Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlene Melendez.
Marlene, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my career as a certified dog walker in San Francisco in 2016. After working at my previous job for five years, I needed a change. I was given an opportunity to become a dog walker by two amazing people that ran a dog walking business in SF, shoutout to Afton and Mark! That moment ended up changing the course of my life and career. After two amazing years of walking/hiking off-leash dog packs, I moved to San Diego. It was hard to leave a job that I loved, friends that became family, and the city that I called home. I had spent 13 years living in San Francisco, but I knew it was time to move to SD to be a little closer to my own family, and from there I planned to start my own dog-walking business.
In 2018, I made that plan a reality and opened Awesome Paws! I hit the ground running, and the hustle was real, and I slowly but surely built my clientele of awesome pet parents and dogs! My love for dogs is a passion, and I feel so lucky that I was able to turn my passion into a career for myself. In 2021, my dog Otis passed away, but he was the inspiration for everything. He was 6 weeks old when he came into my life, and he almost made it to 16 years, but all the years that I spent with him made my deep love for dogs become stronger than I could have ever imagined love to be. Every client’s dog is their Otis, and I respect and love them just the same as I would him. I know he was my dog child, and I know that they are trusting me to care for their dog children and that’s a big deal!
Here we are today, Awesome Paws made it through a global pandemic and came back stronger than ever! But now in 2023, my vision is larger, and I want more for my clients and my company. So, I decided to rebrand Awesome Paws in March of 2023. We are now known as Cool Dog Walker – where professional dog walking meets content creation!
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?
Building any business from scratch is difficult, especially in an area where you don’t know anybody. But I wouldn’t let that stop me, and figured out ways to market myself and show up for the clients that gave me opportunity. Doing that led to referrals from clients and word of mouth, so the business was steadily growing. The big struggle came in 2020 when the world shut down, and I lost a few clients that had lost their jobs. When things started to reopen, I went back to work with the clients I had and continued providing the best care that I could in the new covid world. I educated myself with Covid protocols for pet professionals and made sure to do everything in my power to keep all of us safe. In 2021, I was pregnant and walked dogs during that time all the way until I was 8 months, which as you can imagine, got difficult as that baby grew. Other than that, after my son was born, I hit the ground running again and continued to grow my client list.
As you know, we’re big fans of Cool Dog Walker. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Our San Diego dog walking business is dedicated to making a difference. Our mission is to elevate dog walking to a fun and entertaining level. Along with providing exceptional dog walking services, and loving your dog as if they’re our own, we have taken to social media for added entertainment. We have a YouTube channel that is a hub of dog-related content, including educational videos, dog tips, and exclusive behind-the-scenes adventures from our own dog walks. Our goal is to support pet parents in giving their dogs the best life possible through education and resources.
If you are a client with Cool Dog Walker, your dog is the star of the show! Once a week, each dog will get their very own skit, tailored to their personality; this will be shared on our social media pages for pet parents to enjoy! Also, one walk a week will be filmed and added to a Dog TV Walking Adventure compilation of all our dogs. This too will be shared on our YouTube channel, helping all the anxious dogs in the world and allowing them to go on adventures with our dogs from the comfort of their own homes! Not only do we offer those services, but we continue to kill it with fun report cards, GPS tracking, and daily picture updates.
What are your plans for the future?
Our future plans are to step up the Dog Walking game to a new level! Cool Dog Walker will be the name you hear when thinking about anything dog related. We plan to be the fun experience that our clients love and the place that anyone can come to for answers to their dog-related questions. But not only that, I want to help people who have a passion for dogs and are looking to change their careers and don’t know where to start. That being said, I will also be offering my knowledge on how to start a dog-walking business to anyone that needs it, we all should be able to pursue what we love!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cooldogwalker.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cooldogwalker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecooldogwalker
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cooldogwalker
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cooldogwalker
