Hidden Gems: Meet Caitlin Perna of Perna’s Pet Care

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Perna. 

Hi Caitlin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
In my mid-20s, I worked in a few dog day care and boarding facilities, which introduced me to the world of professional pet care. Eventually, I was doing some dog walks and overnight pet sitting part-time and took the leap to go full-time! Perna’s Pet Care started in Austin, TX in 2018 offering a variety a services for all different pets. We grew quickly and built up a small team of pet sitters and many wonderful clients. During the pandemic when things slowed down, I decided to move up to Michigan to be closer to my sister and nephews. We now service most of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti with dog walks, pet sitting, and litter box cleaning. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say it’s been smooth, but I have been very fortunate in many ways. I have no background in business so there was a lot for me to learn- contracts, taxes, hiring laws- the list goes on. However, my clients were very kind and patient as I figured out all of my systems and policies- their main concern was their pet’s wellbeing and that I could offer them without a problem right off the bat. I also quickly found a community of other pet sitters not only in Austin but across the country who were endlessly helpful and supportive. Being a vacation service means that we are open 365 days a year, so there was a lot I had to sacrifice to get my business going. It was long hours, few days off, and having to miss out on a lot of family/friend time, holidays, and events. But I was lucky to have found my first sitter to hire within a few months through working at the local animal shelter in Austin- she was wonderful and stayed with me until I left in 2021. 

Again, things got a little bumpy as I moved my business to a new state- new laws to learn and starting over with no clients. My services are a little different here than they were in Austin, so scheduling and hiring was a new and different challenge, but once again, I was lucky to meet such great and welcoming clients and have a new team of pet sitters to help keep up with our growth. 

We’ve been impressed with Perna’s Pet Care, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We offer daily dog walks, drop-in visit for those extra-long days, and vacation pet-sitting services for not only dogs and cats but birds, fish, rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, chickens, and more. We also offer litter box deep cleaning service to reduce smell in your home as well as make sure your cats have a clean place to go. No matter if you work from home, at the office, or a little of both we are happy to come help care for your pets. 

Perna’s Pet Care uses the industry-leading software Time to Pet that makes booking and communicating simple and easy. Schedule visits at your fingertips, see invoices and make payments, and message with your sitter all in one place. For each visit we send a report through your personal portal with photos, notes, and checklists of everything that was done from grabbing the mail to tracking what we find in your cat’s litter box! 

Our team of pet sitters are highly trained in animal behavior, safety, and care to ensure your complete peace of mind when your pets are in our care. There are no breed restrictions for our services, and if you have a pet with social anxiety or physical disabilities, we take the time to do proper introductions (multiple if needed) and follow any guidelines you have to ensure everyone is safe and happy before we begin. We will can also offer our own knowledge on any situation based on years of experience. As part of our commitment to always be learning and growing we are members of Pet Sitters International and the Texas Pet Sitters Association, keeping us up to date about industry standards for best practices in animal health and safety, as well as how to best serve our clients from top professionals in their fields. 

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think the obvious idea around risk is that it’s necessary to be able to grow; you have to step outside of your comfort zone. That zone is of course different for each of us- what might feel really risky to me could be a regular day for someone else. 

However, I’d always wondered how it is that some people seem more able to take these big risks. Are they braver? Stronger emotionally? More confident? In some cases, probably. Maybe their experience has always shown that if they take the leap, they will be ok. But for the rest of us, what would make us want to do the big scary thing if we feel safe where we are? 

I did ballet for most of my life- that’s what I went to college for (I went to WMU, go Broncos!). I was singularly focused on dance, didn’t have many other hobbies or interests- so the move to the SF Bay area after school was a logical one and a big risk, but didn’t feel too risky. I was excited to go. 

Then I took a solo trip to Europe a few years after college that surprised nearly everyone in my life. What about dance? Would I be safe? Where would I go? Where did this idea come from? 

I’ll tell you my answer to all of those… I don’t know. 

I didn’t know how I knew I would be ok. I didn’t know if I would continue dancing afterwards. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in general except for travel, that felt right. And that’s how I feel about taking risks- it will somehow feel right. What we have to dig through is the scariness- the uncertainty- the fear of failure- the fear of leaving our safe bubble to be able to see that the risk is worth it. 

And it is worth it. Europe was wonderful and I went back a year later to live in Germany as an Au Pair (live-in nanny) because I couldn’t get enough. It then led me down the path to get where I am today with many more brilliant, scary risks taken along the way. 

How many times have you learned something by hearing someone’s success story? It feels good to be successful, sure. But the way you get there is by trying something and seeing if it works over and over again. It’s our failures that lead us to success. And each time we try something new, we are taking a risk. Offering up a new idea to your boss, deciding to change careers, committing to a new relationship- all risks that could lead to embarrassment, job loss, or heartbreak. 

Each time we take a risk it becomes easier. You learn to trust yourself. Maybe start small by trying a new restaurant, book genre, or by chatting to the person next to you at the cafe. I can say that other risks I’ve taken have come from places of being fed up with my current situation, feelings of calmness knowing I’m on the right track, and also some I haven’t quite decided why I decided to do it- I just did! 

I’ve changed jobs, careers, states, and my plans for the future countless times. Each decision was its own level of terrifying. And each decision, whether it worked out or not, was a learning experience I could take with me. 

Pricing:

• Dog Walks from $24
• Pet Sitting from $24
• Litter Box Cleaning from $22

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pernapetcare.com
• Instagram: @pernapetcare
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pernapetcare
• Other: https://goo.gl/maps/D9SYALrtdE67i7yKA

Image Credits
Tess Rademacher