Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Valdes-Pages.
Hi Alicia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi! I am Alicia, the Owner and Founder of Winter Park Paws Dog Daycare & Suites℠. I founded Winter Park Paws (WPP) along with my Co-Founder Chelsey Rodriguez. Natives of Winter Park, Alicia, and Chelsey have over 20 combined years of pet care experience and aimed to establish a women-led, minority owned and LGBTQ+ inclusive business within their community. In 2018, Alicia moved on from consumer goods corporate marketing to pursue her dream in pet care, culminating in opening her first pet care business, Winter Park Paws Dog Walking and Pet Care. After great success with the in-home private dog walking company, COVID took us by surprise and we had no choice but to pivot to meet the demands of pet care while also navigating through a pandemic. I learned quickly that people were not comfortable with people in and out of their home during the height of COVID so I identified a need for intimate pet care service much like a home environment. This is where the idea of a boutique high-quality facility-based pet care came to life, all while building my in-home private dog walking and pet sitting business. We took a risk and launched Winter Park Paws Dog Daycare & Suites℠ during 2019 in the middle of COVID. To manage the spread of illness amongst our guests and staff while also continuing our mission, we focused on creating a niche small group canine care facility with less than 25 dogs per day between daycare and boarding combined. This is what set us aside during a pandemic. Keeping the social space intimate, manageable, highly-attentive, and interactive. Once started from an in-home business with our own funding and pure grit, we now operate two businesses under the Winter Park Paws brand, a pet care facility along with a wholesome dog goods store in-store and online, LaBodawga Wholesome Dog Goods (Labodawga.com) which is inspired by our LatinX heritage, a bodega for dogs.
Supported by my Co-founder, Chelsey, and the community, we have served thousands of customers and their pets in the beginning of it all in 2018, dedicating and sacrificing our lives to providing personalized, high-quality pet care for every canine that comes their way. We are proud to be Winter Park’s first and only micro-enrichment brick-n-mortar dog daycare and boarding facility. We are now a highly recognized brand within the local community.
Alright, 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 not! Smooth roads lead to nowhere. We are not stranger to challenges. We face them daily from just being who we are, women of color in the Hispanic and LBGTQ+ community. Neither one of us have had any advantages in life, so it has been difficult getting here. Every business experiences hills and valleys and for us we have experienced very challenging times, however, never once did we let things get in our way or affect our clients. In our time of operating, we have experience a pandemic and the loss of my mother, all while maintaining and running a business with smiles on our faces every single day. I also struggle with Dyslexia which most people do not know about. It poses additional challenges for me with my day to day at work but it is not something that I allow to prevent us from moving forward. I just have to work a little harder. We have also experienced unexpected facility updates and repairs that caused us to close down longer then expected, however, we have a loyal and strong client base and they are very understanding. We have recovered from all of our struggles better than ever. As a team, we believe everything happens the way it does for a reason so through the struggles, we have experienced growth and are thankful for the struggles as they have taught us things you can only learn though experience.
We’ve been impressed with Winter Park Paws Dog Daycare & Suites, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Winter Park Paws provides a nurturing, holistic, and stimulating environment, ensuring pets receive the same detailed care they do at home but in a facility. Our facility prioritizes health, safety, transparency and communication, guided by professionalism and compassion. We are committed to excellence within our community and their pets, which drives our passion for boutique pet care.
The work I do centers around professional pet care—specifically, canine care. My specialty is of the dog daycare and boarding industry, a multi-billion-dollar industry ($300+ billion) that continues to grow with the increasing demand for high-quality, trustworthy pet services.
At Winter Park Paws, we specialize in micro enrichment boutique, high-quality, and highly attentive canine care such as dog daycare and boarding, pet taxi, basic dog grooming, dog parties, as well as all-natural dog treats, chews, and CBD wellness products. We care for fewer than 25 dogs per day, focusing on small group care with dogs who are dog social and thrive in an off-leash, group environment. What truly sets us apart is our unmatched small-group care and dog to staff ratio (1:10). We have two staff members to our groups of on average, 14-16 dogs, which is rare in this industry. We offer a unique, personalized enrichment experience where each dog enjoys an intimate and structured social setting based on their personality—giving owners peace of mind knowing their pet is safe, happy, and fulfilled.
One thing that makes us stand us is we have a thorough application and evaluation process. Every dog must first qualify for a temperament test via the application process on our new client intake, and from there, we carefully assess each dogs history and personality to determine if they’re a good fit for our environment. During the evaluation process, we evaluate and consider key traits—such as safety, manageability, confidence, and comfort—to ensure group harmony and overall well-being. This approach allows us to maintain a safe, enjoyable, and balanced atmosphere for both the dogs and our team. We aim to provide a peaceful social space and have great success in our application and evaluation processes. We do not accept aggressive dogs as we are strictly a dog social environment whether that’s dog to dog or dog to human. We also prioritize communication with our guests and exceptional service is at the heart of everything we do. Our behavior assessments are on-going and we are very transparent with the owners in regards to their pets health and, behavior.
We believe that when a dog truly wants to be in our environment, they will tell us. By us only accepting dogs who want to be in our facility creates a positive, full-circle experience—resulting in happier healthy dogs, confident owners and staff, and a smoother, safer visit/stay for everyone involved.
There are many things I’m proud of. One of them is having the ideal co-founder and teammate by my side on this journey. I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come as a business and as a team and I know there is so much for to come. I take great pride in the trust our community and clients place in us, knowing that their dogs genuinely enjoy being here with us. It’s deeply rewarding to see the happiness and confidence our unique pet care experience brings to both pets and their owners. We are proud that parents can work and experience life without having to worry about leaving their dog behind.
We’re proud to still be standing strong after challenges like COVID, personal family loss, and economic shifts, as well as the rapid growth of “competition.” I use that word loosely, because we don’t see other facilities as competitors—our services and offerings are so unique and cannot be replicated. We know we are not the only option and do not strive to be. It continues to amaze me that clients travel—and even relocate—and they come from out of state just to board their dogs with us, knowing they can travel with complete peace of mind. Every pet care business brings something special to the table, and we believe there’s space in this industry for everyone.
Building our reputation from the ground up to become the leading micro dog daycare and boarding facility in Metro Orlando—especially in the highly competitive Winter Park area—has been no easy feat. But, it’s one we’re proud to have achieved through dedication, passion, and our unwavering commitment to exceptional pet care.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
As someone who has lived in Winter Park since 1998, graduated high school at Lake Howell and later went to college here, I have seen the progression and love how much beauty is in our city. From our local neighborhoods, to downtown, the scenery is beautiful! Winter Park is so clean and well kept and the residents have welcomed us. I will say that I would like to see more connections in our community. I feel like while there is so much beauty in the area, the people lack connection amongst each other. I do think that is the thing I like least about Winter Park. People tend to keep to themselves a lot and aren’t very social. Otherwise, I love it here!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.winterparkpaws.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winterparkpaws
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winterparkpaws
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TranquilTracksHQ
Image Credits
Images taken and provided by Winter Park Paws LLC
