Today we’d like to introduce you to Flavia Berti.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My life as a pet sitter and dog runner begins with my time volunteering with local dog rescues in Miami. There was nothing more satisfying for me than finding one of the beautiful rescues a forever home. It became my passion, something I spent more and more time with despite my full-time, corporate job. I helped organize fundraisers, spent every weekend at the local pet store signing people up for pet adoptions, fostering dogs, and connecting the community with the many homeless pets. Many of these new pet parents requested that I care for their dogs when they left town and just like that, my pet boarding and sitting business was born.
I opened Equipaws Pet Services in 2011 with my sister Frankie and boyfriend Tom and built the business through word of mouth referrals starting with two clients- one by Tropical Park and the other near Pinecrest. Now we’ve grown the company to include 18 employees and offer dog walks, dog runs, overnight pet sitting, and regular in-home pet sitting for all kinds of pets in South Florida, from Palmetto Bay up to Brickell. We’re committed to service and to helping our community. We regularly partner up with local organizations to support events that are dog-friendly in CocoWalk, The Shops at Sunset Place, and as Rotarians, at the Rotary Club of South Miami’s Art Festival.
Our mission is to bring peace of mind to pet parents in South Florida through our reliable service, excellent communication, convenient scheduling, and dedication to appropriate exercise routines and loving companionship for our pets’ mental and physical well-being. Our employees are taught to live our company philosophy and are given quarterly training to improve their service, including Pet CPR & First Aid training, dog walking refreshers, how to deal with aggressive dogs, and anything else we need to be great at our jobs.
We offer our clients a network of resources, providing them with the local services they need for their pets, from reputable dog trainers and pet food providers, to veterinarians and even plumbers. My company is bonded, licensed, and insured.
Has it been a smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges we faced in starting our business is that many people in Miami didn’t know what pet sitting was. We were not only starting our first business, trying to create new relationships with potential clients and establishing trust with them; we also had to show them that pet sitting was a viable, safe option for pet care and that animals benefit from staying in the comfort of their homes. Pet sitting and dog walking is huge in other major cities, but Miamians are reluctant to let people into their homes and a lot of that hesitation is from simply not knowing what it is. It’s been really rewarding gaining our clients’ trust over years to the point that most of our business has come through their referrals.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Equipaws Pet Services is a professional pet sitting and dog walking company providing personalized, reliable care for dogs, cats, and small pets from Brickell/Downtown Miami to Cutler Bay. Services include dog walks and runs, Monday through Friday, and pet sitting every day of the week, 365 days of the year. Our clients depend on us to keep their pets fit, healthy, and happy while they’re at work or out of town. Our name, “Equipaws,” is our pledge to bring balance to our clients’ by taking the worry out of finding the perfect care for their pets while they live their lives, giving them the freedom to enjoy their connections with their pets.
We’re known for our great communication skills and reliability, and are most proud of our amazing employees, who in addition to being educated animal lovers and experienced caretakers must comply with our one-on-one training, attend quarterly educational workshops (from dog walking to basic safety), and who all undergo background checks and training in Pettech Pet CPR and First Aid. Our employees work as a team so each service area has two to three pet sitters caring for pets living within certain neighborhoods. It’s how we make sure we always have back up care for pets; no backing out last minute and leaving clients stranded without care as too many hobby sitters do. We also perform quality checks with our pet sitters throughout the week. I pride myself with being hands on and speaking and meeting with every new client. Communication and reliability are so important when it comes to the care of our clients’ loved ones.
We also offer our clients a network of resources, providing them with the local services they need for their pets, from reputable dog trainers and pet food providers, to veterinarians and even plumbers. And we love supporting our local animal rescues with community events and fundraisers throughout the year!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.equipawspetservices.com
- Phone: 305.794.3733
- Email: info@equipawspetservices.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equipawspetsmiami/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EquipawsPetServices
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Equipawspets
- Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/equipaws-pet-services-miami
- Other: https://member.angieslist.com/member/store/11002971/about?ref=HeaderSearch&query=equipaws+pet+services
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
