Bailey’s Bark takes care of furry friends

Bailey’s Bark makes it its mission to offer personal touch to pet care and its many clients.

In 2016, Tammy Esquivel took a risk and walked away from about 30 years in as an executive chef to pursue her passions. Four years later, her pet grooming and sitting business, Bailey’s Bark is a testament to her determination to follow her heart.

“I got really burned out on corporate life and I always wanted to work with animals,” Esquivel said. “I should have done it thirty years ago but life happens.” Her Wickliffe womanowned and -operated business, Bailey’s Bark at 30544 Euclid Ave., offers pet walking, sitting, and grooming services for not only dogs but other pets as well. What sets her approach apart from others is the personalized touch which she highlights with earned pride, she says.

“I felt that there was a need for personal care, rather than putting everyone in the same box,” she said. “We work with a lot of special needs pets, senior pets, dogs that have arthritis, and health issues. A lot of sitting and grooming businesses won’t take those kinds of pets due to liability reasons and also because it takes more of their time. There’s a huge need out there to take care of senior pets.

“Elderly pets often have medications they need,” she added. “Their care just takes more time. It might take them longer to go down the stairs or outside. We take them time to give them the care they need. A lot of places won’t do that because it’s not a money maker. They want to get animals in and out. Sure, we all want to make money, but everything we do here is about the pets first.”

Esquivel is a certified pet sitter through Pet Sitters International and her staff is also certified for CPR and first aid for animals. This adds not only a panoply of services for pet owners to choose from but also a peace of mind that can be invaluable while owners are away from their pets. “We take an approach that is, ‘it’s all about the animal first.’ We do a personal pet care plan for every animal. We offer services based on what the pet and pet owners need, not what we think they need,” she said.

She offers an example of the personalized care plan they establish with pets and owners.

“If you have a dog that has anxiety and you were going to be away on vacation we’ll come to your home and everything there to stick to the pet’s routine,” she said. “We try to keep them in that routine as much as possible to lower stress and anxiety when their owners are away. Not every dog does good in boarding or a daycare facility. “

House calls are preceded with an initial meet and greet with the owners and pets so both parties can discuss their needs in order to craft a plan that best suits the animal. This also helps

initiate the connection between the sitter and the pet ahead of their visit while the owner is away.

Bailey’s Bark offers transportation services if owners are unable to get their pets to veterinarian appointments, and has recently added pet massages and pet reiki to alleviate stress and pain management.

The social distancing regulations that went into place to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus deeply impacted Bailey’s Bark. With countless vacation and travel plans scuttled animal-sitting and walking dropped drastically.

“It was a big hit, she said. “The good news is that when we reopened my clients were calling to get in. We were able to set things up so everyone can still be safe.”

Esquivel altered their

typical approach in order to make sure health remained a top priority.

“We’ve designated two parking spaces for curbside service. Clients can call us when they get here. We let one client in at a time with their pets. We wear masks and get payment information up front so we can save it in our system. When the pet is ready for pick up we call the owner and bring them out to their car. That way they only have to come in that one time,” she said.

“One of the dogs, we haven’t seen in a while, he came bounding in so happy to see us. That’s what makes us happy, that’s why we’re here.”

SUBMITTED Bailey’s Bark takes a few canine clients for a walk in the park.

SUBMITTED The lobby of Bailey’s Bark is shown.

SUBMITTED A Bailey’s Bark’s staffer administers reiki massages to a dog as part of pain management and/or anxiety reduction.