Tulsa World: It's a dog's economy

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Saturday, November 21, 2009 | WIRELESS

Home > Business

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

It's a dog's economy

Operations Manager Eddie Bell (left) and employee Daniela Wicker (second from right) welcome customers Lori Fisher, her son Gage Fisher and their golden retriever mixes at PetSmart in Tulsa on Thursday. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World

By JEFF POSTELWAIT World Staff Writer
Published: 8/10/2008 2:16 AM
Last Modified: 8/10/2008 3:01 AM

Pet-based firms see no sign of slowdown

Even in a period of economic slowdown, Tulsans spare no expense taking care of their pets.

Owners of pet-based businesses that sell goods and services for dogs, cats and their owners said that for the most part, local and national economic factors have not caused their businesses any decline in profit.

Nancy Werhane, co-owner of Pooches, a day care, grooming, boarding and training center for dogs located at 2234 E. 56th Place, said she's been waiting to see a drop in business but has not seen one so far.

"We keep watching to see the effect. We're quote-unquote a luxury item, so you'd think we'd be one of the first to get hit. But so far, in our experience, people are absolutely devoted to their dogs and will spare no expense on taking care of their dogs," Werhane said.

Werhane said some customers tell her they are planning to stop bringing their dogs in as often, but she said she has yet to see many customers live up to that vow.

Most Pooches clients use the doggie day care service, often leaving their pets there as they go to work or on vacation, she said, adding that her customers come from a variety of backgrounds.

"We have everything from what I'd say are extremely wealthy clients to clients who live paycheck to paycheck and who work very hard for their money and everywhere in between," she said.

Putting a pet in a full-service day care that offers baths, training and playtime with other dogs might

seem like a costly indulgence, but Werhane said it's not an extravagant thing to her customers.

"It's not a splurge; it really is for the health of the dog," she said. "If you leave your dog at home, they either sleep or wreak havoc. If they sleep, they save up the energy for when you come home — when you just want to crash."

Tracy Conrad, spokeswoman for PetSmart, a national chain of specialty pet goods and services, said that while she has no specific numbers that she can share, people tend to spend as much money on their pets in a recession as they do at any other time.

"Pets are part of their family, so people still treat their pets to new toys and things like that," Conrad said. "For people with pets, taking good care of their pets is like feeding their children."

PetSmart has three locations in the Tulsa area, she said.

Amy Nichols-Walters is co-owner of Camp Bow Wow, a local franchise of a nationwide network of upscale "camps" for dogs. Dog owners can be extremely selective about where they leave their pets and who takes care of them while they are gone, she said.

"That's why I started my business, because I was very particular about where my dog had to stay. I used Camp Bow Wow in Dallas, where I used to live. I wanted to give that warm, fuzzy feeling to other people who are as particular about their dogs as I am," Nichols-Walters said.

The majority of Camp Bow Wow's business comes from long-term boarding, with many clients heading off for work-related travel or a family vacation, she said.

"We also have our regulars who come once or twice a week," she said.

"From what I've seen, people spare no expense with their dogs."

To some customers, the dogs they leave at Camp Bow Wow are treated as children or members of the family rather than pets.

"I've had several people say, 'Oh, this is my child,' " she said.

Camp Bow Wow is located at 142 S. 147th East Ave. in Tulsa.

Fetch! Pet Care is another national pet care business with a local franchisee in Tulsa.

General manager Cameron Dennis-Obermiller said her business has grown steadily since arriving in Tulsa last June.

The home-based business offers at-home pet-sitting and dog-walking to customers in Tulsa, Jenks, Broken Arrow and Bixby, she said.

"We started with six or seven sitters and scaled it down a bit in the winter. I was worried that things would get a little slower, but we've had our best two months yet," she said.

Both the dog-walking and the dog-sitting sides of her business have increased, with more people ordering dog walks in the summertime, she said.

Also, the amount of business coming in tells Dennis-Obermiller that people are still taking their summer vacations.

"People just have to travel. A lot of our customers have to travel for work. People are trying to do their one vacation in the summertime," she said.

For more information about Fetch! Pet Care in Tulsa, call 770-7785.

For the moment, these business owners said, the business of taking care of dogs and other pets is staying profitable.

Werhane's business is adding new services, such as overnight care, as it continues to grow.

"My partner wrote a brilliant business plan, and frankly when you're writing a plan for a business that's new, you're guessing a bit. But we met all of our goals for growth," Werhane said.

Providing for people's pets is more than a business to Werhane and her customers, she said.

"Some of these dogs we've raised from puppyhood. It's more than just a business, it's a relationship," she said.

"We're like the ultimate grandmas. We take them in, we spoil them and we send them back home."

Jeff Postelwait 581-8387
jeff.postelwait@tulsaworld.com

Facts on pet ownership, spending

Annual spending on pets is expected to hit $52 billion in the next two years.

Approximately 63 percent of U.S. households, or 71 million homes, now own at least one pet.

This number is up from 64 million just five years ago.

SOURCE: FETCH! Pet Care

By JEFF POSTELWAIT World Staff Writer

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Show: Most Recent Comment First

Add your comment

2 comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

Report Comment

Latisha, Tulsa (8/10/2008 9:54:42 AM)

Of course the high fuel and food costs and the fear of job loss is not hurting this business. The kind of people that use these services are so high on the economic scale that these issues don't affect them.

Report Comment

mandie, (8/10/2008 11:34:00 AM)

Latisha-That is what you think, but just because you treat your dog to things that are needed doesnt mean you are high on the economic scale. We take our dogs to places like this, not because we don't have better things to do with our money, but because it is better for the dog's health. I can't stand people that treat dogs as disposible, people who teather their dog and feed them once a day (if that), leave them outside in every weather condition in a fence. Since I treat my dogs better than that I have dogs that are well socialized, I dont have to worry about them biting people or jumping on people and they are overall healthier!

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.