Exploring Life & Business with Gabi Savchuk and Hunter Hansen of Sugar House Pets

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabi Savchuk and Hunter Hansen.

Hi Gabi and Hunter, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My mother loves animals, I mean seriously loves them more than anyone I’ve ever met! She rescued and fostered countless dogs and cats, so I grew up with several animals in the house at all times.

She had walked friends’ dogs for a long time and always spoke about how great it was for her mental health, so I followed suit.

In 2017, Hunter made business cards for Sugar House Pets and I posted them in local pet-related shops; after a few months, I quit my job and was walking dogs 10 hours a day every single day and pet sitting overnight. That summer, I pet sat every night for four months straight.

From word of mouth, hundreds of pet parents came to me with negative experiences they had in the past (ranging from sitters lying about visiting pets to a dog dying after being left in a hot car) and that sparked my determination to make Sugar House Pets the solution to untrained pet care. Pets deserve the best quality of care – they are our best friends and our children!

In 2020, Hunter became my business partner and used his design education to create the brand, website, and marketing materials. He believes humans have a special bond with animals that is not like any other bond. He runs the business and manages employees so that we can both have time off to be with our own fur child, Buster!

Today, we have a team of eight and still growing fast (shoutout to our amazing employees Weston Merkey and Audrey Smith!). Everyone on our team genuinely wants to spend their time with animals and make a difference in animals’ lives.

One day, we hope to be nationwide and who you think of when you need reliable, trustworthy care (and a new best friend) for your pets!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been easy!

It seems many people may look down their noses at this industry (pet care) and assume that this is an easy business to run; on the contrary, we are often working 70+ hour weeks and constantly preoccupied with how we can improve the customers’ experience, including providing ever-better care for their pets.

This is a people-centric service business (or pet-centric, really) and with that, we’re constantly dealing with those things that make us all human. Car problems, staffing issues, a global pandemic, whether – all things that throw a wrench in the day-to-day of this business.

Because we are open 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, it’s been a challenge to find time away to recharge. We’ve literally put blood (yes, some bites and wounds), sweat, and tears (lots of those) into this!

As you know, we’re big fans of Sugar House Pets. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We provide excellent, reliable, and trustworthy in-home pet care. We aim to be pets’ second family – noticing anything unusual and learning what makes each pet happy.

Over the years, we’ve used what we’ve learned to create an intensive training course for our employees (it includes a Fear Free certification and an American Red Cross Pet First Aid certification) to ensure pets receive excellent care. It’s long and thorough and we’re proud of it!

We offer visits, walks, Vacation Care which consists of many visits throughout the day, and hikes. On our hikes, we only take 2 dogs at a time to ensure safety. We’re tired of seeing dog hikers chatting on the phone without even checking to see that the 8 dogs they brought are running in different directions, antagonizing other people’s pets.

Our employees are just that – employees – so that we can train them to take the best care of your pets. Contractors cannot be trained to the degree that our training course requires, so next time you need pet care, choose an employee-based business!

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Be clear on why you’re doing this and what your mission is, because if it’s to make money that won’t be enough.

You need to love and believe in what you’re doing because it will get you through the hard days (and there will be many). Have a thick skin, and be prepared to work. A lot. Find time to take care of yourself and have a support system.

Pricing:

• 15 Minute Visit/Walk – starting at $17
• 30 Minute Visit/Walk – starting at $23
• Vacation Care – starting at $65
• Hikes – $42

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@sugarhousepets.com
• Website: https://www.sugarhousepets.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugarhousepets/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sugarhousepets
• Other: https://g.page/r/CRgwnQVp-MkpEAE