Christmas is good for many businesses, and that certainly holds true for pet sitters in Durango.
“Absolutely, holidays are our busiest time,” said Cheryl Ashby, owner of Durango Pet Sitting. “A lot of people are traveling and they can’t always take their pets and they don’t want to kennel them.”
In general, Durango is a great town for pet sitters because of all the tourists and the increasing trend to travel with the family dog, Ashby said.
Ashby recalls helping a family visiting Durango that decided on the spur of the moment to take the train.
“They wanted their young grandson to ride the Polar Express,” she said. “They apologized for calling on short notice. We told them, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.’”
She said rafting trips and family visits to Mesa Verde National Park have also brought her pet-sitting business.
“The last thing you want is to worry about is your dog in a hotel, and the hotel doesn’t want the dog left unattended,” she said.
The high number of vacation rentals in Durango also provide more demand for pet sitters, she said.
“People will make a last-minute decision to take a raft trip and they discover the dog can’t come. We’ll come pick up the dog,” she said.
Melanie Kelly, owner of Pet Patrol in Durango, said holidays bolster what is an already-strong business with her regulars.
“A lot of our dogs are older dogs or dogs that need medications,” she said. “We have a few select dogs that we stay with regularly. We’re their home away from home. It’s a lot less stressful than going to a kennel. We have some super-old dogs that need medication several times a day.”
Kelly said business does pick up during the holidays as people visit families, but she’s busy year-round.
“I have good, steady number of dogs I see frequently,” she said. “The dogs know me.”
Rhonda Brown, owner of Custom Animal Services in Durango, said Thanksgiving is generally the busiest holiday, but she is already booked for Christmas.
“I might be able to fit something in for New Year’s,” she said. “We get calls on a daily basis. I have seven sitters working for me, and pretty much every one is booked for Christmas. I can count on as much work as anyone wants for the holidays.”
Custom Animal Service will visit dogs, cats and horses. Brown opened the business in 2002.
“Historically, it’s hard to meet demand during the holidays,” she said. “I can get reservations six months out for the holidays. It’s definitely best to plan ahead.”
parmijo@durangoherald.com
