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Dog Days in Loudoun
By Rita Mace Walston
Loudoun Magazine
The rain clouds had cleared and the sun was peeking through when a neighbor arrived to pick up her son from an overnight birthday party for 10-year-old Scott Davidson. Scott’s dad, Hamish, met the neighbor on the front porch “I’d invite you in,” he said apologetically in his Scottish brogue, “but the dogs are wet and a bit muddy and they’re usually awful glad to see visitors.” Poking his head in the door, he called for his wife, Sandra, to put the family pets in the living room. That done, the neighbor entered the foyer. On the other side of double French doors, five Saint Bernards waited expectantly, tongues lolling, hoping to be allowed to greet this newest guest.
The Davidsons own seven dogs. Two of them, an old English sheepdog and a cocker spaniel, came with the family in the move to the United States from Scotland in 1997. The Saint Bernards have joined the family approximately one every year, since then. And like many Loudoun County residents, the Davidson’s dogs are much more than pets.
“They are part of the family,” says Sandra. “Anybody who comes to our house knows that “Tongue in cheek, she confides, “My mother doesn’t like dogs, so we keep thinking if we get more she won’t come to visit.” She sighs, “But she comes anyway.”
B.A.E. Systems, formerly British Aerospace, brought Hamish and his family from Scotland where, they say, Saint Bernard dogs are fairly rare. With a large house and acreage north of Round Hill, the family estate is easily able to accommodate so many dogs. They spend about $200 each month just on dog food and Sandra keeps four vacuum cleaners humming in her constant battle with dog hair. But she and Hamish wouldn’t have it any other way. “I can’t resist them,” Sandra says.
According to a national survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, about 40 percent of American households have a dog. Nearly a quarter pf those have more than one. Tim Crum, Director of Animal Care Custody and Control in Loudoun County, uses these statistics and others to extrapolate that there are likely more than 40,700 dogs in the county. That’s a lot of kibble.
This has not escaped the notice of some savvy entrepreneurs. A number of pet-related businesses have sprung up in Loudoun that simply did not exist five years ago. Some of these are in established area of pet care, such as veterinary services and merchandise shops. Others are more entrepreneurial, broadening the scope of pet care and stretching the industry into areas that were nearly unheard of a decade ago.
Home Alone
One such enterprise is Kit & Kaboodle Pet Care Service, owned by Carmen Velasco. Velasco opened her business three years ago, leaving behind a lucrative corporate career in human resources.
An ever-increasing workload and its accompanying stress convinced Velasco that she needed a change. Searching for a new career, she says she knew she wanted to, “combine something I love with making a profit.” A book called Pet Sitting for Profit piqued her interest. She researched the field, explored Loudoun County’s demographics, and drew up a detailed business plan. All that was left was to take the entrepreneurial plunge.
“I said a little prayer and opened up Kit & Kaboodle,” she says. “I haven’t looked back since. It’s been an amazing ride.”
While she looks forward, others have watched her. The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce recognized Velasco in 2001 with their Best Home-Based Business of the Year award. And while Velasco may not have been the first person in the county to offer in-home pet sitting, a number of these services have followed her lead to tap into Loudoun’s lucrative market.
“The major driver for this industry is that pets, particularly dogs and cats, are considered part of the family.” Says Velasco.