[AT WORK]

RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM Donna S. Olayan pet sitter

Pet sitter

Donna S. Olayan finds walking other
peoples' pets demanding in time,
but good for the soul

Donna S. Olayan >> I work 365 days of the year and my schedule changes everyday. My uniform consists of shorts and sneakers. I carry a shoulder bag equipped with plastic bags, baby wipes, biscuits and keys. My car is my office and I deal with poop every day.

I take care of people's pets for a living.

Many of my clients don't like to impose on their friends, family or neighbors to care for their pets while they travel. In fact, some of my clients never took a vacation before they met me.

Many of my clients have busy schedules and can't walk their dogs and that's where I come in. I provide the exercise and care these animals need and my clients get peace of mind.

Today I'll make eight visits to people's homes. On busier days it's double that. I live my life spur-of-the-moment because with my job, anything can happen. A client might extend service because of travel delays or a client might need last minute visits. I'll scramble to meet new clients because they're leaving in two days. I'll transport pets to vets in emergencies. I'll look for dogs that have escaped.

When I'm done with all that, I take care of all the other aspects of running a business. As one of my clients told me, when you run your own business you become a Jack-of-all-trades.

Doing it all, I find myself with little free time. But I remind myself that not too long ago I needed to escape this fast paced society and find meaning. I told a friend about an idea that lingered in my head for years. With that idea we formed Purrfect Pals Pet Services. Pets have become my passion and now I have meaning once again.

I may not have weekends, but that's OK because my weekends are everyone's workdays. When everyone else is working, in between all my visits, I'm surfing uncrowded beaches and hiking and biking empty trails. Many people think I have a dream job and they may be right. There aren't many jobs that allow you to act silly and play with animals.

It's not a high-paying job but you can't put a price on independence and freedom. And those soothing purrs, wagging tails and smiles of appreciation are worth a lot.

Taking care of pets and running your own business is demanding both on the body and mind, but never on the soul.