Meet Lori Ann Ross of Pawprints Atlanta in Buckhead and Vinings

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Ann Ross.

Lori Ann, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started when I was sitting as a receptionist answering phones for a real estate office. I said to myself, “Really? Is this what it is like to work behind a desk for someone else?” Going to work every day propelled me to search for my true passion. I grabbed a phone book and started thumbing through it trying to figure out what I truly liked. Ah, pet section. Pet Sitting, what is that? I had never heard of that before. I called a few companies and before I knew it, I was working part time as a pet sitter. I really enjoyed the work.

One day, I was crazy busy driving around the city trying to get out of town for my wedding on Saturday. Suddenly, my car seized up right there on the highway! My engine blew. I called the owner of the pet sitting company I was working for to tell her about what had happened to my car. She did not take the news very well. “Well, Lori, what do you expect me to do about it? Buy you a new car?” Least to say, I was not working for her anymore.

After the wedding, I came back to the real estate office with a fire in my spirit. While sitting at the receptionist’s desk, I came up with my company name, Pawprints of Buckhead. I have since updated to Pawprints Atlanta. Some time had passed and I started caring for a few of the real estate agent’s pets from my office. As my clientele grew, I would walk dogs before work, during my lunch hour, and after work all the while trying not to get too muddy and sweaty in my office work clothes.

Then one day, I got fired from my job, I know, right?! What turned out to be, what I thought at the time, the worst day of my life actually turned out to be the best. I ended up taking the real estate company I was working for to court for wrongful termination and I won! Because of this, I was able to draw unemployment which allowed me to build my fledging new business. This was the much-needed nudge I needed to pursue my passion full time. As I have told myself many times, some of us were not meant to be caged up sitting behind a desk. I flew out of that old stuffy corporate office and spread my wings. Here I am 20 years later still following my true calling in life, caring for the pets I love.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was 2009 and I had been in business for 13 years. I thought I was in a great place in my life. In January, my husband, at the time, walked out on me. 13 years of marriage gone. This was a very traumatic event in my life. If I hadn’t built up a successful business, I wouldn’t have been able to survive on my own and would have had to depend on him for money. I also learned that when in time of need people can be very caring and compassionate. One of my upscale clients, that I had developed a good working relationship with, heard about my circumstance and stepped up to the plate big time. She hired one of the biggest baddest ass divorce attorney’s in Atlanta. My client paid for all my legal fees. I will be forever be grateful for what they did for me. It’s because of them, I was able to get back on my feet and resume my business without being in serious debt. I was so proud that I had taken the time to develop a close relationship with this family. As with most of my clients, I build relationships and they feel like family to me.

In 2013, I was in a bad car accident. I had just finished caring for a client’s dog. I was on my way home and BAM! I was t-boned on the driver’s side. My car and I were injured. Oh no, how am I going to run my business? I had really never given that much thought, what if something happens to me? What would I do? Soon, PTSD crept in and I was afraid to drive anywhere. To this day, I still struggle daily with the challenges of crazy Atlanta traffic fearful of someone plowing into me. For many years I had to, and still do to this day, deal with intense chronic pain from the accident. There are basic things I once enjoyed and can no longer do without pain, like walking dogs and driving. I have had to change the way I run my business and hire sitters for jobs I once could do. I am now narrowing my focus on specializing in cat and urban chicken care.

Pawprints Atlanta – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Most of my business consists of in home pet care in the client’s home. Although, my focus is now on cat care, I have cared for just about every type of pet in the past. I have now expanded into urban chicken care! I will make multiple visits to their home to care for their pets. I provide fresh food and water and playtime for the pet. I will also look after their home by picking up newspapers, mail and packages. Alternating lights and watering plants. I will even run errands for my clients too.

Some clients like for their pets to stay in my home. I accept one family pet at a time so they will get the individual attention that they need. While the pet’s parents are on vacation, they will come live with us in our family home. My husband will take them on walks around the neighborhood, we will cook dinner and snuggle up with them on the couch and we will watch TV.

To many of my clients, I am known for being a “cat whisperer”. I specialize in cats. I have owned and cared for cats all my life and I have a true passion for the furry felines. I provide vet tech type of services like giving insulin, fluids and pills. I will do individual visits and overnight stays in the client’s home. I also have client’s kitties stay in my private home. I have a special kitty suite in my house just to accommodate them. They have their own large space to play and run around in with a TV and large windows to look out to watch the birds at the feeders. This type of service has become quite popular and more and more of my clients are asking for it.

What I am most proud of and what sets me apart from other pet sitting businesses is that I like to build and nurture relationships with my clients. I really take the time to get to know them and they become part of the family. Some clients I have had for over 20 years. When they move, they stay in touch with me and want me to continue to care for their pets. I have had clients where their pets have passed and 10 years will go by without hearing from them. Then one day, they reach out to me and will want me to start caring for their new pets! Some of my long-standing clients even came to my wedding last year. So, I’m kinda like the old mom and pop business. I don’t focus on the quantity of how many clients I can get, but I’d rather focus on the quality of service I provide to my clients. I always say to a new client, “once you hire me I’ll be around for the lifetime of the pet”. When a client’s pet passes on, I mourn them as if they were my own. I’m that invested in the relationship.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Gosh, I’ve had so many of them….

Is my proudest moment, the time my dad begged me not to pursue pet sitting and continue with trying to be a teacher? “Lori! What are you thinking! You don’t have a business degree, you just don’t know what you are doing. You will FAIL” Well, I proved him wrong. 20 plus years later, I am still living my dream. Today, my daddy often tells me that he is very proud of me. That means the world to me hearing him say that.

Is my proudest moment, when I told my family about a pet sitting job I acquired in a multimillion dollar home caring for their pets and house? The client trusted ME enough and felt comfortable enough to go out of town and have ME be in charge of everything.

Is my proudest moment when Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupree hired ME to care for their bulldog puppy? Wow, seeing their Grammy Awards and framed pictures of Mariah Cary displayed in their home was incredible.

Is my proudest moment, when I realize I am fortunate enough to live my daily life caring for people’s pets? I could have settled in a job that I hated and droning on everyday dreading my work. A great day for me is when everyone is at work and I am happily walking a client’s dog in the warm sunshine and I say, “Wow, I can’t believe I get paid to do this!”

No, my proudest moment(s), is when I receive the heart felt thank you from a client for caring for their pets, their beloved family member. That’s MY proudest moment!

Contact Info:

• Address: 1266 West Paces Ferry Road
  Suite 117, Atlanta, GA 30327
• Website: www.pawprintsatlanta.com
• Phone: 404-794-7387
• Email: loriann@pawprintsatlanta.com

Image Credit:
Photographer Amanda Summerlin