Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Dretzka.
Hi Jill, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Work and Woof was started I felt like the pet care industry operates in a very narrow, traditional format and that there was a need for more flexibility as a pet parent. As a first-time dog owner at the age of 30, what I was looking for didn’t exist and I wanted to change that. It turned out that many pet parents felt the same way I did, we very quickly found a community of like-minded individuals looking for a place to work, socialize and for a format of daycare that isn’t widely available.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Ha, there is nothing smooth about our road. Opening up a business that the world has never seen before takes an incredible amount of patience. We spend every single day (even four years in) explaining who we are and what we offer. Then add in being 18 months old at the start of COVID, the Texas storm of 2021 that caused $65K in damage and a variety of other issues and you have our journey. I think I always knew I was a little resilient but these past four years have tested me beyond anything I could have ever imagined. We can’t use anyone else’s business model to predict business patterns, we can barely use our previous years. We tripled our business during COVID, we hit 80+ dogs a day back in May of this year, a number frankly I’d never thought I’d see and that was with over a dozen reservations rejected that day. It’s been an absolute rollercoaster but I’ve learned more in these past 4 years and I wouldn’t trade a single second although I might have blocked some of them out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Work and Woof is the country’s first and only Indoor Dog Park, Coworking Space and Dog Daycare rolled into one combined concept. We are a true crate and kennel-free facility which is our specialty. We have 17,000 sq ft of space split into indoor and outdoor yards, a professional workspace and an indoor facility that can be rented for a multitude of different events.
We are known for being a tight-knit community of dog lovers. We are a family, all day, every day. I am most proud of that, of OUR community. That’s what sets us apart, from Day 1 we strive to know you and your dog, your partners, your dog’s quirks, their friends, likes and dislikes. This allows us to customize your dog’s experience. We aren’t a facility that tells you your dog was “fine”, we tell you that he spent his day playing fetch with his favorite kennel tech, that he got to see his best friend, that we are becoming more social and he got lots of cuddles. It’s personal, and it’s intentional.
I am proud of our Instagram. It is our heart and soul. We don’t have cameras so we utilize social media to update our parents, to story tell about your dog’s day, to highlight who we are and the services that we offer. It is creative, fun, informative, engaging and it is fundamental to our success. We aim to be a hub in Austin for dog parents and dog lovers alike.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I had a great childhood. I was a big athlete and I am an only child so I spent a lot of time with my family. My parents have been self-employed a large portion of their lives so I remember loving that they got to come to my games, that we could travel and that I could come to work with my dad. I think it was always in the back of my head that I wanted that life also, the freedom to do the things that were most important to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.workandwoofatx.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/workandwoofatx
Image Credits
Mural photo: @tsarchdog
