We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cindy Davis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cindy below.

Cindy , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I was working as a vet tech doing what I love the most, caring for animals. I was working the front desk one day and heard a client saying that she was so worried about what to do with her pet while she had to fly out for a business trip. Her pet had an illness that required medications and monitoring. Our vet didn’t offer overnight boarding and she couldn’t find anyone that would be able to help her. So, I offered to watch her pet for her and since I was a vet tech I was very well trained in the medical care her pet would require. From there I had other ask me to watch their pets on the side and it became and every day thing for me.

I noticed there was pet care need for pets that had medical conditions that required medications or extra care. I started putting together an idea about a boarding facility that allowed all pets to board not matter the medical concerns, breed or behavior quirks. At the same time I wanted it to be more home style type boarding. I didn’t want pets to feel like they were in a kennel or have them spend time crated. So I began the whole process in my own home. I offered in home boarding at my house and house visits that included walks, cat care, and medication administration.

I created a name that came from a nick name my boss at the time had given me. Red Diggity Dog. This got a lot of attention just because the name was catchy. So I started getting very busy and I had to enlist the help of others. So I decided to bring on a partner. We worked out really well in the beginning and we decided to expand and get a building to handle the amount of pets that we had. Soon we found a commercial landlord that would take a chance on us and rent us a space and help us get our feet on the ground. I worked so hard to get our building open and running. Once we were opened we hired our first true employee. However, I still had to work every night overnight and during the day as well. For 6 months I was only home if we didn’t have any overnight boarding booked.

Shortly after we opened Red Diggity Dog, my business partner and I had a falling out and she took the business from me. So, I went back to my roots. Jan 2020 I relaunched Paws Paradise Fur Life! I was on my own for a while, until one day I got a call from my first employee from Red Diggity Dog. She had been let go by my old business partner. I told her to come on over I have work for her! So she and I partnered up and expanded our business once again. Around the same time the landlord for the building called me, informed me Red Diggity Dog had closed its doors and offered me the building to rent again and took a chance on me once again!

Of course I jumped on it! So during a pandemic we opened Paws Paradise Fur Life and hit the ground running. A pandemic made it difficult to build up business fast but we were extremely lucky that we had clients that stuck with us through the rough of it. We grew, slowly, but we grew. Between the two of us we shared the overnights, worked every week day and rotated weekends. It was a lot, but we knew it was worth it. We soon were able to hire a 3rd person to help break up the nights and weekends. It helped a lot!

About 2 years in my partner developed some health issues that required her to retire. So I bought her out of her share. This is the point where I went from working every day to determining it was time to hire a full staff. So I hired my first true team. I went from doing everything to teaching others to do it. It was hard, but I was blessed with an amazing team! Because we have staff 24/7 it’s hard to find a team that is as amazing as we have! We have to have clear communication, accountability, and self determination.

Overall, I didn’t have anything really planned out when I decided to do this. I just knew I wanted to create a place for pets to be comfortable, safe, cared for and happy. From there I just made it work. Day by day I learned something knew. I am constantly learning new things about being a business owner. I have developed great relationships through this journey and I am grateful for those who have supported me and stood by me through all of the growing pains!

Cindy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a vet tech of 16+ years. I have worked in the vet field as a vet tech working in specialty, ICU, emergency and general practice. Because of my background I am able to offer and special need for clients who need to travel and can not get exceptional pet care for their pets elsewhere.

We offer doggie daycare, overnight boarding and grooming. We can handle all breeds, medical conditions, and behaviors. We can even offer post-op care of your pet if you must leave on a trip. We offer an open style type boarding where your pet gets to have a sleep over with all of their friends and not be put in a run or a kennel. We do offer private boarding in an 8×8 suite that includes a toddler bed and a private space to relax in away from the group. Along with doggie daycare, boarding and grooming, we also offer in home pet sitting and walks. This allows pets that can not be in a group environment to still get the care the need.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Pet parents talk a lot to each other. If they like you everyone will know. We have built our client base strictly on word of mouth and social media. All of our clients tell their neighbors and friends about us and the care that their pets receive. It also helps that we have great relationships with local veterinarians and other pet care businesses.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I had first started Red Diggity Dog and when my previous partner and I fell out I was devastated. It took a couple of months for me to process what happened and realize I was not the problem. After working through some personal things, I got back up and relaunched as Paw Paradise Fur Life. I was able to quickly rebuild my client base and work out of my home. Shortly after relaunching the pandemic hit us. So, as you know, no one was traveling, going into work or anything. We were on lock down. But, because we were pet care, we could remain open. This allowed those essential personnel who had to go into work, get pet care for their pets still. So we still had work to do and were able to actually expand into a building and still build our client base. Between the previous business and the pandemic, I just kept pushing and growing.

Contact Info:

• Website: pawsparadisefl.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawsparadisefl/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pawsparadisefl/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcc5Cz8Bs-E0RbV0mVT9eMw

Image Credits
Cindy Davis