The Cambridge Critter Sitter and Dog Walker
The Cambridge Critter Sitter and Dog Walker |
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Originally published in Progress 2006, a special section publication of Community Newspaper Company March 23, 2006 'Too busy' is music to their ears
By Margaret Smith Kathy Lundberg, a group exercise program director at Mike's Gym in Dracut, considers herself typical of many working parents. "My husband works two jobs and I work two jobs," said Lundberg, who has two sons, ages 7 and 9. With a chuckle, she added, "I find my full-time job isn't even as stressful as when the boys get off the bus." In addition to her job at the gym, she works weekends orchestrating children's parties. She also teaches religious education classes one night a week and shuttles her sons to myriad activities. Her full life was starting to take its toll on things like the house work, so she tapped Mommies on the Move for help. "I'm so involved in the gyms and teaching classes I don't have time to actually clean," she said. For Tracy Salk of Billerica, owner of Mommies on the Move, the idea for her business came from her own experience as a mother with a crunched schedule. Last year, she launched her business, which allows clients to buy blocks of time for a variety of services, from housekeeping to even small repairs. "We've gone as far as installing faucets and shutters. We are becoming a company that really can do everything," said Salk. Salk still sees many calls for traditional needs such as housecleaning. "People are finding that, anything they want done, they have done." Salk observed, "As a parent myself, I know things aren't like they used to be. We've got kids who are playing two to three sports. Half the time you are trying to figure out how to get out of work to get to an activity. Family has become the priority, not getting the house cleaned."
These days, with busy work and family schedules, time to do simple errands or household chores is often limited - which has created an opportunity for businesses that offer to walk the dog, clean the house or even take out the trash. For Paulo Sousa and his wife Luciana who run Framingham-based Trust Services, Inc., the entrepreneurial route opened the doors to success for them as immigrants who came to the U.S. from Brazil in 1995. "I started a cleaning service with my wife. Some clients were in need of different types of services - small repairs, painting - and then we grew and are doing junk removal - almost anything," Sousa said. Now the company also provides landscaping, paving and other services through contractors. Currently, the business caters to customers within a 70-mile radius of Framingham, but hopes to expand to the whole state. At present, with the exception of contractors, most of the work is done by the Sousas and their family. "People are always busy. They always make more money to try to make their life easier," Sousa said. Some folks leave the house too early to take out the trash in the morning and bring the barrels back in. Trust Services can take care of it, Sousa said. "They are not home and the barrel blows away in the wind…they lose the barrels, or they get lost in an accident."
During such hectic times, even man's best friend can use a hand - or paw, depending on how you look at it. With more people owning animals and having less time to care for them, a number of businesses have been created to provide basic care such as dog-walking and pet-sitting. Kay McDonald of Bedford is the proprietor of Pet Strollers, LLC - also known as the Cambridge Critter Sitter - a business started in 1998 by two women in Cambridge that she has taken over. As a chief financial officer for many years, she was looking for a career change. "I wanted to integrate my passion for animals with starting a small business and discovered the whole realm of pet-sitting," McDonald said. "I started cold-calling pet-sitting businesses and found these two women who were burnt out. They had a wonderful reputation and an information data base. I bought the business from them in 2003." She now has clients in numerous communities, including Bedford, Arlington and Lexington. "Most people have one person who is out of the house all day. The dog needs a break in the middle of the day," McDonald said. "Even 9 to 5 is a pretty long day to leave an animal." She added, "In families, both are breadwinners. It's not as common to find someone who's home." McDonald provides sitters to visit when owners are away on vacation, who take care of the animals' basic needs and will also visit and play with them. McDonald believes attitudes toward pets have changed and that more pet owners have a greater appreciation for animals' need to socialize. As a result, the doggy "play group" has become a popular way for dogs to get together. "People are considering, I think, the quality of life for their animals. I think they treat them better than they used to. I think people are treating their animals just like they are treating their kids."
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