Maddy Davis is a local Eaglehawk resident who has created her own pet sitting business. She is a sponsor of Marli, the ESC school dog, pictured in this article.
Maddy graduated from Eaglehawk Secondary College in 2014, never
expecting to start her own business, let alone a dog walking business. She first worked in a kennel and found that “it was just awful how the dogs were treated”.
“My pets wouldn’t cope, so I knew there had to be something done”.
She has not looked back.
The business has now been operating for three years in the Bendigo area.
Maddy absolutely loves it. Her favourite part is “working with dogs and cats as there is so much variety. I can’t complain at all”.
“I decided to just go out on my own and start my own business doing it”.
The business provides total care for the animals: pet walking, pet sitting, pet taxi services and house sitting.
Pet sitting is an interesting part of what she does. It involves going to the client’s house once or twice daily and feeding and cleaning up after their pets. She ensures that they have fresh water, grooming and company whilst the client is absent.
The main part of Maddy’s business is the dog walking. She stated that, “It’s what we do during the weekdays. We walk dogs for people who are too busy or unable to do it themselves, or who are away”.
During the dog walking sessions, Maddy typically walks them individually unless they are all from the same family, or if they know each other.
She doesn’t walk groups of unfamiliar dogs as it can be a bit problematic. The safety of the animals is prioritised above all else. Maddy recalled a time when she walked three dogs at once. “It was a handful!”, she chuckled.
Maddy loves to walk dogs around Lake Weeroona, although it can get quite busy. Huntly is a favoured location as it has a few lovely ovals and the bush which is always peaceful. The location of the walk depends on the time
allocation of each booking, but is typically an hour, and can be
anywhere in Bendigo. However, half hour appointments are limited to around the block or in the general area.
When asked about her plans for the future, Maddy responded that “I’d love to grow the business and have a physical shop”. Currently Maddy’s online store has over sixty treats that are all Australian made and healthier for pets. The products are single ingredient with no preservatives or additives.
Have a look at Maddy’s website which has had over 102,000 visits
during the past three years: https://www.fourpawspetsitting.com.au/
Business Mobile: 0422 287 431 Facebook: fourpawspesittingvic
Instagram: fourpaws.p.s
