Save Lives By Becoming A Professional Pet Sitter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Antonio, Texas (August 5, 2009) In today’s shaky economy, more and more hard-working individuals are struggling to make ends meet. Financial futures are compromised and day-to-day living is unpredictable.

With more than 71 million families in the US alone owning a pet, it seems we are turning to our faithful best friends for comfort more than ever before.

Amidst all the uncertainty, we do know two things:

1) The human/pet emotional bond is stronger than ever, and 2) pet owners are looking for a more humane alternative to the old-fashioned, caged boarding options when they need to travel without their furry companion.

Joshua and Alitia Cary certainly can relate. As life-long pet owners themselves, the husband and wife pair wanted to personally provide that humane alternative to as many pets in the Greater New York area as possible.

“We were both working separate jobs,” Joshua reveals. “I was a server in a coffee house and Alitia was a live-in nanny for a family in Connecticut. We’d spend all our free time developing the perfect plan for our ideal pet sitting business.”

That perfect plan was the birth of Alitia’s Animals, a network of sitter host-homes that provides individualized care and attention to pets on a one-to-one basis. With an array of services ranging from cat sitting and boarding to dog walking and sleepovers, the company operates with a ‘pet first’ mentality.

“Our number one goal is simply to keep animals out of cages while their owners go away,” Alitia says. “Some boarding houses and facilities will discriminate against certain breeds, but we’ll welcome them in with open arms. And a comfy couch.”

Clients seem to adore the fact that their pet is the only animal in a sitter’s home while given full bed and couch privileges.

“There is no better feeling than receiving email after email from satisfied clients for a job well done,” says Joshua.

Such is the case from long-time client, Tara Silber.

“This is the first time that our cat Pumpkin has been relaxed and comfortable while my husband and I were away,” Tara beams. “Usually our pet sitter or boarding house calls and tells us to come get him after about 3 days, but since Pumpkin was so comfortable with Olena and Chris, my husband and I were able to be gone for our longest vacation together yet. An absolute life-saver!”

And it looks like the pet sitters themselves couldn’t agree more with that sentiment.

“Working for Alitia’s Animals has been one of the best ‘jobs’ I’ve ever had, although it’s too much fun to be considered a job,” gushes Katherine Kim, one of the team’s pet sitters. “The service is a win-win situation for all parties involved; I get to take care of animals and their owners can feel comfortable knowing their loved one has quality and personal care.”

So where does Alitia’s Animals get most of its business? With a background in web design and search engine optimization, Joshua’s plan was to develop the company’s website to be the main focus of their marketing efforts.

“I quickly understood that we are not simply dealing with a pet owner trying to find a place to leave her pet while traveling. The same effort and care must be extended in this situation as a mother searching for the perfect day care solution for her child,” Joshua explains. “That attitude alone must be visible in everything we do – from our marketing plan to our mission statement – in order to ensure long-term success.”

With a client-base of nearly 400 happy pets and their owners, Alitia’s Animals looks to be squarely positioned on that path. In their first year in operation, the company was able to generate just over $100,000 in pet sitting services.

Originally looking to expand their service to other parts of the country through a franchise opportunity, Joshua and Alitia chose a more accessible solution.

The married couple shares the secret to their success through PetSittingOlogy, an online training course consisting of more than 30 interactive lessons, covering everything from getting to know your target market and perfectly pricing your services to building your website for optimal results.

“The goal of the course is less about ‘here is what we did’ than it is about ‘let’s work together to create a better life for yourself while providing a much needed and appreciated service to pet owners,’ Alitia says.

According to Pet Sitters International, one of the industry’s leading organizations for pet sitters, professional pet sitting is one of the fastest growing home-based businesses today. With its membership base exceeding 8000, PSI members serve an average of 191 clients each, equating to over 17.4 million pet sitting jobs annually.

How do Joshua and Alitia continue to grab their piece of the pet sitting pie?

“We quickly learned that approaching every part of your business from a professional standpoint puts you miles ahead of the competition. And clients will naturally flock to the pet sitter they trust the most.”

With all the uncertainty faced today, the pair are sure about one thing.

“At the end of the day, being able to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the pets in our lives, while allowing the owner to go about her business with one less thing to worry about is what gives us the most satisfaction.”

Media Contact:
Joshua Cary
646-807-8718
http://petsittingology.com

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