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

Domenic, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

When searching for a dog or cat caretaker, there’s no shortage of gig workers eager for the job. But as you narrow your search to experienced professionals capable of managing complex behavioral or medical issues, your options quickly diminish. That’s where Maestro Pet Care truly stands apart.

While many casual or gig-based providers offer attractive rates, they often lack the specialized expertise required for challenging pets, like a wary, people-reactive Chow Chow or a handling-sensitive Jack Russell that needs medication and insulin care. This is exactly my area of expertise. My practice is built around animals that demand more than typical care—pets who require patience, precision, and a deep understanding of both behavior and health.

I also intentionally steer clear of the industry’s common “volume-first” approach, such as walking multiple dogs at once or juggling overlapping client schedules. These methods may suit sociable pets, but they can easily overwhelm sensitive or behaviorally complex animals. Instead, I offer genuine one-on-one attention to ensure each client’s pet receives undivided care and support during our time together.

These distinctions directly enhance safety, wellbeing, and peace of mind for both the animal and their guardian. My mission isn’t merely to fill a role. It’s to build trust, create comfort, and provide steady, loving care to pets who might otherwise slip through the cracks. Every animal deserves to feel safe and understood, and I’m here to make sure they do—even when their needs fall outside the norm of the industry’s fast-paced, high-volume approach.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Since childhood, I’ve had a deep fascination with animals and a natural ability to connect with them. In 2013, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from UC San Diego, specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience. At the time, I was still exploring my path, but I knew I wanted to do something meaningful. So I followed a long-standing passion and began volunteering at the San Diego Humane Society.

I quickly became immersed in the work, starting as a volunteer and advancing to a role as an adoption counselor. I cross-trained in every department I could: behavior, medical, intake and euthanasia, donor coordination, kitten nursery, and more. That hands-on, cross-functional experience laid the foundation for everything I do today.

When I returned to Los Angeles in 2015, it was clear I wanted to stay in the animal care field and build something of my own. That’s when I founded Maestro Pet Care.

Maestro Pet Care offers expert, reliable animal care by combining a trainer’s insight with advanced medical handling that exceeds the capabilities of standard pet service providers. I specialize in working with shelter-adopted animals, who often require more complex behavioral and medical support. My mission is simple: to foster and strengthen the human-animal bond through thoughtful care, education, and enrichment.

My services include behavioral consultation and training, dog walking, in-home sitting for dogs and cats, enrichment hikes and excursions, rollerblading sessions, adoption support and mediation, veterinary visits, transportation, and more. Every plan is tailored to meet the specific needs of both the animal and their guardian, because quality care is never one-size-fits-all.

I’m proud to work with animals and guardians whose unique behavioral or medical needs often extend beyond the scope of traditional pet care. Each day, I help pets thrive while supporting their guardians in better understanding and meeting their animals’ needs. That’s what drives me—and what Maestro Pet Care is all about.

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

A few years ago, I had an overnight sit planned for a client who needed to leave town. The booking had been arranged in advance, and I was entrusted with the care of her senior pit bull, Sid, who required daily heart medication and extra attention on walks due to his dog reactivity, as well as two adolescent indoor-outdoor cats, Gary and Ninx. Ninx, the female, had recently been examined by a veterinarian and was expected to give birth any day. Due to the rushed departure and uncertainty about where the cats had wandered, there hadn’t been time for my client to bring them inside beforehand.

I assured her I’d do my best to locate the cats and keep things under control. While most people know me for my work with dogs, I’ve long been regarded as something of a cat whisperer. I have a strong ability to read feline body language, de-escalate stress, and earn trust—even from the most cautious or misunderstood cats. During my time at the shelter, adopters often asked to work with me specifically after hearing about positive experiences from others. That intuition and experience came in handy. I searched the surrounding area, coaxed Gary and Ninx back inside, and settled everyone in.

That night, Ninx went into labor.

Her brother was overly curious and antagonistic, so I separated them. Ninx was still very much a kitten herself and seemed unsure of what was happening. I gently moved her to a quiet, cushioned space and stayed close by. I’d never helped deliver kittens before, but I had studied up just in case. Good thing, because the first kitten was born fully enclosed in the amniotic sac and couldn’t breathe. Normally, a mother cat pierces the sac with her tongue, but Ninx hesitated, clearly startled by the newborn. I stepped in and carefully used a child-safe fork to gently open the membrane, allowing the kitten to take its first breath.

From the second kitten onward, her instincts began to kick in. Ninx cleaned them and kept them close, though she still had moments of adolescent detachment through the night. I stayed nearby, adjusting kittens as needed to make sure they were warm and their breathing wasn’t obstructed. I created a quiet nook for them away from the other animals and slept on a couch far less suited to my 6’0″ frame.

The experience reminded me how much of this work hinges on staying calm when it counts. Whether it’s responding to a medical emergency, passing a pup by their sworn enemy’s house, or welcoming a fragile new life into the world, animals are deeply attuned to our energy. I’ve learned that calm under pressure can be the difference between a distressed animal spiraling further or finding their way back to balance. It’s a lesson I carry with me into every aspect of my work.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

When I first launched Maestro Pet Care, my earliest clients were referrals from friends and family, people who already trusted me and gave me the space to do what I do best. From there, I built a presence on Rover, which served as my primary intake platform for quite some time. It connected me with a steady stream of clients specifically seeking in-home, one-on-one care from someone experienced in behavioral management and medical care. As my business evolved, I gradually began phasing out my use of Rover.

As word spread, referrals became an increasingly reliable and fulfilling source of new clients. These recommendations often come from people who know my work personally, and they tend to send others my way who share the same values around care, consistency, and communication. That shared understanding creates a strong sense of trust from the very start.

A few years in, I established a presence on Yelp, which marked an important step in formalizing Maestro Pet Care as a professional business rather than just a personal service. Platforms like Rover position you as “a sitter,” but Yelp allowed me to showcase the full scope of my services, along with verified reviews highlighting my work with behaviorally complex pets and animals needing medical support. Shortly after, I created a Google Business listing, where many new clients now find me through searches like “trusted pet sitter near me,” “cat whisperer in Studio City,” and “dog sitter with medical experience.”

Today, Google and Yelp remain two of the top ways new clients discover Maestro Pet Care, alongside personal referrals. These platforms don’t just drive visibility; they help the right people find me: those who hold animal welfare to a higher standard and want the very best for their furry family member. They’re looking for someone who sees their animal as an individual, understands nuance, and leads with heart. That kind of alignment makes all the difference.

Increasingly, platforms like ChatGPT are also becoming discovery tools, helping potential clients find care providers who align with their values and needs. Other worthy mentions include community-driven platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook, as well as service-based directories like Thumbtack, all of which play a key role in local referrals and trusted recommendations.

I still receive more inquiries than I can take on—simply because there’s only one of me (for now). That kind of demand tells me there’s a growing recognition of the need for thoughtful, relationship-based care, and I’m here to meet it, one animal at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maestropetcare.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maestropetcare/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/maestro-pet-care-los-angeles
• Other: Google:
  https://g.page/r/CUn6OgTKelrNEAI/

Image Credits

Photos #1, 2 & 3 – courtesy of Les Dishman Photography:
https://www.lesdishman.com/
les@lesdishman.com