Murrysville’ s Walkers Pet HoTail Pet Care Center has proudly been taking care of animals for 10 years— that’ s 70 in dog years! Owners Sam and Michele Rubin are happily celebrating the 10th anniversary of their“ Pet HoTail” this year. Sam and Michele have been Murrysville residents for many years.
The two met in college and, ironically, both had a dog named Trixie.
Following college, Sam worked for large companies launching new products in diverse categories— all the time searching for a product or service with a unique point of difference that customers needed in an area that wasn’ t dominated by large companies, to see if he could create a business of his own. Pet care met those criteria. At the time, most boarding services were either offered by small, home-based businesses or by veterinarians who( often reluctantly) boarded pets to keep their clients happy.
“ I was worried about opening a kennel because I have bad allergies,” notes Sam.“ I went to about 100 kennels on the east side of the state— some of which I walked into and was unable to breathe. Luckily, I learned that if a kennel is kept clean, my allergies are not bothered.”
He went to work at one of the best kennels in the area— which happened to be run by veterinarians— and wrote a business plan for the owners.“ Their income doubled, but like many veterinarians, they were more interested in the medical side of the business, not the lower margin pet services side, and they didn’ t want to partner with me to open additional kennels,” says Sam.“ I knew I had a solid, proven business plan and I knew what was needed to launch a business, so I figured it would be easy to start my own.”
It took him seven years to open Walkers Pet HoTail.“ It was very difficult to find a good location,” Sam explains.“ Kennels have many zoning restrictions, since neighbors are often concerned about noise. I found that renting a building was also difficult, with owners concerned about pets damaging their property and complaints from adjoining tenants. I also wanted a location that had property to allow outside walks and was easy for customers to access.”
Sam and Michele found that location in Murrysville for establishing Walkers Pet HoTail.“ The building was vacant for 10 years and was overgrown with weeds, vines and trees, making it hard to see from the road. The roof was leaking and part of the floor was collapsing. Route 22 was still under construction, but I knew it would be an excellent location for Walkers,” says Sam.“ We had to clear many hurdles I hadn’ t faced before— zoning, financing and construction— but we did it.”
He notes that Walkers Pet HoTail doesn’ t“ breed or sell pets, but we have just about everything your pet needs.” Services include overnight boarding for dogs and cats; Doggie Daycare; grooming for dogs and cats; training classes; pet supplies; and veterinary services including yearly exams, checkups and vaccinations, spay / neuter and dental procedures, prescription foods and medicines. Walkers also offers free monthly puppy parties and Yappy Hours to help dogs and their people socialize, and many other events such as annual“ Howl-o-ween” and“ Howl-iday” parties that benefit pet organizations in the local community.
“ The most important service we offer is advice— and it’ s free,” says Sam.“ People love talking about their pets and our staff is very knowledgeable. For example, we have owners tell us the harness they purchased at a‘ big-box’ store to prevent their dogs from pulling doesn’ t work. If the fit isn’ t right, it won’ t work. Customers are often surprised we sell the same harness for less, although we don’ t like to sell it if we don’ t fit it properly. At Walkers, owners can bring in their dogs and we’ ll fit them with the right harness. Similarly, customers may mention that their pet is having an issue associated with the type of food they are using, and our staff can recommend alternatives.”
Over the years, Walkers Pet HoTail has continued to improve and expand the products and services it offers. In boarding, it has tripled the number of high-quality suites( not runs) available for dogs year-round. For Doggie Daycare, it has expanded to offer supervised“ Play-All-Day” daycare with enrichment activities in addition to“ Interval” daycare, which is suitable for all dogs. Walkers also purchased state-of-the-art veterinary equipment to perform procedures such as spaying / neutering and dental work. The store’ s retail section has expanded from a few basic items to a full line of premium pet products at prices below big-box pet stores. The training programs include certification for the AKC STAR puppy as part of the Basic Obedience class and CGC( Canine Good Citizen) certification as part of the Intermediate class. This past summer, the cattery and grooming rooms underwent a major upgrade, with brand-new equipment designed and built by a local company.
Walkers Pet HoTail also supports the local community in many ways.“ We have donated more than 1,000 pounds of food to local shelters every year since 2011, participated in and made donations to events that benefit the community, and have held events that benefit local organizations,” notes Sam.“ We have been recognized by our local community, receiving several Gold Reader’ s Choice and Quest for the Best awards.” Volunteers are accepted for puppy parties. Typically volunteers are people who are interested in working at Walkers in the future.
When asked what he loves most about his job, he answers,“ Puppies! Puppies! Puppies! Puppy tummies, puppy fur, puppy breath. I could be working on a project like one would in any business, but when a puppy comes in— it really makes my day!”
For more information, call 724.327. PAWS or visit WalkersPetHoTail. com. n
Walkers Pet HoTail will host its annual‘ Howl-iday’ Party on Thursday, Dec. 21, from 7 to 8 p. m.
The party is free and open to the public. Walkers encourages people to call in advance regarding attendance, but an RSVP is not required. Holiday portraits with Santa Paws will be offered. Donations for photographs will be accepted to benefit the Westmoreland CART( County Animal Response Team). All dogs MUST be on leash. Veterinary records are required – so party goers don’ t get each other sick! Rabies, Distemper Series vaccinations must be current.
Walkers Pet HoTail is located at 4603 William Penn Hwy. in Murrysville. For more information, call 724.927.7297 or visit walkerspethotail. com.
Murrysville | Winter 2017 | icmags. com 17