Front Porch Dogs

One of my favorite things about Etsy is getting to chat with some of the fabulous pet lovers that buy my bowls.  Take Darlene Pigman, for example, owner of Front Porch Dogs in Sebring, Florida.  In addition to growing her new pet store (featuring homemade treats made from ingredients from her farm), she has also been an RN for 25 years and works as a flight nurse with the trauma helicopter program out of Tampa.  How's that for multi-tasking?!

Darlene requested a bowl with her store's logo.  Having never done this before, I asked her to send me the logo, I printed it out, affixed it to a chair... and viola!  Now all of her furry customers can grab a drink on their way into the store and know exactly where they are ;)  I plan on offering custom logo bowls to other pet store owners thanks to Darlene's fabulous idea!

Here is a little Q&A with Darlene...

How long have you been in business?  "I started making my own treats in Feb '09 and was selling them in my sister-in-law's gift store. When the storefront next to her store became vacant, I moved in and expanded."

Where are you located?  "My store is located in Historic Downtown Sebring, FL. Sebring is approx 1 hr south of Orlando."

What type of products do you carry?  "The product I feature the most is homemade treats. I have a farm so the ingredients for the treats come mostly from the farm i.e. honey, eggs (cookies) and lamb (lamb jerky). Also I get fresh frozen bones from my butcher. These bones are from grass fed cows in Ocala, FL. I also carry high end dog/cat food and all the cute things that go with having a four legged friend."

Why did you choose to open a pet store?  "My brother and sister-in-law have a very successful kennel and treat store in Canada and I envied their work, so I decided to start (on a much smaller scale) what they do. I won't be setting up a kennel, but instead I have taken my classes and finished my internship in canine hydrotherapy. So hopefully, I can set up a pool soon and swim dogs for exercise and rehab."

Tell us about your pets:  "I currently have 4 dogs (labs), 2 horses, 16 chickens, 30 sheep, 2 cats and 1 african grey parrot."

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