Ferris State University is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 as Big Rapids Industrial School by Woodbridge N. Ferris and became a public institution in 1950. The university also has a satellite campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas. In contrast to assistance dogs, which are trained to assist specific patients with their day-to-day physical needs, therapy dogs are trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handlers.
A kennel is a structure or shelter for dogs. Used in the plural, the kennels, the term means any building, collection of buildings or a property in which dogs are housed, maintained, and bred. A kennel can be made out of various materials, the most popular being wood and canvas. The term "kennel" can also refer to a dog crate or doghouse.
PetSmart Inc. is a privately held American chain of pet superstores, which sell pet products, services, and small pets. It is the leading North American pet company, and its direct competitor is Petco. Its indirect competitors are Amazon, Walmart, and Target. As of 2020, PetSmart has more than 1,650 stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores sell pet food, pet supplies, pet accessories, and small pets. Stores also provide services including grooming, dog daycare, dog and cat boarding, veterinary care via in-store third-party clinics, and dog training. They also offer dog and cat adoption via in-store adoption centers facilitated by the non-profit PetSmart Charities.
Beggin’ Strips is a brand of pet food and pet snack manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare. The product was first manufactured by Ralston Purina. The product's tagline is "Dogs Don't Know It's Not Bacon," which appeared in U.S. television commercials in the 1990s. The product is manufactured to resemble bacon strips.
Pet sitting is the act of temporarily taking care of another person's pet for a given time frame. It commonly occurs at the pet owner's home, but may also occur at the provider's home or at a pet sitting place of business or organization. Pet sitting is a more personal and individualized arrangement for care compared to boarding or kenneling. Specialized training is usually not required for pet sitting.
House sitting is the practice whereby a person leaving their house for a period of time entrusts it to one or more "house sitters", who by a mutual agreement are permitted to live or stay in the property temporarily, in exchange for assuming any combination of responsibilities. These can include taking care of the home owner's pets, performing general maintenance, keeping trespassers off the property, readdressing the mail, and in general, making sure that everything runs smoothly, just as if the owner was at home.
Take Your Dog to Work Day (TYDTWDay) was created by Pet Sitters International and first celebrated in 1999. PSI created the day to encourage businesses to allow dogs in the workplace for one Friday each year to celebrate dogs as companions and promote their adoptions from local shelters, rescue groups, and humane societies. PSI believes that through the event, dogless co-workers will be encouraged to adopt. The week leading up to Take Your Dog To Work Day is Take Your Pet To Work Week. Take Your Dog to Work Day and Take Your Pet to Work Week are registered trademarks of Pet Sitters International, Inc.
A cattery is any building, collection of buildings or property in which cats are housed, maintained, cared for, and bred. A cattery can be anything from a simple building associated with a residence to a state-of-the-art facility with CCTV, televisions, and water features. There are two general types of catteries: cat boarding and cat breeding.
Dog walking is the act of a person walking with a dog, typically from the dog's residence and then returning. Leashes are commonly used for this. Both owners and pets receive many benefits, including exercise and companionship.
Dog grooming refers to the hygienic care of a dog, a process by which a dog's physical appearance is enhanced. A dog groomer is a professional that is responsible for maintaining a dog’s hygiene and appearance by offering services such as bathing, brushing, hair trimming, nail clipping, and ear cleaning.
Dog daycare, or doggy daycare, is short-term daytime care for dogs. It differs from multi-day kennel boarding and pet sitting, where the sitter comes to the pet's home.
Rover.com was founded in 2011 in Seattle, Washington and is formally incorporated under the name "A Place for Rover, Inc." The company serves as a broker and takes roughly 20% of each transaction booked through its site. The company was publicly listed on the Nasdaq since 2021, until it was taken private by Blackstone Inc. in 2024.
A pet taxi is a type of transportation taxi service that transports various pets. Some pet taxi services also provide pet ambulance, animal boarding and grooming services. Some pet sitting companies may also offer pet taxi services. Some pet taxis charge by the mile, while others may offer a flat rate for various trips. Less commonly, some pet taxi services may offer long-distance pet transportation, such as a trip from New York City to Florida.
Jonathan Philip Klein (1956-2016) was an American expert in dog training and behavior consultant based in Los Angeles.
Whistle Labs Inc. is a subsidiary of Mars Petcare headquartered in San Francisco, California. It produces and markets the Whistle GPS Pet Tracker, a device worn on a pet's collar that monitors its activity and location. In addition to pet owners, the devices have been used by veterinary researchers.
PetCloud is an Australian company selling pet care services based in Brisbane, the company is a nationally registered NDIS provider. PetCloud, screens potential pet sitters for pet owners. PetCloud was named a finalist in the Lord Mayor's Business Awards for Digital Strategy. In 2017, founder Deb Morrison was selected as 2017 Finalist for Young Entrepreneur in Brisbane.
Wag Labs is an American pet care company that offers a technology platform to connect pet owners with independent pet professionals for on-demand and scheduled dog walking, training, and other petcare services through a mobile application. The app has been referred to as "the Uber for Dogs".
Dog boarding, also known as dog sitting, refers to overnight care for dogs. It is offered through various establishments, including dog kennels, professional boarding facilities, dog hotels, dog resorts, private dog sitters' homes, or the homes of dog owners.
Cat boarding refers to overnight boarding of cats during the absence of the owner for example during a holiday or business trip, under the care of trained and experienced staff. It can be offered in a designated, professional boarding facilities, but also in private cat sitters' homes, or the homes of cat owners. Similar to dog boarding facilities, cat boarding facilities are specifically designed to meet the needs of cats, so that they are safe and comfortable during their owners' absence.
