Michelle, Melissa (at the Ranger Station), and I spent the better part of five hours, from 10 a.m. until about 3 p.m., giving tours, answering questions, and sharing what we’ve learned over almost 30 years of operating Pet Camp.
It was nerve-wracking. It was exhausting.
So why do it?
Why put our counselors through having so many people watching them work? Why allow owners of other facilities, some of whom might even be competitors, to see Pet Camp’s “secret sauce”? Why permit pictures? Why spend hours answering questions about everything from staffing to facility design to how we care for dogs and cats?
To be candid, that evening I found myself asking all those same questions.
And the answer was the same one that led me to agree to the tours in the first place.
Because I think it’s good for the pet care industry.
When Pet Camp opened in 1997, there weren’t really any “pet care consultants.” If you had a question about how to do something, you asked another owner.
And in 1997, that didn’t mean posting a question in a Facebook group. It meant going to an industry convention, meeting people, and actually talking to them.
Often over an adult beverage or two.
You got to hear how someone with a lot more experience had solved the very problem you were struggling with. You got to bounce your crazy, newfangled idea off someone who had been doing this for years (often only to discover that your idea wasn’t nearly as newfangled as you thought). You learned how other owners dealt with clients, pets, employees, vendors, and all the other challenges of operating a pet care facility.
I’d like to pretend that these conversations were always supportive and nonjudgmental, but the concepts of “safe spaces” and “hot seats” hadn’t quite made it into our industry.
People might have been polite, but you could usually tell when they thought you were whacked.
Almost 30 years later, I’m proud that I can call many of those early mentors my friends. Frankly, I still have a hard time thinking of myself as their peer.
Am I simply nostalgic for the “good old days”?
Perhaps, but I don’t think that’s really it.
I firmly believe that the quality of pet care today is far better than it was in 1997. We’ve learned an enormous amount about dogs and cats, their behavior, their physical and emotional needs, and how to provide better care. We have improved cleaning products, better flooring, specially designed artificial turf, more sophisticated play structures, and, dare I say it, even better technology (although there’s still plenty of room for improvement on that front).
Pet care has improved tremendously over the last 30 years. But has the pet care industry improved at the same pace?
On that, I’m less certain.
Our industry associations are still developing. Private equity, with all its promises and pitfalls, plays an increasingly significant role in pet care. And there is now an ever-expanding collection of consultants, coaches, speakers, and industry experts offering advice on just about every aspect of running a pet care business.
Let me be clear. I’m not opposed to consultants. There are some very knowledgeable people providing valuable services to our industry. There is absolutely a place for outside expertise, fresh perspectives, and professional advice.
But I worry that, somewhere along the way, we’ve started to overlook one of the most valuable resources our industry has.
Each other.
Those people have an enormous amount of knowledge to share, and that knowledge shouldn’t be limited to what they’re willing to post on social media or share in a paid seminar.
Which brings me back to those 28 visitors.
We opened our doors. We showed them what we do, how we do it, and why we do it that way. We answered questions, shared ideas, and probably revealed a few things that other facilities will take home and do better than we do.
And that’s just fine with me.
In fact, I hope they do.
There are plenty of dogs and cats out there who need quality care. Making the pet care industry better doesn’t make Pet Camp worse. Quite the opposite.
Collectively, we can provide better care, advocate for more sensible rules and regulations, demand more from our vendors, and build an industry that earns the respect of pet parents, employees, and the broader business community.
But that requires owners and operators to participate. Not just as customers of consultants or attendees at seminars, but as contributors, mentors, and colleagues.
So here’s my challenge to other pet care facility owners and operators.
Go to an industry conference. Meet someone new. Visit another facility. Invite someone to visit yours. Share something that worked, and maybe even something that didn’t. Take the time to help a newer owner avoid a mistake you made 20 years ago.
You don’t have to give away every trade secret, and you certainly don’t have to agree with everyone you meet.
But you do have to show up.
There’s still an awful lot we can learn from each other over an adult beverage or two.
And I suspect we’re all a little less judgmental than we were 30 years ago.
At least I hope so.
Thanks for reading.
Pet Camp has been providing San Francisco’s dogs and cats with award winning overnight care, dog day care, dog training, bathing/grooming and pet transportation for almost 30 years. While the pet care industry has changed much over these 3 decades, our commitment to your pet has not. If you have a call about pet care in the San Francisco Bay Area, give us a call and chat with a counselor.