More Than Half of Pet-Business Owners Will Take a Vacation This Year

55%: Yes

• One week, and we will close down during that week. Cindy Stuckey, Coast Grooming, Fort Bragg, CA
• My husband and I are planning on taking only a couple weekends here and there together (but that leaves no one to step in and cover during our absence). I am also hoping to enjoy about four or five days out of town for some much needed rest and relaxation, while my husband stays behind and handles the business (he will also enjoy four or five days away, while I handle the business in his absence). Beth Hobbs, Stay and Play at Home, Bristol, VA
• Eight-day trip to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun! Generally, I check in once daily in the evening, although my managers know they can reach me whenever they need to. We’ve gone on a vacation every year, and they do a great job handling day-to-day business. It’s stressful getting everything lined up and organized prior, but getting away is so important. Trish Elliott, Town & Country Pet Resort, Valley Springs, CA
• For one week. I will check in daily. I will still be running the business remotely. It’s not ideal, but it works. I’m vacationing at the beach. Polly Alexander, Polly’s Pets, Charlotte, NC
• This is the first year my husband and I will be taking a real vacation! We plan on heading to Paris and Barcelona, and I must say I am already concerned about work and if it will be OK when I am gone. I think it will be good for me and my husband to “shut off” work for a little while and truly relax and enjoy our adventure! Cassandra Powers, The Pet Firm, Phoenix, AZ
• I take a week vacation every year. My fantastic, eight-person management team takes the wheel while I’m away. I go backpacking with a group of friends where there is little to no cell service. (This year is Alaska!) Therefore, I am forced to unplug. If I weren’t forced, it would be difficult for me not to check in. (I’d check in if I could only because I’d be wondering how things are and not because I don’t trust my team.) Toni Shelaske, Healthy Pet Products, Pittsburgh, PA

• I am blessed with loyal employees who watch over the store like it’s their own. Thanks to smartphones, we can communicate with little effort. Karen Conell, The Bark Market, Delevan, WI

45%: No

• I haven’t taken a real vacation since I opened my shop. It seems every time we go away something terrible happens (not my employees’ fault), so we do take days but stay close to home. Melissa Ripple, Paws & Effect, Eustis, FL
• Too much to arrange. Coverage at two stores. And care of six pets. We don’t like to leave them. Bonnie Bitondo, Maxwell & Molly’s Closet, Newton, NJ
• 2018 is a growth year for us, and I will need to be around to accomplish that. We have a long weekend trip to the beach planned, but that’s about it. Eric Mack, Purrrfect Bark, Columbus, NC

This article originally appeared in the May 2018 edition of PETS+.