May 15, 2017

Meet Ashley Chidester of Aunty Ashley’s Pet Nannies in Metro Atlanta

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Chidester.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up I loved animals and my parents never knew what kind of stray I would bring home next. At 15 years old, they finally relented and got me my first dog, a beautiful lab mix, and as I like to say, the rest is history. A few months later, I started searching for my first job and was lucky enough to find one working in a little boarding kennel which is where I truly found my calling caring for pets.

A few years later, my love of animals took me to Alaska where I was a summer intern at the American Bald Eagle foundation. I spent my days rescuing and releasing injured Eagles and my evenings learning about the wildlife that called Alaska home. I fell in love with Haines, the small fishing village where the foundation was located. A year later, I packed up my three dogs and moved there full time where I worked as an animal control officer for their no-kill animal shelter.

I stayed in Alaska for three years but I moved back to Atlanta to be close to my family again. I returned to working at a large dog boarding facility and, while I loved what I did, when I tried to go on vacation I realized my personal dogs wouldn’t do well in the boarding environment. I started searching for ways to leave them at home with a professional but I couldn’t find anyone that I could trust so we canceled our vacation and started Aunty Ashley’s Pet Nannies a few months later. The purpose of our company is to deliver that trusted care for our clients’ pets and our nannies truly become family, that’s why we’re proud to be called Aunty Ashley’s.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Early on, the biggest struggle I faced was having many clients spread across the North Metro Atlanta area, spending hours a day driving between them and holding myself to the high standards I had become known for. At first I was overwhelmed but as time went on I saw the vision for my company; a trusted network of Nannies providing exceptional care and phenomenal customer service all over the North Metro Atlanta area.

Please tell us about Aunty Ashley’s Pet Nannies.
Our nannies are what sets us apart and we are known for providing the loving care of family combined with the knowledge and skill of a professional. We only pet sit in the pet’s home because based on our experience that is where they will be the most comfortable. We pride ourselves on putting pet parent’s minds at easy by sending them updates including adorable pictures of all the fun their pet is having while they are away!

As a foster parent for a local rescue group, I know how costly it can be caring for multiple pets so I wanted to open the door to professional service for large families by not charging a fee for more than one pet.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have started hiring additional nannies earlier. I was nervous at first; I want my client’s pets to be well loved and I know how much trust they put in me and my company. I didn’t know if I could place that trust in the hands of someone else but I have been fortunate enough to find an amazing group of crazy animal lovers just like me who are passionate about the quality of care we provide.

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