BUSINESS: Carey Pet & Home Care

Thank-yous come in many forms for Cris Carey and her staff. Some days it’s a nuzzle, a neigh, a wag of the tail. Other days, it’s a purr, a snort, and sometimes even a squawk.

“This is what I tell all of our pet sitters: What job have you ever had where every single time you walk through the door, you get job appreciation?” said Carey, founder of Carey Pet & Home Care. “They’re always happy to see you, and that’s a very gratifying and satisfying feeling. You just can’t beat it.”

Carey and her team of over 20 sitters take care of pets while owners are away. That might mean a potty break, a walk and feeding while the owners are at work, or overnight care while the owners are on vacation. The Oklahoma City-based business can customize care depending on circumstances. Carey Pet & Home Care will take care of any pet, anywhere in the OKC metro area. The business even offers housesitting without pets.

Ten years ago, Carey, with over 20 years experience in various administrative roles, said goodbye to office life and started over. Using her business operations experience and love of animals, she opened Carey Pet & Home Care. She grew up on an Indiana farm and it was there that she learned to care for all types of animals.

That passion for all creatures really pays off, too, as Carey Pet & Home Care sees everything from the typical dogs and cats to large livestock animals and exotic pets. Carey said she decided early on in her pet-sitting career that she would never “discriminate” against any kind of animal.

“We’ve had some bearded dragons, boa constrictors, birds, small farm animals,” she said. “One client had goats. We’ve had sheep, chickens, cows and horses. It’s like whatever you’ve got, we’ll take care of.”

Carey said the Oklahoma City area had a great need for a reliable pet-sitting service. That need, coupled with her staff that builds relationships with each client and pet, led the company to double in size each year for its first three years.

As if they weren’t trustworthy enough already, the sitters are now Pet Tech Pet CPR/First Aid trained and able to handle minor emergencies in the absence of a veterinarian. They also offer those same training courses to the public.

“They know that they can trust us,” Carey said. “They hire us because we’re ‘reliable, professional care when you can’t be there.’”

Visit careypet.com or call 605-3355 to learn more.