Australian pet sitter fills a need in her community
Raylene Cullen, who needed a change from her corporate job and wanted to work with animals, recognized that pet sitting was a great opportunity.
For 25 years, Raylene Cullen worked in management and sales in the electrical wholesale industry, but she needed a change from her corporate job. She wanted to transition to something that she could do in retirement, but she knew it had to involve animals.
So in 2012, she started her own pet-sitting business, Executive Pets, in Albury, New South Wales, Australia. Cullen saw this as “a great opportunity to offer our community something it was lacking.”
When Cullen was looking to go on holidays in her previous job and needed someone to care for her two cats, dog, python and horse, she searched the
internet and could not find anyone local in town. She saw that there were a lot of pet sitters in Australia’s major cities. Now she provides the service in her town.
“I am just grateful that after 25 years of doing a job I did not love anymore that I have this opportunity to jump out of bed every morning with a smile on my face and cannot wait to get to my jobs to see my precious babies,” Cullen says.
Cullen takes a leap of faith
Cullen says the customer service and office management skills that she developed in her former career have helped her become the best pet sitter in her region.
She started out in administration in the electrical wholesale industry and worked her way up to various positions, including personal assistant, sales representative, assistant manager and manager of a multi-million dollar branch. She worked for a couple of multi-national companies before spending 11 years as the sales representative for a family-owned Australian business. She completed her diploma of business management with CLB Training and Development.
Now Cullen has just over 500 clients in her pet-sitting business. She has a back-up pet sitter in case she gets sick or injured. She covers a 20-kilometer radius of Albury/Wodonga, which is situated about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne. It is a country town with about 100,000 people, she explains. She also services rural properties within that radius.
“I have never looked back since the day I took my leap of faith and left my previous job, and I just don’t know why I was not brave enough to do this years before,” Cullen remarks.
Why PSI?
To get started as a pet sitter, Cullen did a lot of research online and considered what she would want for her pets if someone was caring for them.
She has had animals since she was a young child. Cullen got her first pet—a rabbit—when she was six years old. She has had many pets over the years, including dogs, cats, horses, snakes, turtles, goats, cows, birds, fish and rabbits.
She joined Pet Sitters International and says she thought it was the best option for her, because she was able to gain a qualification that she could not get with any organization in Australia—PSI’s CPPS-Certified Professional Pet Sitter® designation. She is also trained in pet first aid.
“I am the only pet sitter in our area that can say that I am a ‘Certified Professional Pet Sitter,’ and my clients love that,” Cullen says. “I think the ongoing training is beneficial to show my clients that I am committed to giving their pets the very best care.”
And that mindset is reflected in her tagline: “The best pet care when you’re not there.”
Cullen says for pet owners, the benefit of selecting a professional pet sitter is “knowing that they have someone who is dedicated and trained in all aspects of pet care and can think on their feet, handling any situation that may arise in a professional way.”
Pet-sitting industry grows
Cullen says there are no animals that she will not care for. She serves dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, fish, birds, cows, alpacas, goats, ducks, chickens, and the list goes on.
In addition to pet sitting and dog walking, she offers pet-taxi service and is the local agent for Jet Pets, doing their deliveries to and from the airport.
Cullen says pet sitting is rapidly growing in Australia and is very big in major cities. Her own business has grown every year since she started.
“Word of mouth has been my best advertising and having an excellent relationship with our local vets, groomers, dog trainers and pet shops,” Cullen explains. “I am also the preferred pet sitter in our area for the police, paramedics and the army. All of the local veterinarians recommend me to their clients.”
So what is the best thing about her job as a pet sitter?
“Everything,” Cullen says, “including the joy and happiness I get from each and every pet I care for and being able to provide my clients peace of mind when they are away knowing that their pets are safe and happy in their own homes and receiving lots of love, affection and the very best care available.”
Read more pet-sitting success stories.
Photos provided by Raylene Cullen, Executive Pets.
Interested in learning more about becoming a pet sitter? This free Ebook from PSI will help you start your business the right way, with instructions on selecting your business structure, obtaining your business license and selecting your service area.
