Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Pope.
Angela, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up on our family ranch in Vista, California surrounded by dogs, cats, horses, goats, bunnies, birds, and other critters. We were those people who would take in stray dogs and welcome them as members of our family. My love for animals, especially dogs, grew from my interactions with our pets on the ranch and being involved in the local 4-H Club as a youth.
During college, I was a volunteer at the San Diego Humane Society which helped me to realize the deep passion I had to care for dogs. Shortly after receiving my bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University in 2010, I decided to start my own pet care business instead of taking a 9-5 entry-level position. To get more experience in the pet care industry, I worked part-time at a local dog daycare while I gained my own dog walking and pet sitting clients.
Six months later, I was able to focus on my business full time as I was steadily gaining more regular scheduled dog walks. After a year and a half of providing pet care in San Diego, my husband and I decided we were going to move to Kalamazoo, Michigan as he was accepted into a doctoral program at Western Michigan University. I was excited for a new adventure but devastated to leave behind all of my fur friends and my growing business. Because I cared deeply for these pups and their families, I found someone to take over my San Diego clients before I moved so that the pet parents wouldn’t need to do this on their own.
As soon as we arrived in Kalamazoo, I worked on establishing a new pet care business. At the same time, I became involved with a local rescue group named, Animal Rescue Project, and was an active member on their fundraising committee. Walking dogs in the Michigan winters was much different compared to sunny San Diego but I continued providing my services for over four years there as I truly love this work.
Our daughter was born in January 2014 while living in Kalamazoo and as a newborn, I started taking her out with me to walk dogs five days a week. Seeing her watch me pursue my passion through her eyes inspired me to work hard and grow this business. Knowing that she continues to watch me daily has shifted the way that I approach the work I do as I want to be an example for her as a woman that can create what she wants for herself. Now at age five, I see an independent leader in her with a possible entrepreneurial spirit. Just recently, I was on a business call with an individual needing regular scheduled dog walks but she lived too far away. When I finished the phone call my daughter’s exact words were, “Mom…isn’t that town out of our service areas?”
As my husband was getting close to completing his course work at WMU, I came back to San Diego at the end of 2015 to once again build a new pet care business here. I was starting over again for the third time but I was more motivated than ever as we planned to set roots and build our lives here in our hometown. Upon moving back, I had a full-circle moment when my very first San Diego dog walking client from 2010 found out that I was back in San Diego and asked to re-hire me all these years later. It’s been almost four years now since returning home to this beautiful city doing what I love most.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Throughout this almost 10-year journey in the pet care industry, I have gained a great deal of experience in understanding how to efficiently run a business. It has not always been a smooth road but knowing that this is what I want to wake up and do every day has motivated me to continue to grow as an entrepreneur. Starting a new business three different times in different parts of the country was not easy but the sacrifices have been worth it. I created special bonds with so many pups and their families and it was difficult saying goodbye when it was time for me to move on.
After moving back to San Diego at the end of 2015 and building up my clientele here once again, my husband matched for a one-year internship at the University of California Irvine from 2017-2018. Since we would only be in Irvine for one year, I continued running and growing my San Diego pet care business and our daughter and I commuted from Irvine to San Diego throughout the week during this time. The days were long (for both my daughter and I). We finally moved back to San Diego in July 2018 and it’s been amazing this past year living in the same city that I work in.
Building a new business three different times and spending long days out in the snow during Michigan winters (with my daughter coming along these past five years before she recently started kindergarten) has helped me to see that this is genuinely my passion as I’m determined to do whatever is needed to make it successful. I love animals and dogs hold a special place in my heart. It brings me so much joy walking into the pup’s homes each day and seeing how happy they are knowing that I’m there just for them.
Please tell us about your work.
Oh, Happy Dog! is a professional pet care provider serving select areas of San Diego County. We provide reliable, trustworthy, and loving dog walkers and pet sitters who care for fur kids. We specialize in helping out busy pet parents who work all day and want an experienced and bonded/insured animal lover to visit their pup/s during the day for some exercise, attention, and a potty break. Each visit is tailored to the unique needs of each pet.
We are proud of our small, dedicated team who were specially selected and trained to provide the pets the love and attention they need. Our clients appreciate knowing who is entering their home each day and caring for their fur kid/s. We value the relationships we have built with families knowing they can count on us having an established reputation of being reliable and trustworthy.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is being outdoors all the time, riding horses, and playing with the animals on our ranch. My dad is a falconer and I also loved to go fly his peregrine falcon with him as a child.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ohhappydogsd.com
- Phone: (619) 753-6964
- Email: angela@ohhappydogsd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohhappydog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohhappydogsd/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/oh-happy-dog-san-diego
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