My name is Rico. I run “The Wolf Pack” dog-walking and pet-sitting service in and around the Somerset West area, nestled at the foot of the Helderberg mountain on the urban fringe of Cape Town, South Africa.
I finished secondary school in 2013 and tried my hand at a number of different jobs from, waitering, selling popcorn, plumbing and managing a local car wash business, as well as trying some other odd jobs in between. However, I felt the need to study and better myself and so decided on a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing Management.
One evening in July 2015, I started thinking of ideas and scribbling notes on what I could possibly do to generate an income to pay for my studies. On that list were pizza deliveries, garden services and dog walking.
On July the 10th, at exactly 9pm I had my first and last interview at a pizza delivery company, and as I walked out I whispered to myself, “no way”. I simply knew in my heart that I could do much better for myself and at the same time be my own boss.
I then decided to try my hand at dog-walking – having no idea where to start.
I played around with names and ideas, and drew up logos on a note pad. Somewhat hesitantly, I phoned my cousin Gav, a graphic designer. A short while thereafter we met up and brainstormed some ideas.
Not too long afterwards we agreed on the coolest name and slogan. One week later I got a new email address and page, and we were ready to launch a fresh brand:
I rapidly signed up three new clients within the first few days of advertising.
September 11th 2015 at 17:30pm marked my first walk in the Strand – an Alaskan malamute and a Siberian husky – no less. I must add that with no previous experience, the first few walks certainly weren’t easy with these two sledding wolves, and the learning curve was almost vertical: as soon as I stepped onto the wet grass I ‘lost it’ and became their human sleigh!
I still had a full-time job so I could’ve easily bailed on this crazy idea of dog-walking, but I soon discovered that the love for my new-found canine friends had somehow got a firm grip on my heart. So I squeezed in progressively more and more dog-walks, before and after work, sometimes finishing way after dark.
I started full-time College in February 2016, and “The Wolf Pack” became my primary source of income. My business grew rapidly by word of mouth – and it wasn’t long before I was walking more than ten dogs at multiple locations every single day. It didn’t take long before my resources were completely outstripped by demand, and after taking on almost 15 clients daily, I soon realised I was getting far too busy for my own good.
I decided to scale down my everyday walking – today there’s very limited space. I also offer pet check visits to feed and walk pets for clients who are away from home or overnight house / pet sitting on special request.
Currently, I get bookings up to a year in advance, but I still have to ensure that I find the necessary time to focus on my studies.
I started out with only two ‘wolves’. I have, to the present, covered thousands of kilometres walking hundreds of dogs across great many locations. I must add that I’m a very lucky dog-walker – as most dogs that I work with live close to parks, forests and beaches – making the overall experience of the ‘pack’ so much more rewarding.
As a pack leader I have obtained my canine first-aid certificate, as well as pet-care courses, and I’m going to be venturing into formalised dog psychology and training courses fairly soon.
My dream is to grow my brand and the ‘pack’ locally, employing people who care for and love animals as much as I do.
I developed my love for animals through the privileged experience of working with these kind, gentle and sensitive creatures. I treasure each day, being able to wake up and look forward to going into nature to spend treasured time with my best friends. Not a single day that goes by is the same, as I learn something new about my furry friends every day – as they share their secrets of the ‘pack’ with me.
I have ‘quite some’ plans up my sleeve for the future – and I’m very excited about where my business ventures will take my furry friends and I into the future…
