How Sara’s Happy Paws Began
Sara’s Story
People often ask me “How did you start a business so young?” and if I’m being completely honest, I actually didn’t plan on starting a business.
Sara’s Happy Paws Pet Sitting was started as a high school service project, where I donated all proceeds to local animal shelters. As soon as I graduated from High School, Sara’s Happy Paws took off. At the time I still felt the need to go to college and get a degree in something. So off I went to college. After only a few months I realized I did NOT enjoy college. I felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of my time because I didn’t have a specific degree or career I wanted to pursue. It wasn’t long before I realized: “I already know what I want to do, I want to work with animals!” and I made the decision that college wasn’t right for me, and decided to pursue my business. Since then Sara’s Happy Paws has grown and I’ve hired 3 absolutely amazing employees.
From the day I was born I’ve ALWAYS had dogs and cats. Most of my childhood consisted of playing with my dogs in the backyard, putting on “dog shows” for my family, and caring for the stray cats who sometimes came to visit. I even grew up pet sitting for a lot of my neighbor’s animals, I’ve been pet sitting for as long as I can remember.
My family and I have been working with Non-profit rescue organizations for years. We’ve fostered for H.A.R.T, Because Animals Matter, One More Chance Cats, and RSQ Dogs+ where I currently volunteer. We often take in the animals that no one else will due to their health problems so I’ve become very educated in specialized animal care for all kinds of circumstances. I am a huge advocate for animal adoption. I absolutely love spending my free time volunteering at RSQ Dogs+, where I’m actually a lead cat volunteer. So if anyone is interested in visiting some of the cutest kitties EVER, head on over and I’ll show you around.
Another huge part of my life is Grayson, who is now my husband and business partner! Grayson and I were married in October of 2020. After being together for almost 4 years, and running this pet sitting business for 3 years. Grayson and I share our love for animals and have dreams of one day owning a farm! We’ve adopted 3 wonderful neurologically challenged kitties, Ruby, Ducky, and Dory. They’re a bit more special than normal cats. They fall off of things often, walk wobbly, and they’re just a little bit slow, but we adore them. We also have a hospice foster named Chicken! We got her in March of 2020 and we were told by the vet that she would probably only live for 1-2 months. Here we are in June 2021 and her cancer is still in remission, it’s been an absolute miracle and we’re so grateful we’ve had so much extra time to spend with her.
I have had the opportunity to work as a dog trainer, a pet nutritionist, and a veterinarian technician! I have been able to take all of these skills I’ve learned throughout the years and apply them to pet sitting. I am always striving to educate myself on the latest in animal care. I have been certified as a Professional Pet Sitter, a certified Pet Nutritionist, and I am certified in Pet First Aid/CPR.
If you can’t tell by now, animals truly are my passion. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to build this business. I hope to continue to grow so that we can provide trustworthy, reliable, quality pet care to all of Southern Utah. We look forward to servicing Southern Utah for years to come.
-Sara Peterson
