Today we’d like to introduce you to Myles And Jan Pitman
Hi Myles and Jan, 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?
Myles and I (Jan) met in 2020 and got married in 2021. We moved to Jarrell in 2022 after purchasing our dream home. It’s a five bedroom, 2 story home with a huge back yard. We live there with our 4 pack: Jake Sully – six year old Frenchton, Jelly Belly – two year old Frenchton, Georgia Peach – two year old French Bulldog, and King Arthur – almost two year old French Bulldog. Shortly after moving to Jarrell, we needed a second income due to Myles not being able to return to work.
Myles is a walking miracle! He has short bowel syndrome. After 10 bowel resections, he lost almost all of his small intestines. This made it extremely hard to work. He honestly should have been on disability, but has such a strong work ethic that he continued to work. Additionally, Myles’s neck was injured in the Army, which caused him to need a neck fusion surgery. He got the surgery a few months after moving to Jarrell. The surgery did not go well. Myles ended up losing all usage of his right arm combined with severe pain in his left shoulder. He was not able to return to work. We went over a year surviving on one income. We had been praying and asking God for a way to provide a second income. The short bowel makes it hard for us to leave the house for long periods of time, so we knew we needed to do something from home.
That is where Risen Paws was born. Myles always wanted to open a restaurant and become a Chaplain. I wanted some type of dog business/dog rescue and ministry someday. Myles has the business sense and I have the animal sense. We both have the pioneer sense, love Jesus and want to minister to others! This combination led to us starting Risen Paws September 1st, 2024. I had done Rover in the past and worked for a pet sitting business and upscale boarding/day care facility, so it made sense to try that. I activated my Rover profile and got our first day care fur baby, Bentley! A super cute senior Yorkie. Things kept progressing after we made a Facebook and Instagram page along with a paid add in the My Monthly Jarrell. Since we started in September, our income has increased every month. Risen Paws is an answered prayer. We get to have a second income doing something we love and doing it from home for Jesus!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have only been in business since September 1, 2024, so we haven’t had too many struggles yet. However, one of our dogs, Georgia Peach, got a back injury shortly after we started. It was really discouraging and caused us to question whether we were doing the right thing. Georgia is a French Bulldog rescue who has several abnormalities as a result of unethical breeders not doing the proper health checks. Thankfully, we have a wonderful vet who gave us a great care plan. Georgia made a full recovery and is doing great.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Myles served in the Army for 9 years as a Combat Medic (1992-2001). Jan served in the Army for 11 years (2000-2011) as an Avionics Communication Equipment Repairer. Both of us are medically retired. Myles achieved the rank of Sergeant. I achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and served one year in Afghanistan.
A few years after discharge, I got my Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling with an Emphasis on Addiction. I chose this degree, because of my personal experience with addiction. I was addicted to pain pills after being prescribed high doses when I was being treated for a back injury I got in the Army. I already suffered with alcoholism, so it was not a good combination. Shortly after discharging from the Army, I had a spiritual experience with Jesus and have been sober ever since (13 years now). My two Pitties, Sprocket and Izzi, played a huge role in helping me get sober and realizing how hard it is to find a safe, loving place for your fur babies to stay while you are away.
While getting my degree I was blessed with the opportunity to create my church’s recovery program and become an ordained minister after completing their Bible College. The group is called Free Forever and is based on the healing that I received through Neil Anderson’s The Bondage Breaker. This is where I found my passion for creating programs and wanting to show others the goodness of God. I am no longer leading the group, but it still exists, is doing well and is led by a dear friend of mine.
After graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree, I got a job as a Continuity of Care Navigator at Integral Care. I was assigned clients who did not have mental health care insurance and were admitted to the psychiatric hospital. I helped them with their discharge plans and after care. This job was very rewarding, because I could relate to a lot of what they were going through. This is also where I met Myles!
Myles has his Masters in Criminal Justice and was a parole officer prior to when we met. After moving to Austin, he joined my team. I was responsible for training him as a new member of our team. We had an instant connection and were married 8 months later – May 29th, 2021.
Working full time and leading Free Forever became too much. I wanted to lead ministry as a profession not just a volunteer. Six months after stepping down, I found a job as a Virtual Clinic Director at The Source, a faith-based women’s health that afforded me the opportunity to create and lead in ministry. Three years later, I still work (from home) at The Source and am helping them build a virtual call center. I am now the Virtual Call Center Director. This job is rewarding, because I have the honor of helping women get access to women’s health care and pregnancy support.
How does Risen Paws fit into all of this? Well, I have loved animals since I was born. I was the kid holding wild ducks while everyone else was off playing. I had every animal you could imagine growing up and show jumped horses. Shortly after joining the Army I adopted Sprocket from the shelter. When I found out that he was a Pitbull, I couldn’t believe it! Sprocket was the opposite of the stigma. He was sweet and submissive. He was great with people, dogs and even cats. This led me to doing Pitbull rescue for about 20 years.
Finding care for Sprocket while I was in the Army was difficult. I deployed to Afghanistan. When I came back to visit Sprocket, I found him emaciated. I was horrified and spent my entire leave finding a place for him to go. I needed long term care for him two other times and both times it was a night mare. The boarding facilities did not care for Sprocket well. These traumatizing experiences make it hard for me and Myles to leave our pack. No one should have to experience this! People should have a safe, loving place to leave their fur babies while they are away.
When I was getting my Bachelor’s degree, I worked for my mentor’s pet sitting business and an upscale pet boarding facility. The pet sitting was great. The boarding facility was another story. The dogs were not cared for properly, so I had to leave. All of this culminated to starting Risen Paws, so that we can provide safe, loving care for people’s pets, so we can support both fur baby and fur parent and so we can show them the love of Jesus through His love for His creation.
Risen Paws sets us apart, because we care about the fur babies and their fur parents. Most professionals in the animal business say, “We don’t do people. We just do animals.” Myles and I say,” We care for the people and their animals.” We also want to show people God’s goodness through His love for animals. This sets us apart too, because a loving Christian Pet Sitting Business is not common. We believe we are a unique business and hope our love for furbabies and fur parents will present Jesus in a new light. A light that speaks His unconditional, magnificent love for His creation. Job 12:10 is our name sake verse and describes our hearts for Risen Paws so well, “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” We are excited for what God has in store and are always available for a tour!
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
We just started September 1st, 2024, so we have a few tips we have learned so far. Marketing is important and worth the money. Social media is important too. We recommend that you have at least Facebook and Instagram. Facebook has gotten us a lot of business quickly. Also, get an official LLC through a good platform. This helps people see that you have a legitimate, honest business. Lastly, relationship, relationship, relationship!
Pricing:
- Day Care: $30 per day (1-4), $27 per day (5-9), $25 per day (10+)
- Over night boarding: $50 per night, $25 per additional dog; more than 7 days $45 per night, $25 per additional dog
- Drop in visits: $25 per visit (1-4), $22 per visit (5-9), $20 per visit (10+)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.risenpaws.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/risen_paws/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561444181134
