Sarah Paws Resort, rural Currie, officially opens
Sarah Paws Resort, located in rural Currie, recently hosted an open house event to showcase their business expansion, which officially launched in August of this year. Sarah Willhite, the owner of the pet resort, has always had a passion for animals. Growing up on a farm, she spent most of her time with animals, including rabbits, cows, chickens, pigs, and any other animal that needed extra attention. Her love for animals led her to open Sarah Paws Resort in 2014, where she offers professional boarding and grooming services.
Expanding a business is never an easy task, and Sarah's journey was filled with numerous obstacles. However, she was lucky to have financial partners who believed in her expansion and helped her make it a reality.
Sarah's journey started in 2014 when she began providing dog grooming on a part-time basis at her personal residence. She also extended her knowledge of grooming by taking online training classes. Sarah's love for pets, and the continued growth in requests, motivated her to find a business setting in downtown Tracy. The business quickly outgrew this location also which led to their business expansion at their current acreage.
Despite the several transitions of their business, the couple forged ahead and tackled each as motivated entrepreneurs. Recently, the expansion was ready to be launched. Additional services and retail options are now available. “We really wanted the facility to feel like a home and I believe that we’ve accomplished,” commented Sarah. “I feel like I could move my house down here and just be with the dogs 24/7.”
The facility includes a space for grooming, which takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Wednesdays, grooming appointments are available starting at 12:30 p.m. and running until approximately 6:00 p.m. Sarah offers a range of grooming services including the standard groom (bath, ear cleaning, ear plucking, nail trim, and full body cut), as well as bath and brush, and bath and blowout. Sarah also provides cat grooming.
Sarah is a certified dog trainer and plans to offer puppy classes that focus on sit, down, focus, loose leash walking, socialization, and behaviors such as nipping, barking, and potty training. She will also offer a seven-week dog training program that reinforces the above-mentioned items.
Sarah's experience working with the SRDC was great, and she credits them with helping her get this far. She plans to expand the outdoor play area and create a separate area for dog training classes in the future.
If you have any questions about the SRDC Revolving Loan Funds for business expansion or creation, contact Robin Weis, SRDC Deputy Director, at 507-836-8547 or via e-mail at robin@swrdc.org.