Examples of Pet Business Ideas Do you love animals? Do you want to start a business that either supports pets or deals directly with them? A pet business idea might be the opportunity for you.
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Pet owners are happy to spend money on their pets, whether it's training, boarding or day-care, there are a lot of opportunities in the pet space.
If you're an animal lover and want to work with them all day, here are 10 successful examples you can use to ensure your business remains competitive:
1. Pet sitter
Do you love looking after animals? You can make this passion into a full-time pet business. When owners travel, they want their animals to be looked after in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
Before you launch your pet sitting business, here is an example pet business to help you ensure your business remains profitable:
Business Name: Paws n Claws Services
Website: https://pawsnclaws.co.za/
Established Date: 2013
About the business:
The founder of Paws n Claws Services has experience in basic dog training and dog grooming. She owned horses, dogs and cats throughout the past 20 years. They offer love and care for their client's pets in the comfort and safety of their home.
Innovative business offering
Paws n Claws Services has an innovative management system that enables their clients to keep in constant communication with both the office and the sitter to ensure their animal is comfortable at all times.
2. Dog Training
Owners like to get their dogs trained to obey certain commands or eradicate bad behaviour. If you love dogs and have a commanding presence with them, you can offer dog training classes to those in your area.
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Here is an example of a pet business you can learn some tips and tricks from before launching your own business:
Business Name: The Woof Academy
Website: https://www.thewoofacademy.co.za/
Established Date: 2008
About the business:
The Woof Academy offer dog training for dogs of all ages and sizes. They teach their clients' dogs the basics and then teach you how to correctly train your dog. They offer hands-on dog training experience in the comfort of their client's home.
Innovative business offering
Besides numerous types of dog training, The Woof Academy also offers pet sitting, behavioural solutions, pet walking, workshops, consultations and contract work. They can also assist their clients in selecting the right pet for their environment.
3. Dog Walker
Not every dog owner is able to live on a large property or walk their dogs sufficiently every day. If you're an animal person and you like walking dogs, why not make a business out of it?
Before you launch your business learn a few tips and tricks from this example of a pet business:
Business Name: Your Hound Pet Services
Website: https://yourhound.co.za/
Established Date: 2011
About the business:
Dogs deserve love, attention, exercise and socialising, which Your Hound Pet Service provides with their dog walking service. They also offer general lessons for walking on a lead and obedience, during the walks.
Innovative business offering
Aside from dog walking, Your Hound Pet Service offer pet sitting and a pet taxi. The pet taxi assists with the transportation of pets, reducing the hassle for owners and the pet hair from their cars.
4. Pet Boarding
When owners travel, sometimes they prefer to leave their pets in a boarding facility. If you're an animal person and you're good with various types of animals this could be the pet business opportunity for you.
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Before you get started, learn from this example of a pet boarding business and ensure your company remains sustainable:
Business Name: Badham's Fourways Kennels and Cattery
Website: https://www.4wayskennels.co.za/
Established Date: 1982
About the business:
Badham's Fourways Kennels and Cattery offer a safe place for their clients to leave their pets while they're travelling. The kennels are heated to keep pets warm and comfortable particularly in the colder months. They even offer drivers to come and collect pets for boarding to reduce the strain on their clients.
Innovative business offering
In addition to all the innovative boarding services, Badham's Fourways Kennels and Cattery also offer a doggy day care, a pet salon and a pet gym for a comprehensive all-inclusive pet service.
5. Doggie Day-care
Dog day-care services have grown in popularity over the past few years as owners want their animals taken care of during the day and have the opportunity to socialise with other animals. If you have experience introducing animals to each other and caring for animals, this could be the pet business idea for you.
Before you launch your business, you should first learn about your competition and what they are doing in the market, here is an example of a pet business you can learn from:
Business Name: Precious Paws and Claws
Website: https://www.preciouspawsandclaws.co.za/
Established Date: 2018
About the business:
Precious Paws and Claws offers a doggy day-care centre for dogs to socialise with other dogs, have stimulated activity and be active during the day. Doggy day-care includes full-time quality supervision, daily massage, play time and socialising.
Innovative business offering
Precious Paws and Claws also has an online shop, where their clients and other pet lovers can buy everything from hypoallergenic pet treats to birthday pup cakes and puppy starter kits. A portion of the proceeds from items sold from their store goes in support of their local SPCA.
6. Pet Grooming
Numerous pet owners want their furry family members to be professionally groomed and treated. If you're good with pets and have experience with grooming animals this could be the pet business idea for you.
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Here is an example you can learn from before you start up your own pet grooming business:
Business Name: Twisted Whiskers
Website: http://www.twistedwhiskers.co.za/
About the business:
Twisted Whiskers is a pet spa that offers professional, personalised and dedicated services to their clients and their pets. They offer dedicated Kitty Spa Mornings reserved for cats only. They also have 5 different massage therapists to choose from as well as a dedicated relaxation Jacuzzi experience for your dogs.
Innovative business offering
Besides styling, pampering and making pets feel adored, Twisted Whiskers also offer a pet deli, which offers a variety of quality toys, cuddly beds, beautiful clothing, funky accessories and premium pet food.
7. Pet Bakery
If you're good at baking but are looking to try something unique or more animal focused you could create pet food and treats. But, before you start baking, research what your competition are doing to ensure your business will become profitable. Here is an example of a pet business you can learn from:
Business Name: The Littlest Pet Bakery
Website: https://littlestpetbakery.com/
About the business:
The Littlest Pet Bakery focuses on creating unique desserts that are guilt-free and organic. They also aim to ensure no pet is left out, by choosing ingredients that are inclusive of all sensitivities. Their desserts are always grain, corn, soy, poultry, pork, beef, egg, dairy and additive free.
Innovative business offering
Besides have an extensive range of pet treats, they also cater for doggy birthdays with a cake designed for dogs and unique speciality treats.
8. Pet Toy Maker
Pet owners are constantly buying toys for their furry friends to play with. You can turn this into a business opportunity by making and selling pet toys. Before you start investing in equipment, fabric and doing more research, you'll need to see what others toy makers are doing.
Here is an example of a pet toy maker that you can learn from:
Business Name: Eleanor and Milo
Website: https://www.etsy.com/people/eleanorandmilo
About the business:
Eleanor and Milo is an Etsy shop that sells beautiful hand-made stuffed toys made with reclaimed materials. Each toy uses leftover or deadstock fabrics from furniture manufacturing for both outside designs and inside stuffing.
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Innovative business offering
Each toy is completely unique in its design and clients can also custom order toys for their furry family members. 5% of all the proceeds are donated to animal rescue and rehabilitation organisations.
9. Pet Travel Service Provider
When pet owners travel or move, transporting the pets themselves can be a stressful experience. You can start a pet travel service provider for owners who want to travel with their pets or who are moving to a new house.
Before you launch your new pet business idea, here is a successful pet transport service you can learn a few tricks from:
Business Name: PETport
Website: https://www.petport.co.za/
About the business:
PETport relocation specialists offer pet travel around South Africa, comfy animal travel crates, pet boarding facilities of all kinds and experienced animal handlers.
Innovative business offering
Besides local travel and logistics PETport also offers international animal travel services as well as pet emigration and passports for those leaving the country with their furry family members.
10. Cat Café Operator
Cat Cafés are growing in popularity across the world. These let customers hang out with cats while enjoying a beverage or a meal. If this sounds like your dream job, then this could be the pet business idea for you. Here is an example of a successful cate café that you can learn from:
Business Name: Mew Haven Cat Cafe
Website: https://mewhavencatcafe.com/index.html
About the business:
Mew Haven Cat Café have partnered with a shelter called The Animal Haven to find cats that would enjoy living in a cat café. While surrounded by happy and friendly cats their customers can come and grab their favourite café drink and make some new furry friends.
Innovative business offering
Mew Haven Cat Café's aim is to help cats to connect with loving families and find permanent homes. All of the café cats are still looking for their forever home and can be adopted through The Animal Haven.
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