Exploring Life & Business with Shaela Pizzulo of Care Fur Pawz Ltd.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaela Pizzulo

Hi Shaela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up around dogs my whole life and have always loved animals. I knew I wanted to have a career working with animals. When I was younger I wanted to be a veterinarian but realized I did not want to euthanize animals and felt I would enjoy working with animals differently. When I was 18 I started working at a boarding and daycare facility and thought someday I could open up my boarding facility. As time went on I learned more about pet sitting and dog walking and saw people were building a business out of this. I was also attending Arapahoe Community College for my degree in business entrepreneurship. I did a lot of research and learned from Colleen Sedgwick, owner of Pet Nanny Coach, how I could turn my business into a thriving one with a team of pet care providers. I have always been fascinated by dog training and wanted to learn more about getting a certification. I chatted with a good friend of mine who is an ABCDT. She went to Animal Behavior College and recommended I go there as well. After over a year of working hands-on with Marissa’s Dog Training LLC, Amazing Pawsibilties, and learning all I could from Animal Behavior College, I earned my very own ABCDT and then became Fear-Free Certified. I only use positive reinforcement and force-free methods. In my opinion, this is the best and most successful way to train without causing other behavioral issues that may come out from aversive and forceful methods. I now am focused on running the business and doing dog training while my amazing team handles the pet sitting and dog walking. All of our sitters must pass a thorough background check and become Pet CPR and First Aid certified before working with Care Fur Pawz. We hire employee’s, not IC’s because we want things done the Care Fur Pawz way so we know our clients and their pets are getting the best care possible.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Of course, owning a business comes with its up’s and down’s. There were times I wondered if starting my own business was a good idea or not. Hiring was the scariest part because my business is my baby and I built my reputation based don’t the customer service and pet care I provide. Putting that trust in others was a tough pill to swallow but once I started the hiring process I was so glad I did. Now we can provide more care to families in need of convenient and reliable pet care. I am very picky with the hiring process because I need to be. People are trusting us in their homes and to care for their family members. The other struggle was maintaining a work-life balance while running my business. I needed to learn when to stop working and to be okay with everything not getting done in one day. I was able to outsource some of my tasks to others and boy that was a great decision because now I’m not wearing all the hats in my business. Learning to accept the help was huge!

We’ve been impressed with Care Fur Pawz Ltd., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Care Fur Pawz is a professional pet care company that offers pet sitting, dog walking, dog training and poop scooping. We come to your home to provide the care. All of our training is done individually with the owner present. We use positive reinforcement and force-free methods only. This means no shock collars, no choke chains, no prong collars, no electric fences, or any other tools/methods that may add pain, fear, or intimidation. Our top priority is building trust with the owners and their pets and the only way to do this is positively. I believe this is what truly sets us apart from others along with our worry-free framework. This is our 10-step framework for amazing customer service and care. We are always checking in, following up, and building a true relationship with our clients. All of our information regarding rates and policies can be found on our website. We believe in transparency so you know exactly what you are getting. We have our convenient online booking portal so you never have to wonder if your reservation was scheduled and we keep you updated after every visit with a report, pictures, and videos. We make sure all of our staff is CPR and First Aid certified so they are prepared to handle a medical emergency. We are not hobby sitters, this is our job and we take the care of your beloved pets very seriously.

We offer a military discount, have a downloadable info package with a high-value coupon on our front page, offer a $5 discount off dog walking when you book 2x or more weekly, we offer a $3 discount when you add poop scooping to a booked service and have an awesome referral program. If a client has a multidog household and needs dog training they get 20% off the other packages if the lessons are booked back to back. Training is done every week so there is no gap and we can catch issues quickly before they become a habit. We also have our amazing blog page!

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Care Fur Pawz opened 2 years after the pandemic but of course, people were still weary to travel and have people in their homes. We had to make sure we had procedures in place like wearing gloves and masks in people’s homes and disinfecting every surface before owners returned home. However, we did notice an uptick in traveling once places lessened their restrictions. I think everyone was tired of being stuck in their homes that they were ready to get out and travel again so 2023 was a very busy year for the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carefurpawz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carefurpawz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carefurpawz

Image Credits
Photo by Shelli Marquez – owner of Shots By Shelli https://www.shotsbyshelli.com/