Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Ryan.
Hi Laura, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My desire to work with animals began as a child. As I grew older and my children all moved out, I found myself drawn to animal rescue, while volunteering. I met a dog Walker & thought wow I could really live my best life caring for animals & providing for family. In May 2016 my husband encouraged me to “go for it” what was the worst thing that would happen? I’d not gain enough clients & have to go back to corporate America. I began advertising immediately after securing insurance and within 3 months had to hire another woman I’d met through rescue and so began Pup Patrol Walkers Massachusetts. I began pursuing more education in animal care & behavior. September 2019 Pup Patrol Walkers Massachusetts was blossoming we had multiple amazing walkers & I made the decision to follow another dream and move to Florida and open a second location. March 2020 Pup Patrol Walkers Orlando officially opened and so began the pandemic, Orlando wasn’t taking off as we’d hoped so I dove into more training learning from amazing trainers so I could add training to my list of services. My most sought-after service currently is vacation care, I literally move into my clients homes for days & sometimes weeks allowing their fur family to maintain the daily routine they are accustomed to with less stress and anxiety. I’ve also begun another dream of self-training my very own Service Dog in training. Maeve and I began with the guidance of Wallacek9 and are continuously seeking guidance. My goal is to be certified as a trainer with SDIT as my specialty. When not working with animals I’m chasing my other passion which is travel as a professional travel planner. My pet care training helps me guide families traveling with family pets or service animals.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The initial start of Pup Patrol Walkers seemed very smooth, I struggled a bit with finding balance as I never wanted to say no to a client this lead to missing a great deal of family time. I was fortunate that my family appreciated my love & joy doing what I love. The move to Florida has had its struggles clearly timing 2 weeks before the world shut down made it extremely scary, definitely affected my self-esteem as I knew how amazing I was, my team was but no one was going anywhere. Then add the managing of a team in another state and though Massachusetts had shut downs as well we have a good amount of clients who were still working & needing our care so balancing business & helping everyone feel comfortable and safe was a stressful time.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pup Patrol Walkers Orlando . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
What sets me apart from others this isn’t a job for me, this is my life, my heart, my soul most importantly caring for animals provides the most amazing mental health care ever. Every single animal in my care becomes a part of my family. I’ve sat with my clients as pups were in surgery, I’ve gone and participated in a last walk before a pup was needing to pass over to the rainbow bridge. My yes means yes, if I tell you I’ll be there to care for your pet regardless of a daily walk or a vacation sit I’m showing up. Just last week I was on a sit when I got the call my father was dying, I texted the owner who was away went & held by dads hand until he took his last breath and went back to the pups who were relying on me. Truth be told I needed them that day probably more then they needed me. This is not a hobby this is my baby!
We provide a variety of services to fit a family’s pet needs. We offer daily walks, overnight vacation care, wedding concierge, cat care, are certified in providing medication.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t know if luck has had anything to do with my success. I truly believe it’s my desire to be the best for every client. Pup Patrol Walkers healed my heart in ways I can’t even explain childhood trauma healed through the unconditional love from all of the pets in my care.
Contact Info:
- Email: Puppatrolwalkers@yahoo.com
- Website: www.puppatrolwalkers.net
- Instagram: pup_patrol_walkers_orlando
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Puppatrol2/
