Today we’d like to introduce you to Estela Ordonez.
Hi Estela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We really got into pet sitting without even realizing it! As a mother to five cats, I have unfortunately encountered bad pet sitting experiences when relying on major online pet sitting platforms, where the pet sitters I would hire would mostly prioritize quantity over quality. Motivated by this experience and the overwhelming and low self-esteem inducing reality of dealing with a toxic boss while working towards my PhD in Chemistry, I decided to try my luck by opening a sitter profile at an online pet sitting platform, as I promised myself that no matter what pets I had the privilege to take care of, I would always uphold what would eventually become the company’s motto: take care of our client’s pets as our own.
Starting by waking up early to take visits in the mornings before coming to the chemistry lab, I found that I truly felt fulfilled by what I was doing. Getting to spend time with all kinds of wonderful and adorable pets that would take my stress off other aspects of my life and feeling appreciated and valuable by our pets’ parents and the good reviews and words of affirmation they left on my profile, I finally felt a healthy escape to the dark space produced by my graduate school experience.
Seeing this and the increasing influx of pet parents requesting my services, my husband Christian would eventually quit his job as a contractor to join my pet sitting profile to cover any visits I was not able to attend to throughout the day and build a steady client base that would eventually become the life and blood of PETfect Care, which we opened a little bit after I completed my degree. Looking back, I never expected to have so many people trust us with their pets, motivating us to do our best every day. I am truly grateful to all the pets and clients we met and continue to meet every day, as I truly believe they were the push I needed to believe in myself and eventually complete my academic goals while also giving me a purpose and a business I feel very passionate about.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As much as we enjoy spending time with our adorable furry customers every day, and the pictures of our Instagram account tell otherwise, there are many challenges we have to tackle every day: from attending to all the elements of a small business on our own to the physical toll of going on multiple consecutive walks in the rain, wind, or heavy sun, with very little or often no rest periods in between. With all this in mind, however, we find that the most challenging part of our profession has been to say goodbye to many pets. It is impossible not to get attached to the adorable pets we care for, with that comes times when either they move out of state or cross the rainbow bridge which put us in a situation of having to say goodbye to our furry friends.
Finally, online pet sitting platforms represent a significant challenge, as they invest thousands of dollars in marketing and advertising, making it quite difficult for small business to get noticed, specially online. These platforms often have very minimal requirements to become a sitter, compared to small businesses like ours that invest in certifications, conferences and ongoing trainings. Communicating our value can sometimes be challenging when competing against part-time pet sitters in these large online platforms.
In spite of all this, we love what we do, and we are very proud of our work; every day, we are grateful for the opportunities given by our clients and their pets to grow and become better at what we do.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about PETfect Care?
The idea for PETfect Care came from a desire to have exceptional pet care for our own pets (and knowing other pet parents are looking for the same level of care). Today, PETfect Care provides the highest level of care to hundreds of pets and their pet parents in Houston, TX. We offer services including pet sitting in the client’s home, dog walking, cat sitting, transport services, and more.
As dedicated pet care professionals, we are insured, bonded, and proud members of NAPPS (the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters). Our business is family-operated and we want to keep it this way to guarantee quality in all of our visits and personalized care to each pet. We are a small team of five certified pet sitters with several years of experience. We have taken care of many pets not only cats and dogs but turtles, rabbits, fishes, birds, bearded dragons, chinchillas and more! We offer services 7 days a week including holidays and provide great flexibility for our clients, such as last minute requests and cancellations, which have found great success specially among our clients in the medical field.
We work with the best software in the industry so that clients can have access to an easy to use app for any request or messaging needs. We also send a report card after every visit that includes a gps tracker, pictures/videos and any update from our visit.
We want to become that second family for the pets we care for, that clients can always trust and rely on. It can be to take care of them while the family is away on a trip or for a short visit because they are running late after work. Wherever the situation might be we want to be there for the pets ready to go whenever they need us. I think this is what really sets us apart, the care we provide to each pet, always personalized and tailored to their needs.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Yes, we would love to meet as many people on the community, organizations and other business. We currently have great relationships with other small businesses in the pet care field, such as bakery, grooming salons, veterinary clinics and even other pet sitting business, but we would love to be connected to as many people as possible.
Pricing:
- We offer regular dog walking packages of buy 10 walks get one free!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.petfectcare.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petfectcare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575717513960
Image Credits
All images belong to PETfect care
