The Herald-Zeitung

“People love their pets,” Chandler Gray says.

She and her husband, Bob, knew this when they started their business DogWatch of Central Texas, LLC, a pet containment system, in 2004. While they consider themselves pet professionals, they knew they could not be all things to all pet owners.

When asked for referrals to trainers, groomers and other pet professionals, they wanted to be able to give their customers expert advice about others in the pet industry.

“And I knew it would be great if a customer learned about DogWatch from a groomer when Fido kept getting out of the fence and kept getting dirty,” Chandler says. “We wanted to be able to share resources.”

More than a year and a half ago, Chandler organized Pet Professionals of Central Texas. The group meets every other month. Currently, more than 50 individuals and organizations are members of the group, although not all are active. The wide variety of pet professionals include veterinarians, groomers, pet sitters, animal massagers, pet photographers and trainers.

These are just some of the services offered under the Pet Professionals of Central Texas umbrella.

In addition to sharing resources and networking, the group also offers a unique opportunity for bartering.

Recently, when local veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth Long, DVM, experienced problems with some of her dogs, she called DogWatch for help. Three of her dogs kept getting into the koi pond.

“DogWatch is a pet containment product for inside or outside the home that is not just for keeping pets inside an area – but also away from certain areas – away from the playset, away from the pool,” Chandler says. “It is very effective for dogs and cats.”

The Grays were able to partially barter with Long as part of the installation.

“She needed our services, and we needed hers. That is especially important in this economy right now,” Chandler says.

David and Sandy De La Fuente of K-9 Massage also are members of Pet Professionals of Central Texas. The state-licensed massage therapists have been offering massages for dogs for three years.

“We’ve learned that dogs get stressed. They get hurt and sore. They sleep wrong,” David says. “This can help them live longer, and it helps improve their lives.”

Carolyn Black trains dogs and grooms cats. She says many of her grooming requests for cats come in the form of nail trimming and ear cleaning, and for long-haired varieties, a good hair trim.

“The most common cat ‘do’ is the lion cut and variances there-of,” Black says.

Cathy and Phillip Vaughan have been operating Cathy’s Critter Care in Schertz for 15 years and service the New Braunfels, Cibolo, Garden Ridge and surrounding area.

Cathy, who used to work for the San Antonio Zoo, decided to stay home with her family when her children were young, but she missed being around animals. That is when she decided to start her business. She now employs 15 part-time employees.

“We come to the home and provide services there,” she says. “We come to the home, clean the litter box, pick up mail and water the plants. We take dogs for long walks, and we also offer overnight care.”

The Vaughans have realized an increased need for canine playtime as more people take on longer hours at their jobs or take on a second job during rough economic times.

“They are staying at work longer to hold onto their job, or they are working a second job on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so they might need some help in that area,” Cathy says.

The Pet Professionals of Central Texas meet again at 10 a.m. (9:30 for meet and greet) on Oct. 1 at the Fork and Spoon Restaurant. For information, call Chandler Gray at 210-200-8436.