Kelly VandenBush engages in a typical
pet-sitting activity.

Jake and Kelly VandenBush have a pretty neat niche in the pet care industry, and they might just be on the way to making Eau Claire even more famous. They began their business, Pet Sitters Associates in 1998, without the foreknowledge that 15 years later they would have more than 5,000 members throughout the United States.

Kelly VandenBush says it may have all started with her college years, when she was a nanny and pet sitter for a local family. Her husband, Jake, pondered what would happen if something ever went wrong with the dog she was taking care of.  The next step was a marketing class that Jake took at the university, which required him to create a sample business plan. He made one for a pet-sitting network, and after the grades were in for the project, the couple decided to make it a reality. “The next thing we knew, we decided to start it, and it just went crazy from there,” Kelly says. They started the business in October 1998 and had almost 100 members by the following January. They saw a need for a service like theirs. For one thing, the market was a bit cornered by two major competitors when the VandenBushes started their business. Today, Pet Sitters Associates is the second-largest business of its kind in the U.S.

Pet Sitters Associates likes to keep it local.  The insurance company that provides insurance for its members is based in Eau Claire. “We are a nationwide company,” Kelly says, “but we are here in Eau Claire, so we like to use the local insurance, the local animal hospital, the local Web designers, because that is just how we wanted to make our business and help our community.”

So what exactly comes in a membership package? Pet Sitters Associates provides numerous services to members. These include a code of ethics to show customers the company’s ethical treatment practices toward animals, a customer checklist to write down specifics for animal care, a daily report template to tell clients what care was provided for their animals and at what times, as well as the use of the company logo and new search engine, which makes it easy for customers to search for services online. Unlike its competitors, Pet Sitters Associates includes pet insurance immediately upon membership.  Other perks include discounted rates for websites, as well as other services that clients may be interested in. The basic package costs $185 and provides coverage for a full year.

Members also get a quarterly newsletter that includes news about price changes, information from Oakwood Hills Animal Hospital, and soon a sort of “Dear Abby” column for the pet industry with expert answers to questions.

The VandenBushes have high hopes for the future of Pet Sitters Associates, saying they hope that “within the next five years, we can double our membership and become the number one pet sitting association in the U.S.”

To learn more about Pet Sitters Associates, visit www.petsitllc.com.