Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexa Stachowiak.
Hi Alexa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Urban Mutt was founded in 2018 with the intent to bring a new level of care to one’s fur baby. With only 3 employees at its opening in 2018, Urban Mutt has grown to have 20 employees, each with personal stories related to their love for animals. At its ideation phase, Urban Mutt was founded and grew through different means of care. The owner had a long history with rescue advocacy [running her very own rescue, Big Love Rescue], which added an additional level of recognition for the care and behavioral approaches of making a dog’s experience one that is interactive and comfortable. Urban Mutt maintains its stance on a unique approach to each dog and owner. We have prided ourselves on being philanthropic with rescues, but also maintaining and scaling what it means to have a tailored experience. Urban Mutt started with just kenneling and now has a full range of offerings 4 years later – though our mission has long stayed consistent to put the dogs and owners first. When kenneling, we constantly have the fur babies out for interactive playtime, cuddle time, jazz music and kong wind downs as well as high-energy play. We are very transparent in the sense that we can say the last 4 years have all presented their own challenges, but that we are excited to continue servicing both our very loyal customers as well as some of the amazing new customers that we’ve had an absolute pleasure of welcoming into the UMR family! This really is a great time for us to say thank you, reflect and continue to feel the gratitude of what the Houston community has trusted us to do with their fido companions. We truly would not be here without each and every individual who has supported us.
We would also like to take a second to say thank you to the rescues who continue to do amazing things within the community and trust us with the dogs that you put so much time, energy and love into! [A special thank you to Big Love Rescue, Lucky Lab Rescue].
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?
It has not been a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. Each year has its own set of challenges – from COVID to digging deeper into missions and execution, its been a long and bumpy road! 2018 was the year of discovery. By discovery, we mean finding the puzzle pieces to make next level care possible. 2019 was COVID and probably one of the hardest years for us to stay open as a small business who had and still has, big dreams and high expectations. This rode out well into 2020 where we were still largely experiencing the effects of no one leaving their house. This was some of the hardest years for our business, but did what we could to survive and focused our efforts on coming out on the other end stronger and more in tuned with Fidos and their owners. We are very fortunate and thankful to all who supported us and kept us here for more years to come. With this, we were able to make it to 2021, where we have been able to thrive. Or shall I say, thrive with a new set of challenges! We were now in a growth phase that allowed us to revisit the idea of customized experiences. We spent this year asking ourselves and customers what they would like to see for their companions and for UMR. This has been one of the most pivotal experiences, as it has allowed us to meet so many new UMR family members but also look at convenience and customization in a new lens. We cannot wait to share what we have in the works with our amazing community (something I didn’t know I’d be saying if you asked me two years ago!).
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are a one-stop shop for your kenneling needs! We specialize in curating an experience based on you and your dogs’ needs. We are known to hold an approach much different than others because we have the ability to curate rather than use a blanket approach to care. We pride ourselves on holding real relationships with our clients – a place people can feel comfortable dropping their dogs off for a day or for two months. There have been times where we have texted back in forth with owners while they are away… we never want anyone to walk in and feel like they are going to walk out and lose sight or understanding of what their dog is up to. Trust and reliability and one of the most important values to us. If we can go the extra mile to make a dog and owner’s experience special, we will do so every.single.time.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think this is an industry that is here to stay. We have a population who are looking to have pets over kids (we were shocked at this statistic too!). Due to this, I believe the industry will see a fairly significant CAGR over the next several years and we look forward to being a part of it!
Pricing:
- $45 – Overnight Bungalow Suite Stay, $25 for each additional dog in the same suite
- $35 – Doggy Daycare, $15 per additional dog, 20+ days is 15% off and 10+ days in 10% off
- $35 – Private Training
- $55 – Indoor/Outdoor Bungalow Suite Stay, $30 for each additional dog in the same suite
- $60 – Full Service VIP Groom, The Spaw at UMR
Contact Info:
- Website: www.urbanmuttretreat.com
- Instagram: @umretreat
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/urbanmuttretreat
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/urban-mutt-retreat-cypress?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direc
Image Credits
Urban Mutt Retreat
