits of exercising with your petand just how easy it is to do. Click here to watch the entire segment.

WGN Midday Fix Segment

Fetch! Pet Care featured on Denver's CBS4 Morning News

2012-01-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in a segment on Denver's CBS4 Morning News! Thesegment featured Felicia Quintana, Fetch! Pet Care owner in Denver, who discussed tips that pet owners need to knowwhen the temperature drops. Felicia demonstrated a few tips by bringing her dogin-studio to show how to fit them for jackets to conserve body heat and talkedabout the importance of using pet-safe alternatives to snow-melting chemicals. This segment is a great way for viewers to ensurethat their pets are happy and healthy during the winter months. Click here to view the video or watch it below.

Franchisee Profile: Chris Pulliam of Fort Worth, Texas

2012-01-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care – Chris Pulliam

Franchisee Since:2007

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Q: What was your career before franchising?

A: Beforefranchising with Fetch! Pet Care, I was working for a company that trains commercialtruck drivers. My wife and I wanted to look into a business where I could keepmy job and the benefits that they provided my family. I wasn’t ready to ventureout on my own with a business.

Q: What was appealing to you about joininga franchise system?

A: My family has been always beenentrepreneurs. My great grandfather started a swimming pool business which hasbeen in the family for years. Swimming pools weren’t something that interestedme so out of college I began thinking about the pet care industry andopportunities to start a business in that field. After my wife and I gotmarried and had children, we were looking for something that we could do thatwould still allow me to keep a full time job. Going back to the pet careindustry, I found Fetch! and decided it was an affordable opportunity in afield that I cared about.

Q: Regarding yourprevious experience, which skills do you feel helped you in your business?

A: I think my previous experience managing peoplehas really helped me. I have 8 contracted employees and I have had to be veryselective with who I hire. You must have good pet sitters to run a successfulbusiness and be able to trust them. You have to have a good relationship withthem so they can provide the best customer service.

Q: Why did you choose to enter the pet careindustry?

A: We chose to enter into the pet careindustry because we love pets! The people that use Fetch! are the type ofclientele that hold their pets in high esteem, and since I have always had aninterest in this field, it seemed like a natural fit that I would help care forother people’s animals.

Q: What makes your business different?

A: Mostpet companies are one person operations. We have many different pet sitters sono matter what you are going to get a qualified and trusted sitter from us. Wewill never have to turn a pet away because we are prepared to handle manydifferent clients.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Franchisee Profile: Libby Mitchell of Dallas, TX

2012-01-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

Name: LibbyMitchell

OpeningDate: May 2009

Brand: Fetch! Pet Care

Location:Dallas, TX

Q: Where are you from?

A: I am originally from New Jersey butwent to college in Massachusetts before I began working for the Forest Service. I worked in a variety of differentfields from computers to finance and moved to Texas 13 years ago.

Q: What was your career before franchising?

A: I received my degree in biology andworked for several companies before I decided personality-wise that I wasbetter suited to working for myself. Iactually opened a small independent film business in 2002 and we do work onfeature film, short films, and industrial work.

Q: Why did you decide to open your ownbusiness?

A: I was very interested in running andmanaging a company. Corporate jobs do not offer a lot of freedom, so I wantedto do something that would allow me to use my ideas and personality. I haveexperience as an entrepreneur from owning my production company and have a lovefor animals, so I wanted to explore my options with a business that couldcombine the two.

Q: When choosing a franchise, what wasappealing to you about Fetch! Pet Care?

A: I was looking at franchises on MSNand Fetch! kept coming up as a successful and thriving franchise business. Idecided to look into it and met with Fetch! executives in May 2009. The groundwork was already laid out and the name alone has a great reputation. Although nobusiness is completely recession proof, it was clear they are expanding at asteady rate. I have worked with rescue animals since I was a teenage and haveseveral rescue dogs living with us and also take care of my mom who lives withus. I needed a business which focused onthe well-being and care of others and something I knew I would enjoy.

Q: With regard toyour previous experience, what skills do you feel helped you in your business?

A: I workedwith a woman who owned five businesses and I was her operations manager chargedwith keeping everything on track. I own a small production company as well, soI have a lot of experience when it comes to managing and running a company.

From my experience as a leader, I have a good sense ofhow to encourage everyone to work as a team and for a common goal, which, inthis case, are happy clients and pets!

Q: What makes your business different?

A: The sitters and I really connectwith the clients, and they are very appreciative and loyal. All of our sittersare pet first aid trained in case of anemergency; they know what to do and how to handle an urgent situation. Everyonethat works with me is happy and upbeat. What is most important to me is are sitters who can work with animals andunderstand people because those are the two most important qualifications inour line of work.

Q: How does your business connect with thecommunity?

A: We reach out to the community in avariety of ways. We handle from different angles from attending events to social networkingsuch as posting on blogs. We work with adoptions and non-profit petorganizations, such as Garland Pawsibilities, Linens for Animals, andRichardson Animalluv.

Q: What are some of your achievements(professionally or personally) that you think will help you along the way inyour business?

A: I set goals every year, and I do mybest to achieve them every year. I maynot make it right on the time period I want, but they do happen. I think it is important to set goals becauseI always have the motivation to work harder and make my business the best itcan be.

Q: What are your expansion or developmentplans?

A: I would probably like to expand inthe future. I’m really interested in Allen and McKinney (Texas), so I plan toput out some feelers and see what happens.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Franchisee Profile: Lisa Vince of Danvers, MA

2011-12-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Name: Lisa Vince

Brand: Fetch! Pet Care

Location: Danvers, MA

LisaVince joined Fetch! Pet Care to follow her passion--- to help animals and hercommunity. By combining her prior career experience with her love for animals,she is able to assist her clients with personalized and professional pet care.After a career in hospitality, Lisa strives to bring the best customer serviceto every client by working with them on a personal level.

Q:What was your career before franchising?

A:I spent a majority of my career working in the hospitalityindustry. Based off of that career, I found that I loved working with peopleand have a passion for customer service.

Q:How did you learn about the brand?

A:I learned about Fetch! Pet Care from the woman next door to me who owned a Fetch!Pet Care franchise. It looked like it was successful in the area, and becauseof my passion for animals and volunteer service, I decided that it would be agreat fit for me.

Q:Why did you decide to open your own business?

A:Based on my experience in corporate America and my knowledge and backgroundin customer service, I was interested in owning my own business because I knew Icould offer high quality service to my customers. I have also volunteered forseveral animal shelters in my community, so I wanted to find a way to helpanimals as a part of my full-time career.

Q: What makes your business different?

A:By listening to our customers and offering personalized service, we’re ableto identify their needs and deliver on our promise. Pets are like children–people want the best for them.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Fetch!Pet Care was founded in Berkeley, Calif., in 2002 by Paul Mann, whowanted his pets to remain in his home instead of kenneling them while hetraveled. Finding no professional company suitable to the task, Mann startedhis own firm with the goal of providing as-needed, reliable, and loving care topets of all kinds. Today, there are more than 3,000 Fetch! professionalsoperating in 1,500 U.S. communities. FETCH! PetCare is the nation's largest and most trusted provider of professionalpet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parentsfrom coast to coast. Made from pet lovers turned business owners, eachindependently and locally owned Fetch! focuses on taking the stress out offinding a sitter and adding convenience to customer’s lives by doing all of thelegwork for you. Fetch! matches you and your pets with the most qualified,experienced pet professional possible. For moreinformation, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Fetch! Pet Care featured on MO.com

2011-12-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care's franchisee Sandy Lowell and her Boulder, Colorado location was featured on MO.com. In the article, Sandy discusses why she decided to become involved with Fetch! Pet Care and what was appealing to her about the pet industry. She discusses why she chose Boulder and how business is going very well with Fetch! so far. Click here to read the entire article.

"As a pet owner myself, I realized the great need to have someone reliable to care for our pets when we were away.”

By: MO

Fetch! Pet Care is the nation’s largest and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. We take the stress out of finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of the legwork for you. We match you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. Our reliable, courteous pet sitters ensure your scheduling needs and any special requirements are met with consistent, responsive care.

Sandy Lowell recognized the fantastic opportunity to grow the existing Fetch! in the Boulder Valley and is enthusiastically working toward expanding the business through additional advertising, promotions and community events.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care featured in The San Francisco Examiner

2011-12-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in The San Francisco Examiner in an article titled, "CEO of Fetch! Pet Care is looking for the best pet-rescue story." Fetch! Pet Care CEO Paul Mann discusses the mission of the best pet-rescue story search, which is to bring awareness to the pets that need homes. Paul also talks about the ways in which 10,000 meals can significantly help an animal shelter. Paul's personal experience as an animal rescuer displays his passion for homeless animals and also reinforces the point that pets can rescue their owners as well. Click here to read the full article.

CEO of Fetch! Pet Care is looking for the best pet-rescue story
By: Alexis Terrazas

Paul Mann the CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, the nation’s largest dog walking and pet-sitting franchise, is looking for the best pet-rescue story. The winner will get to donate 10,000 free meals to the shelter of their choice. The deadline is Sunday.

What is your mission? My big mission is really to promote awareness for pets who need homes.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care featured in The New York Enterprise Report

2011-12-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in The New York Enterprise Report in an articled titled, "Imperfect Process of Picking Partners". Paul Mann discusses the process and criteria he used to find an ideal investor for his business endeavors. Click here to read the full article.

Imperfect Process of Picking Partners
By: Paul Mann

You’ve put in sweat and tears to grow and expand your business. It started as a small idea and now it has turned into a profit-generating operation that has withstood the test of time. Should you let investors become involved with something you’ve built from the ground up? When is the right time to take investment funds? How do you find the “perfect” partner? I’ve sought investors for two of my companies—one with reluctance and the other with ambition.

In my first company, an internet software business I founded during the dot-com boom, I took on investors too late. I had taken on investors who were active in both investing money and providing insights into my business. But I soon found that they lacked domain expertise in my industry, as well as physical availability to meet and discuss the growing daily needs of my business.

(Read More)

Charitable Holiday Season Brings A New Chance for Sammy

2011-12-02T11:46:00.001-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care franchisee, Regina Cheung, was recently involvedin an amazing pet rescue story about a Yorkie named Sammy. Her “Rescue That Rescued Me” story is an inspirational story about a search for a new petparent willing to adopt an elderly dog that outlived its parents.

Sammy, a 10-year old blindYorkie, has known his entire life with his mom and dad. But then lastyear Sammy’s dad passed away and he went to live with his mom in an assistedliving facility. Sammy was everything to his mom especially after his dadpassed away. But in the nursing home facility, Sammy had to wear a muzzlebecause he had bitten other people while there. Then some time later,tragedy struck again and Beverly passed away from surgery complications leavingSammy with few options for a new home. During Sammy’s stay at theassisted living facility, Fetch! Pet Care dog sitter, Nancy, would come andwalk Sammy twice a day so when Beverly passed, Nancy took in Sammy as a dog ofher own for the time being. Sammy had to learn how to live with Nancy’sother two dogs and they quickly became best friends, but Nancy couldn’t keepSammy forever so left without other options, Rick, Beverly’s son, had littlechoice but consider putting Sammy up for adoption at the shelter.

Regina Cheung, owner of Fetch! Pet Care in Southern California, asked Nancy to care for Sammy for one moreweek. Knowing that Sammy would be hard to adopt because of his age andcondition, Regina made it her mission to find Sammy a new home. She tookvideos and pictures of his sweet face to post on all the rescue websites aswell as sent out an email blast to local rescuers. One of the localrescuers posted a Facebook message about it and pet rescuer, Pat Chambers, allthe way in Louisiana responded to that message that day saying that she and herhusband had 6 small dogs and cats and a big house with a yard. She alsohad experience with elderly dogs and was interested in giving Sammy a newhome. Sammy took a red eye flight with an animal transport service Reginafound to Louisiana and he arrived to his new home with Pat, a part-time socialworker, and her retired husband, just before Thanksgiving this year.

Regina rescued Sammy when he was most in need of a new home. This a great story that we at Fetch! wanted to share with our fans. Stories like this need to be brought to light and shared with everyone. They are so heart-felt and bring a smile to everyone's face. If you have a "Rescue Who Rescued Me" story you would like to share, enter it into our nation-wide search. We, along with our partners, Bark Magazine, Halo Purely for Pets, and FreeKibble.com, are on a search to find the best pet rescue. They winner with the best story, picture or video will be able to choose the shelter of their choice for FreeKibble to donate 10,000 free meals. Submissions end December 18th and voting starts December 19th.

Franchisee Profile: Jerry Dean of Sacramento, California

2011-11-22T14:36:00.001-08:00

Name: JerryDean
OpeningDate: March 2011
Brand: Fetch!Pet Care
Location:Sacramento

Q: Where are you from?

A: I moved to Sacramento from Redding,Calif., six months ago to invest in a Fetch! franchise.

Q: What was your career before franchisingand why did you decide to open your own business in this industry?

A: I was a full-time driver for thepast 10 years with two different companies – most recently FedEx. I was making100 stops a day in six hours. I gottired of doing that every day and I wanted a change from the corporate Americalifestyle.

I’ve alwaysloved animals and I have three cats, five dogs and a boa constrictor. I said,“The heck with it, I’ve got the money. I want to invest in a Fetch! franchise.”

Q: How did you learn about the brand?

A: I was walking through Costco one dayon a (FedEx) delivery, and I saw a magazine with a list of franchises, andFetch! was near the top of the list. I held onto that magazine for three years –I still have it – and I told myself one day I would own one. I kept thatmagazine where I could find it and used it as motivation. I was determined tomake my dream become a reality.

Q: What was appealing to you about joininga franchise system?

A: At first, I thought about opening upa pet care service by myself, but after looking into it more, it seemedfinancially impossible. When I looked at Fetch!, I saw how structured,organized and efficient they were. They had a brand name that was dialed in, theyhad the software in place – everything was set up for you to hit the groundrunning, ready to go. It’s a beautiful setup.

Q: With regard toyour previous experience, what skills do you feel helped you in your business?

A: My previous job required me to be veryefficient and organized and those are two skills that are absolutely necessarywhen starting a new business and making it successful.

Q: Why did youchoose to enter the pet care industry?

A: I have a huge passion for animals andreally enjoy working with them every day. Pet care is an industry that isimportant to people who have animals and as a pet owner, I understand howimportant it is to give them the best care possible.

Q. What servicedoes Fetch! predominately provide?

A: One of our more popular services aredaily visits to take care of pets.. Mostpeople work nine to five and don’t have the option to run home to let their petout so we visit the pets, let them get out their energy, feed and walk them fortheir owners. We also provide private boarding, which a lot of people don’tknow. Owners bring their pet to a Fetch!sitter’s house for overnight sitting.

Q: How does your business connect with thecommunity?

A: Everyoneloves their pets, so I think we connect with the community on that personallevel. Fetch! allows us to really get to know the communityon a much deeper level than other businesses because we work with theirpets. Anyone with a pet knows that theyare much more than an animal; they are a family member.

Q: What’s the most outrageous pet you’vetended to?

A: I walked a tortoise for a lady oncefor an hour a day in the backyard of her house. He was surprisingly very energetic and I had to keep a close eye on himso he wouldn’t end up missing.

Q: How many clients do you have so far andwhat are your expansion or development plans for the next year or two?

A: Right now we have around 140clients. In my first year of business, I would like tosee steady growth.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trustedfranchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services, servingthousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. They take the stress outof finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of thelegwork for you. With over 3000 Fetch! Pet Care professionals in 1500communities, they match you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced and loving pet professional possible. Whether youneed a daily dog walker or last-minute pet sitter, Fetch! Pet Care has got yourtail covered with a bonded, insured, background checked expert! In 2011, EntrepreneurMagazine ranked Fetch! Pet Care in its Top 500 Franchises, Low-CostFranchises, Top New Ranking, Top Home-based Franchises and Fast-GrowingFranchises. Fetch! Pet Care also ranked as the top-ranked pet-carefranchise on AllBusiness.com’s AllStar Franchise List for the current year. Formore information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Four Leading Pet Advocates Come Together to Award a Pet Shelter with 10,000 Meals

2011-11-18T11:45:00.001-08:00

Right before Paul Mann foundedFetch! Pet Care, the nation’s largest dog walking and pet sittingfranchise, in 2002, he rescued an abandoned and severely distressed cat fromthe San Francisco SPCA named Finnigan. Finnigan had multiple issues whenMann took him in, including food deprivation. At that time, Mann resolvedthat he would help more than just two rescued pets (Mann later rescued a dognamed Milo). That time has come as Fetch! Pet Care has put together acampaign so that other great rescue stories could shine in the hope that morepets could be helped.

Finnigan

Together with The Bark magazine, Halo Purely forPets, and FreeKibble.com, Mann’s Fetch! Pet Care will host a nationwide contesttitled The Rescue Who Rescued Me for pet owners to share their tale ofhow they saved a pet through rescue or adoption. The person whose picture or video submission receives the most votes of their rescued pet willbe awarded the opportunity to select the pet shelter of their choice in whichFreeKibble will donate 10,000 free meals, equivalent to 2,500 pounds of petfood.

“I got into the pet industry because I wanted to help petseverywhere receive the best care possible. I had experienced and heard oftoo many horror stories about pets not being treated respectfully. Thisnationwide contest is a way to bring out all those great rescue stories from peoplewho are heroes in their own right,” said Mann. “Luckily, we have somegreat partners that are equally invested in the proper care for pets and areallowing us the opportunity to award 10,000 meals of Halo Spot’s Stew pet foodto a deserving shelter that needs it now more than ever.”

In order for rescuers to share their stories, they cansubmit their photos or videos and descriptions on Fetch! Pet Care’s FacebookFan page at www.facebook.com/fetchcorporatethrough the “Rescue Who Rescued Me Contest” link from Nov. 16 to Dec. 18. The Grand Prize winner will be featured in the March edition of The Bark magazine and the shelter of the winner’s choosing will receive 10,000 freenutritious meals of Halo’s Spot’s Stew from FreeKibble.com.

“We believe that the collection of these photos, videosand stories will help promote awareness for pets that need good homes andfamilies to love and care for them,” said Mann, “We encourage everyone tospread the word and promote adopting a rescue pet this holiday season.”

Fetch! Pet Care Named in Entrepreneur's Top 100 Low Cost Franchises

2011-11-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in Entrepreneur's Top 100 Low Cost Franchises.

Adding to Fetch! Pet Care's growing list of accolades, Fetch! was named #35 this month in Entrepreneur's top 100 low cost franchises. Entrepreneur bases it's rankings off how many franchise units there are, startup costs, ongoing fees and financing.

In 2011, Entrepreneur has also ranked Fetch! Pet Care inits Top 500 Franchises (#166), Top New Ranking (#24), Top Home-based Franchises (#46) and Fast-Growing Franchises (#51).

Click here to view the Enterpreneur's full Top 100 list.

Fetch! Pet Care & Trupanion | Pet Look-A-Like Contest Winner

2011-11-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care and Trupanion's Pet Look-A-Like Contest has come to a close and our winner is crowned!

The Pet Look-A-Like contest ran from September 19th to October 31st. Fans were able to submit their photos and from there vote for their favorites once a day. To see some other great entries, click here!

Our 1st Place Look-A-Like

Our winner, Tyler and RJ, had in total 1,418 votes, beating the second place photo only 98 votes. The contest overall had over 3,200 votes!

Tyler's mom, Shirley, entered this photo of Tyler and their dog, RJ, because they are both smiling and have "squinty" eyes. Can you see the similarity?

Congratulations to our winner and thank you to all of our fans who participated in submitting photos and !

Below, enjoy some honorable mentions:

Our 2nd Place Look-A-Like

Our 3rd Place Look-A-Like

Fetch! Pet Care feature in the Oak Forest Patch

2011-10-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in the Oak Forest Patch in an article entitled, "Local Woman's Career Goes to the Dogs." Oak Forest Patch reporter Lauren Traut compiled an article about Fetch! Pet Care business owner Linda Stevens’ career, from working in the housing industry and getting out right before the recession to owning seven Fetch! Pet Care locations. Stevens wanted to continue working, but wanted a career that she was passionate about that would allow her to spend time with her young son. As an animal lover, Stevens found the best of both worlds with Fetch! Pet Care and now owns territories all over Chicagoland. As for her choice to make the switch, Stevens says in the article, “It’s the best decision I ever made.” Click here to view the entire article.

Local Woman's Career Goes to the Dogs

By: Lauren Traut

Linda Stevens left her career in the construction business just in time—before the housing market crashed.

After 20 years in the business, the wife and mother found herself on new, shaky ground after quitting her job in 2005. Stevens was looking to live her dream of having a career, without sacrificing time with her family. She had always loved animals, and when an opportunity arose to start her own franchise of a national pet sitting and and dog walking business, she was intrigued.

"My son was younger, I wanted to spend time with my family," Stevens said. "I had to change my lifestyle."

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care feature in EntrepreneurStartups Magazine

2011-10-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Recently EntrepreneurStartups Magazine featured Fetch! Pet Care franchisee Peggy Kennedy in an article called “How Social Media and a Sprinkle of Stardust Led to One Franchisee’s Success,” which published this month. Peggy had made an amazing transition from the corporate finance world on the East Coast to Fetch! franchisee on the West Coast. Since moving and starting her business, she has adapted to a great lifestyle where she does what she is passionate about and leads the lifestyle she wants. Click here to read the entire article.

How Social Media and a Sprinkle of Stardust Led to One Franchisee's Success
By: David Port

When Peggy Kennedy says she's working near capacity, she's no longer talking in terms of late nights at the office, polishing PowerPoint presentations. For Kennedy, who formerly worked in financial services on the East Coast and found refuge as a West Coast pet-care industry franchise owner, nowadays it's about the time she and her staff spend caring for clients of the four-legged variety.

"I'm working all the time--weekends, vacations, I'm always checking in. And I'm adding administrative staff just to keep up," says Kennedy, referring to the Fetch! Pet Care franchise she's been running in the Los Angeles area since 2006. Buoyed by a largely word-of-mouth clientele sprinkled with Hollywood celebs and their pets, her pet-sitting and dog-walking operation hit all-time highs this summer for monthly revenue, grossing more than $30,000, up from $1,500 in its early days.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care & Trupanion | Pet Look-A-Like Contest Submission Coming to a Close

2011-10-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care and Trupanion are partnering together to host the Pet Look-A-Like contest!

The Pet Look-A-Like contest is being hosted on Fetch! Pet Care's Facebook page and asks fans to submit photos of them and their pets. These photos can have an uncanny resemblance, matching outfits, or just a fun pose! Winner of the contest will win an iPad 2!

The submission period ends THIS Sunday, October 16th at 11:59pm EST and voting will immediately start Monday, October 17th!

So far we have gotten great submissions! Here's a preview of some of them:

Get your photos in today before Sunday!

Want to be a Superhero?

2011-10-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

Rescue a Shelter Dog... and Get a Loyal Sidekick for All of Life's Adventures

You can save the day for a homeless dog -- and find a faithful companion who will be at your side for all of life's adventures -- by adopting a dog from your local shelter or breed-rescue group during American Humane's Adopt-A-Dog Month® in October.

Adopting a dog is a heroic feat that's easy to perform, and animal shelters and breed-rescue groups are filled with amazing dogs: large, small, mixed breeds, even purebreds. In fact, millions of loyal, lovable dogs are surrendered to our nation's animal welfare organizations every year because their owners simply couldn't take care of them anymore. Now they're homeless -- and just waiting for a hero like you!

During Adopt-A-Dog Month, we encourage you to visit your local shelter or breed-rescue group, meet potential sidekicks and discover the many super-size benefits of having a dog: happiness, companionship, improved physical and emotional health, and devoted love. Dogs also encourage people to exercise, enhance family and social relationships, promote laughter and act as a nonjudgmental audience and sounding board. No that's super!

American Humane works year-round to support animal welfare organizations, promote adoptions and enhance the bond that people share with their companion animals. And each year during Adopt-A-Dog Month, we give shelters tools and resources to continue fostering connections between people and pets.

If you're ready to find your very own faithful canine companion, check out American Humane's resources to learn about the adoption centers, shelter and rescue groups, and adoption stories.

Strikingly Similar: Pets and Owners Compete in Facebook Look-Alike Contest

2011-09-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

Together with Trupanion®, Fetch! Pet Care Uses Facebook to Strengthen Interactions with Fans

WALNUT CREEK, CA —Even Grandma and Grandpa are on Facebook nowadays, so it’s no surprise that pets increasingly have their own Facebook profile as well. In fact, the line between pets and owners is increasingly close, and many studies support the old adage that people resemble their pets. As such, Fetch! Pet Care invites contestants to vie for winner of their first “Pet Look-Alike” contest. Fetch! Pet Care is the largest pet sitting and dog walking franchise in the United States. The contest is being sponsored together with Trupanion®, a leading pet insurance company.

In order to compete, fans should “like” the Fetch! Pet Care page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fetchcorporate. Through the “Pet Look-Alike Contest” link, from Sept. 19 to Oct. 16, pet owners can upload their photo, photo title and photo description, which will then be put up for voting from October 17 until October 31. The winning submission will receive an Apple iPad.

“The beauty of Facebook is that anyone can easily compete,” said Elyse Marks, Director of Marketing for Fetch! Pet Care. “The results should be hilarious – same pouf or curly hair to the same ears or jowls – we want to see it all!”

Photos are not limited to similar body appearance. Whether it’s an uncanny resemblance, matching outfits, or a fun pose, Fetch! Pet Care hopes to capture more pets and their owners having a good time together.

“As a brand, it was important for us to find more ways to interact with our current and future customers,” said Paul Mann, founder and CEO of Fetch! Pet Care. “Through the power of social media, we can learn more about our customers while interacting with them in their personal space. The value of this process to both our brand and pet owners everywhere is priceless. We want to know our customers, fans and pets by name.”

The foundation of the contest was built from founder Mann’s passion for pets. An avid animal lover himself, Mann started the business when he needed a pet sitter while he was traveling. After tirelessly interviewing local pet sitters in his search for someone to entrust his furry babies and his house to, he had an "Aha!" moment. It wasn't a simple problem at all — it was really hard to find someone reliable and loving to care for his pets the way he did, and was a common problem experienced by most pet parents.

Today, Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. Fetch! Pet Care pet sitters are highly experienced professionals who are pet parents themselves, intuitively and professionally understanding what pets and pet owners need. The sitters care for all types of pets, no matter the size or species — they’re dog, cat, bird and even snake and spider people.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE

Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted franchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. They take the stress out of finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of the legwork for you. With over 3000 Fetch! Pet Care professionals in 1500 communities, they match you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. Whether you need a daily dog walker or last-minute pet sitter, Fetch! Pet Care has got your tail covered! In 2011, Fetch! Pet Care ranked top of its category, making Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best of Best List. It also ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Low-Cost Franchises, Top New Ranking, Top Home-based Franchises and Fast-Growing Franchises in addition to the top-ranked pet-care franchise on AllBusiness.com’s AllStar Franchise List for the current year. For more information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Fetch! Pet Care featured on BusinessNewsDaily.com

2011-09-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was featured on BusinessNewsDaily.com. BusinessNewsDaily reporter Kim Zimmermann spoke with Chief Executive of Fetch Pet Care Paul Mann on what characteristics small business owners should look for in investors. The article titled “How You Know It’s Time To Find An Investor” gives entrepreneurs some tips on when it may be the right time to find investors and what a small business may need from investors. The article is based off of Paul Mann’s experience in finding a great partnership in Cybeck Capital Partners whose vision for growing the franchise to 500 locations by 2015 perfectly aligned with Mann’s vision. Click here to view the full article.

How You Know It's Time to Find an Investor

By: Kim Ann Zimmermann

At some point, every young business comes to a crossroad. Perhaps the entrepreneur lacks the funding to take their idea any further. Or, maybe the business owner is good at certain aspects of running the business—such as wooing new clients and identifying areas of potential growth—but needs some assistance with budgeting and setting priorities if they want to expand.

How does a business owner know when is it time to bring in an investor?

For Paul Mann, the founder and CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, a national dog walking and pet services franchise based in Walnut Creek, Calif., the moment was when he realized his "teenager" of a business would need help in becoming an "adult" as the number of franchised units grew from 33 to 200 from 2006 to 2008.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care featured on Kiplinger

2011-09-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was featured on Kiplinger in an article entitled, "8 Low-Cost Franchises for Hard Times." The article highlights the number of franchises, growth in franchises, net worth in franchises, net worth requirements, royalty and franchise fee that people looking into small business ownership would be researching in their process. Additionally, the article highlights the growth of the pet care industry as American's love their pets and will pay for the pet sitting and dog walking services that Fetch! Pet Care provides. The ability for Fetch! franchisees to operate as a home-based business also allows new owners to get started quickly and reduces initial start-up costs usually associated with retail or food franchise costs. Click here to view the full article.

8 Low-Cost Franchises for Hard Times

Recession or no recession, people love their pets, and will pay good money for their care, including shelling our for walking and sitting services when they're away. Fetch! Pet Care franchisees take care of all kinds of pets - dogs, cats, birds and even spiders. They aim to have background checked walkers and sitters available whenever pet owners need them. The Walnut Creek, Calif.-based firm also provides services such as puppy training and yard cleanup.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care featured on FranchiseChatter.com

2011-09-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured on FranchiseChatter.com in an article called “Exclusive Q&A with Paul Mann, CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, America’s Largest Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Franchise.” Paul Mann discusses the entrepreneurial story behind Fetch!, and the attributes that make Fetch! a great franchise opportunity, and how someone can become a part of the system. Click here to view the entire article.

Exclusive Q&A with Paul Mann, CEO of Fetch! Pet Care, America’s Largest Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Franchise

By: Ambrosio

Fetch! Pet Care is America’s largest pet sitting and dog walking franchise — with over 150 franchises servicing more than 1,800 cities and towns nationwide, and over 10,000 clients in the past year alone.

Paul Mann founded Fetch! Pet Care in 2002 as a San Francisco Bay Area local pet sitting and dog walking service. The company began franchising in 2004, after experiencing rapid growth and profitability.

Prior to Fetch! Pet Care, Paul co-founded Informative Inc., an internet software technology company and a pioneer in online survey technology. He subsequently served as its CEO and a board member. Paul grew the business to over 70 employees with over 300 Fortune 500 customers generating $5 million annually before selling the company in February 2001 to an international software development firm.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care featured in Delta Sky Magazine

2011-09-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in Delta Sky Magazine in an article entitled“One, Then Many.” Fetch! Pet Care franchisee Kelly Strowd was featured for her experience in owning her own business with Fetch! Tired of her job as a police officer, Strowd became a Fetch! franchisee in 2006 due to her love of animals. In just a short time, she acquired more territories and expanded her business which further solidified her decision to go into franchising. Click here to view the full article on pages 4 & 5.

One, Then Many
By: Jonathan Maze

Kelly Strowd never imagined she would operate a franchise. As a police detective investigating sexual assaults and domestic violence in Carrboro County, North Carolina, she enjoyed good benefits, but the pay wasn't enough that she could envision herself owning a business.

Still, the stress of her job was wearing on her. "I was getting burned out," she says. So when she saw a newspaper ad for a new pet sitting franchise called Fetch, she was intrigued. An animal lover, she had been involved in dachshund rescue services and had cared for five dachshunds herself.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care | Best Pet Ever Contest Winner

2011-08-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Kathy Schmidt is the owner of Sadie, Fetch! Pet Care Best Pet Ever Contest Winner! Sadie is a one and a half years old Brussels/Griffin mix and they live in Kirkwood, WA. Here is a little bit about our winner Sadie!

Q: How old is Sadie?

A: She is one and a half. It feels like we have had her forever and I can’t imagine not having her!

Q: What type of dog is Sadie?

A: Sadie is a Brussels/Griffin mix. She has a beard like a Brussels.

Q: How did you come to own Sadie?

A: My husband and I adopted her about 5 months ago from Ginger’s Pet Rescue in Seattle. They rescue dogs from CA and fly them to Seattle. They do this because there is a higher percentage of kills shelters in CA. She’s really smart and very sweet. She’s learning a ton of new tricks.

Q: What is your favorite past time with Sadie?

A: My favorite past time with Sadie is walking. I feel more connected to the city because of our walks. She loves to go on long walks, except when it's raining. I had to get her a little rain coat because she is terrified of walking in the rain!

Q: How did you first learn about Fetch! Pet Care?

A: One of my friends owns a Fetch! Pet Care. When my husband and I got Sadie, we had a trip that was planned a year previous, but we didn’t want to leave Sadie at the kennel or the vet. We wanted her to be at home so I looked up pet services and a couple of coworkers told me about Fetch! We have used Georgia, one of our favorite sitters, quite a few times now.

Q: What do you do for a living?

A: I am graphic designer in Seattle. My husband works in Kirkland.

Fetch! Pet Care Named to Entrepreneur’s Best of the Best List

2011-08-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2011 Best of the Best list. The national pet sitting and dog walking franchise was selected as the best pet services franchise, exemplifying the brand’s commitment to providing the highest standard of professional pet care services.

Founded in 2002 after struggling to find consistent, reliable care for his pets while traveling, Paul Mann has grown Fetch! Pet Care into a nationwide business that now includes more than 3,000 experienced pet sitters operating in 1,500 U.S. communities. Specializing in providing in-home pet care services, Mann created Fetch! Pet Care with the goal of building a dependable business that could be duplicated through franchising.

“To be recognized by Entrepreneur as the best brand in the pet services category speaks to the consistently high level of care our franchise owners and their staff provide to pets and their parents everyday,” Mann said. “When I founded the company, I had heard so many stories about pet sitters not showing up, or pets getting lost or injured under the care of the kid next door. I knew Fetch! had to eliminate those concerns and add a greater level of reliability to our services in order for us to be successful.”

Focusing on unsurpassed customer service, Fetch! Pet Care franchisees aim to deliver peace of mind to pet parents by bringing the service to their doorstep. Instead of keeping their furry friend in a kennel or boarding facility all day with little time for play, Fetch! Pet Care customers know their pet is safe and comfortable in its familiar surroundings while it is being looked after.

Mann implemented a system that requires pet sitters to leave “report cards” that show parents how their pets are doing and the activities they engaged in during the day. Integrating technology into the business, many of the brand’s pet sitters also text message pet parents to provide them with instant updates on their pet.

“It’s the combined effect of everything we do that leaves the customer knowing their pet is getting the most attention possible,” Mann said. “With a 92 percent referral rate to friends and family, we know we’re doing something right. Our goal is to continue to refine our systems, processes and procedures, so we can provide an even better experience for our customers as we go forward.”

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE
Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted franchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. They take the stress out of finding a sitter and add convenience to your life by doing all of the legwork for you. With over 3000 Fetch! Pet Care professionals in 1500 communities, they match you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. Whether you need a daily dog walker or last-minute pet sitter, Fetch! Pet Care has got your tail covered! In 2011, Fetch! Pet Care ranked top of its category, making Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best of Best List. It also ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Low-Cost Franchises, Top New Ranking, Top Home-based Franchises and Fast-Growing Franchises in addition to the top-ranked pet-care franchise on AllBusiness.com’s AllStar Franchise List for the current year. For more information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Franchisee Spotlight: Karen Culley & Danielle Proctor – N. Pittsburgh

2011-08-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Originally loyal customers of Fetch! Pet Care, friends Karen Culley and Danielle Proctor took the leap into business ownership together in 2008 when they bought an existing franchise from an owner who was moving to a different state. Knowing that business ownership can put a strain on friendships, the two work hard to maintain a balance between their business and friendship to ensure they are able to work well together and continue to have fun as friends. Each with a strong background in business, the pair splits responsibilities to ensure all aspects of the business are looked after. Karen has four cats, and Danielle as one dog, one cat and a chinchilla.

Q: What were your careers before franchising?
Karen: I worked as a paralegal and corporate manager for a privately owned family investment company for 25 years before accepting an early retirement package and retiring for a year. I now work for a private wealth manager in addition to owning Fetch! Although the clients are definitely a lot different (some with fur, some without), there are many similarities in the areas of customer service and the need to be efficient and organized.
Danielle: I am somewhat of a serial entrepreneur. I had been in the software industry for 12 years when I left to start my own construction company back in 2003. It was around that time that I fell in love with golf, which is how I met Karen, and I started to get into the golfing scene. While golfing I was injured and as a result I began to do Pilates. I liked it so much that I started my own Pilates studio, too — so I own three businesses right now. My philosophy is that I see businesses that are out there and I want to see how I can run them to make them better. I’ve brought that mentality to running Fetch!, where we are purely customer driven rather than focusing on the mentality of being driven by the masses.

Q: How did you decide to start a business together?
Karen: We both discovered Fetch! as clients before we considered buying the franchise. When we heard that the former owner was relocating out of state and was interested in selling her business, we explored the possibilities. As animal lovers, we had always talked about going into business together and doing something that focused on animals, so this seemed like a natural fit and a good opportunity. By purchasing an existing franchise, as opposed to starting a new franchise location, we were able to hit the ground running without having to experience the early growing pains of a new business. Of course, we had to really keep on our toes to make sure our existing clients and sitters were taken care of seamlessly.

Q: What has business been like since you took over?
Karen: We have grown slowly and steadily, relying on the Internet and word-of-mouth, rather than spending a lot of money on print advertising. Because Pittsburgh is such a big city, local advertising in all the areas that we cover proved to be costly. We sometimes see a slowdown in the winter months for obvious reasons, but we have never had any bad months. Last year was our best performance to date, increasing our gross sales by more than 70 percent. We now have more than 40 sitters and we cover the City of Pittsburgh and all points North.

Q: Was there a moment that you knew this was the right move for you?
Danielle: The morning we were leaving for our training in San Francisco, one of Karen’s cats wasn’t feeling well. In fact, she was worried that there was a serious problem. She had to make a decision as to whether to continue to San Francisco or turn around and go home. She called her Fetch! sitter, who promptly took the cat to the emergency room. When our flight landed in California and I turned on my phone, I had a message that my chinchilla had gotten its leg caught in its cage and was also on its way to the emergency room. We both wondered if this was some kind of omen. What it really showed us was how good our pet sitters are and how well equipped they are to handle any situation. They each sat with our animals and saw them through their emergencies. That experience solidified our decision to join Fetch! It drove home the point that our sitters are really our best asset.

Q: What are your expansion or development plans?
Danielle: For this franchise, expansion comes in the form of ZIP codes. We recently bought two more ZIP codes and already have a double territory. We are quickly expanding our coverage to service more people’s pet sitting needs.

ABOUT FETCH! PET CARE
Fetch! Pet Care was founded in Berkeley, Calif., in 2002 by Paul Mann, who wanted his pets to remain in his home instead of kenneling them while he traveled. Finding no professional company suitable to the task, Mann started his own firm with the goal of providing as-needed, reliable, and loving care to pets of all kinds. Today, there are more than 3,000 Fetch! professionals operating in 1,500 U.S. communities. FETCH! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. Comprised of pet lovers turned business owners, each independently and locally owned Fetch! focuses on taking the stress out of finding a sitter and adding convenience to customer’s lives by doing all of the legwork for them. Fetch! matches you and your pets with the most qualified, experienced pet professional possible. For more information, visit www.fetchpetcare.com.

Fetch! Pet Care Aligns with PetCareRx

2011-07-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

If you take a look at Fetch! Pet Care’s partnerships, they are in line with the best pet product and service brand names in the industry, from Trupanion Pet Insurance to Halo, a natural pet care product provider. The booming national pet sitting and dog walking services franchise has made another strategic decision to align itself with the nation’s leading online pet pharmacy, PetCareRx, to spread the message of pet health and wellness.

PetCareRx offers the highest quality pet medications and pet supplies of most major brands at discounted prices. In conjunction of the newly-formed alliance, Fetch! Pet Care has invited its loyalty club members to take advantage of an ongoing 15 percent off their purchase as well as free shipping on orders of $35 or more on PetCareRx.com.

“We hold the health and wellbeing of pets near and dear to our hearts,” said Paul Mann, founder and chief executive of Fetch! Pet Care. “PetCareRx provides superior pet medications and supplies in addition to being a reliable and professional company dedicated to pet health.”

Since 2002 when Mann founded Fetch! Pet Care, he and his company have made it their mission to provide quality pet care to customers. Their goal is to raise the bar of professionalism in the pet services industry by providing consistent, reliable and engaging care for family pets. In every partnership that Fetch! Pet Care forms, that mission is taken into consideration for the pets and their parents.

“With the recent partnership with PetCareRx, we continue to increase the unique value we provide to pet parents as customers of our service,” Mann said. “We will continue to add additional products and services to our customer loyalty club that improve the health and happiness of pets everywhere.”

Fetch! Pet Care featured in The Hartford Business Journal

2011-07-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in The Hartford Business Journal, in an article titled “Bloc of franchises eagerly target Hartford.” The article highlights Fetch! Pet Care’s desire to expand, and features the brand’s role in participating in franchising roundtables to spur franchise growth throughout the country. The roundtables also help Fetch! Pet Care provide educational opportunities to potential franchisees to learn about various businesses and see what is involved in starting a business. Click here to view the full article!

Blo c of franchises eagerly target Hartford
By Brad Kane

Twelve franchises which share the burden of not being familiar names have banded together to push into the Greater Hartford market.

Either the franchises already have a presence in Connecticut, have excellent sales from limited locations and want to expand; or the franchises exist in far off places and are lured by the promise of higher incomes and positioning between Boston and New York.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care featured in Dayton Business Journal

2011-07-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Recently the Dayton Business Journal published an article about the newly-formed operating partnership between Fetch! Pet Care and Cybeck Capital Partners led by Harry Loyle, managing director of Cybeck and treasurer of the International Franchise Association. The article details that Cybeck will be responsible assisting Fetch! in its long-term growth goals. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Dayton investors buy stake in Fetch!

A Dayton investor group, Cybeck Capital Partners LLC, recently acquired a 50 percent equity stake in the Fetch! Pet Care franchise.

With the acqusition, Cybeck Capital Partners, which manages MotoPhoto and The Connor Group, among others, will guide Walnut Creek, Cali.-based Fetch’s strategic direction, according to a news release.

At its peak, Fetch, which was founded in 2002 by Paul Mann, had 200 franchises. The company — a franchisor for professional pet sitting and dog walking services — now has 150 franchises nationwide.

(Read More)

Fetch! Pet Care featured in Austin Business Journal

2011-06-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Fetch! Pet Care was recently featured in an online article in the Austin Business Journal called, “Got the best pet ever? Compete for the title.” The article features Ken Diebold, Fetch! Pet Care owner of Austin, Texas. The article discusses Fetch! Pet Care’s social media contest hoping to find the Best Pet Ever this summer. Also included in the article is a synopsis of Ken’s business in Austin and highlights the franchise opportunity that Fetch! Pet Care provides. The article also discusses how Facebook users can enter their pet in the contest. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Got the best pet ever? Compete for the title

Pet care chain Fetch! is running a social media campaign in search of the best furry, feathery or scaly friend in the nation.

The animal sitting and walking business is giving enthusiastic pet owners the chance to compete for the "Best Pet Ever" title and a year of free services. The contest, which partners with treat maker Milk-Bone, requires a photo and application explaining why he or she is the best animal friend in the U.S. Facebook fans will then vote on a winner.

Applicants have until Aug. 5 to apply by clicking here and navigating to the "Best Pet Ever" tab.

(Read More)

PET TITLE BOUT: Animal Lovers Vie for ‘Best Pet Ever’ Through Social Media Application

2011-06-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

In the world of social media, two topics rule the universe: Children and pets. With plenty of parents vying for the title of “Best Child Ever” with their frequent photo and status posts, Fetch! Pet Care, the largest pet sitting and dog walking franchise in the United States, figured the 72.9 million U.S. households with a pet would do the same via Facebook — especially since there are 500 million users on the social site.

Together with Milk-Bone®, a leading dog biscuit company, Fetch! built a Facebook application where pet owners (dogs, cats, birds, fish, etc.) can pronounce why they have the “Best Pet Ever.” Through the application, pet owners will first submit a photo and description about why they have the best pet, which will then be put up for voting. The winning submission will receive a year of Fetch! Pet Care services, plus a prize package from Milk-Bone®.

“As a brand, it was important for us to find more ways to interact with our current and future customers,” said Paul Mann, founder and CEO of Fetch! Pet Care. “Through the power of social media, we can learn more about our customers while interacting with them in their personal space. The value of this process to both the brand and our franchisees is priceless. We want to know our customers, fans and pets by name.”

From June 13 through Aug. 5, pet lovers around the nation can enter their pet via Fetch!’s Facebook Fan Page’s “Best Pet Ever” application (www.facebook.com/FetchCorporate). With Facebook users spending more than 700 billion minutes a year within the social network — plus more than 50 percent of users logging in daily — Fetch! is preparing to let the rumble begin.

“The beauty of Facebook is anything can go viral,” said Elyse Marks, director of marketing for Fetch! Pet Care. “Just imagine the entries that may come through.”

The foundation of the contest was built from founder Mann’s passion for pets. An avid dog lover himself, Mann started the business when he needed a pet sitter while he was traveling. After tirelessly interviewing local pet sitters in his search for someone to entrust his furry babies and his house to, he had an "Aha!" moment. It wasn't a simple problem at all — it was really hard to find someone reliable and loving to care for his pets the way he did, and was a common problem experienced by most pet parents.

Today, Fetch! Pet Care is the nation's largest and most trusted provider of professional pet sitting and dog walking services, serving thousands of pets and pet parents from coast to coast. Fetch! Pet Care pet sitters are experienced, highly trained professionals who are pet parents themselves, intuitively and professionally understanding what pets and pet owners need. The sitters care for all types of pets, no matter the size or species — they’re dog, cat, bird and even snake and spider people.