Pet-centric Careers

To most, the thought of taking care of other people's pets, making and selling dog food, or picking up pet waste isn't really a dream career. But four innovative Minnesotans who love animals were able to combine a good business idea, good customer service and a lot of hard work to create a business serving Twin Cities pets and the people who love them.

Top Dog Country Club

Jean Beuning, owner of Top Dog Country Club in New Germany, Minn., says her pet-career-epiphany occurred in 1993 when her pet-sitter backed out at the last minute. Jean, a former vice president with Marriott Hotels says, "We had to use a boarding kennel for our dogs and frankly, it wasn't a good experience. After that happened, I got the idea to build a place that dogs wouldn't want to leave." Says Jean, "My biggest fear in life was that at the end of it, I'd look back and regret that I didn't do what I really wanted to do. When that fear became bigger than the fear of leaving my career, the decision was simple."

Eight years into Top Dog's operation, Jean now has a staff of 22, but she made it through the first two years by "working fifteen hours a day, 365 days a year." Guests at Top Dog have three play yards, a swimming pool, heated floors, tapestry-covered orthopedic beds in every suite (yes, the dogs stay in suites), and four to six hours of adult-supervised play every day. www.topdogcountryclub.com

Woody's Pet Food Deli

The desire to help other people's pets inspired Woody's Pet Food Deli, located in South Minneapolis. Enrique and Michelle Palma of Woody's Pet Food Deli reached their epiphany after moving to Minnesota from the Philippines and adopting two older, disease-riddled dogs. Woody had inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and Fred was a 46-pound beagle. Enrique says, "In the Philippines, we feed our dogs real food. Here you have commercial pet food, so that's what we fed our dogs. I thought `I need to try something else.'" So he did. On a diet of raw meat plus supplements and the occasional mix-in, both dogs became healthy.

Enrique is now wearing all the hats necessary to start a business, from operating the cash register and talking with customers to fine-tuning the marketing and grinding up fresh meat in the kitchen. He says, "Anytime you see a dog go from bad condition to a better life you get such satisfaction - it's almost indescribable. That's how we got started." www.woodyspetdeli.com

Solid Gold Pet Food

Dawn Mondane had a similar realization about her dogs' food 13 years ago. She says, "I've had Dobermans for years, and we always thought we were feeding them the best food - it was the most expensive." Then one day Dawn read about Solid Gold, a super-premium dog food. "Back in 1995, no one was talking about healthy foods for pets. We researched what was in pet foods and were alarmed." Dawn ordered Solid Gold from California where the food, treats and supplements are made. "Our dogs loved it, even the one who never eats," she says. Next, she ordered ten bags, then a pallet of bags, and started giving it to friends to try with their dogs.

At the time, Dawn and her husband owned a video store. When Solid Gold called and asked if they'd be interested in distributing the food in Minnesota, they said yes. "After six months we sold the video store, moved into a warehouse and started selling pet food full time." Thanks to Dawn, Solid Gold food is now available at more than 100 Twin Cities retailers. www.solidgoldnorthland.com

Doody Calls

Mike Kuehn-Hajder found his calling in a career that to most people doesn't seem all that enjoyable. Mike says, "I enjoy the outdoors, working with animals and helping people with things they don't really want to do." DoodyCalls, a pet waste removal service, combines all of the above. Mike says DoodyCalls is more than just a convenience service for dog owners, "It's healthy for the whole community; we help keep the environment clean."

DoodyCalls also does cat litter boxes, contracts with homeowner associations, cities and even handles goose poop cleanup. Before starting up the Twin Cities business, Mike worked for a sales and marketing company. "I like this better," he says. "I can be outdoors, it's rewarding, and because pet waste is toxic, I can help with the watershed movement - especially in areas close to water." www.doodycalls.com

With inspiration from these four, it's safe to say that if you love animals, have a good head for business and can spot an unmet need, you're well on your way to ditching corporate America in exchange for living the good (though often pet-hair-covered) life.

Kelli Ohrtman is a freelance writer from Minneapolis who works at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. www.kelliohrtman.com